OXFORD ANAGAMA KILN PROJECT

by **philpot** May 11th 2020, 7:30 am

The Oxford Anagama Project is an Oxford University project in Wytham Woods, Oxford. One of the leaders was Jim Keeling of Whichford Pottery.

These were some of the resulting pottery on sale at their stand an Art in Clay Hatfield 2017

by **NaomiM** May 11th 2020, 8:24 am

Do you recall if this the Keeling’s work? They fired a lot at the kiln to test it. Looks similar to Charlie Collier's work. Robin Walden, Joseph Bull and Harriet Coleridge fired there too, but a bit later, I think. The pieces look too good to be by the hobby potters who were also allowed to fire there for a small fee (I took some of Steve Booton’s bowls up but they didn’t get enough ash on them to give a good bizen ware style)

by **philpot** May 11th 2020, 8:46 am

Unfortumately I did not inquire closely Naomi. I did not know the fine details of the Project then. The ceramic fairs are often so overwhelming with ceramic goodies that it becomes too much to take in on one visit, and I used the pictures I took to look at the potters work on the net.

by **studio-pots** May 12th 2020, 2:11 pm

The Project is still in operation and it was in fact set up to build two anagama kilns in the woods north west of Oxford and then to use them and to continue to use them. Of course, due to the current situation nothing is happening at the moment, although I know a firing was planned for around this time this year.

The Wytham Studio is a visual arts research group based at Wytham Woods and is part of the University of Oxford and it has overall control of this project. Dr Robin Wilson of Wytham Studio and Department of Anthropology and Jim Keeling of Whichford Pottery are the co-directors of the project. However, is it separate from the Keeling's Whichford Pottery and I would have thought it better to keep it separate from a thread involving the Winchford Pottery and the work of Jim or Adam Keeling.

The pots above at Hatfield in 2017 would not have resulted from the first firings of the kilns in early 2016 but from a firing in 2017 and, as I did not visit the kiln firing/opening in 2017, I could not comment on who made the pots shown but suspect that they were by numerous individuals.

After the firing of one of the kilns in January 2016, all of the acceptable work by Adam Keeling, Jim Keeling and Kaz Ishida was shipped to Bizen for an exhibition which I understand sold out (Note: I did get first dibs on some of Kaz's and Adam's pots)

by **studio-pots** May 12th 2020, 2:34 pm

Here's a guinomi made by Kaz Ishida, the young Bizen potter that came over to oversee the kiln building and the first firing of both kilns.

This came from the firing in January 2016 and had been thrown by Kaz at Kigbeare studios in Devon where he produced some of the work for this firing and for his Harlequin Gallery exhibition earlier that month.

Same guinomi - different views.

by **NaomiM** May 12th 2020, 8:23 pm

The Keelings had an exhibition at their Winchford Pottery of the work that was fired at Wytham Woods, along with Kaz and his companions works. Robin Walden and Harriet Coleridge have also fired work at the kiln, and again sell it at their own studios.
I’ve moved the thread to General Pottery Discussion and will add photos from the Anagama Kiln firings