What's new at samhoffman.com...
November 2007 - Its the end of an era. After eleven years of firing, the back chamber and chimney of Hikarigama had begun to fail. With sledge hammers, pick axes, and a make-shift scaffolding, we disassembled the entire back of the kiln, leaving the anagama section untouched. We were fortunately able to salvage most of the bricks, so rebuilding this winter should be relatively straight forward. I am eternally grateful to Hiroshi for including me in the Hikarigama family; I couldn't have a better teacher.
August 2007 - The Gail Nichols workshop was an absolute success! We have had eight practice firings in as many months and really feel like we have the soda firing process dialed in. Some of the work that came from this firing was truly spectacular. All of the artists had a wonderful experience and Gail was really a pleasure to work with. Sodalicious!!!
June 2007 - Tess and I returned to Northfield, MN for our 10th reunion at Carleton College. I had the opportunity to see the studio where I first got turned on to clay. Talk about a blast from the past! 10 years of making pots...what can I say...I'm one lucky artist.
April 2007 - The big focus at Hikarigama this year will be preparation for the large soda firing workshop that we will host in August with Australian potter Gail Nichols. Fifteen participants from across the country will join us in Elkton for a six day firing in which we will pursue some of Gail's delicious matte glazed surfaces. In anticipation of this workshop, I have started formulating high alumina clay bodies that will respond well to her firing process. We'd better have our stuff together before she gets here!
March 2007 - This month I returned to Missouri to build a large woodfired "train style" kiln for the ceramics studio at Northwest Missouri State University. Although I was greeted by a frozen kiln pad and four foot snow drifts, in a three week period we successfully built and fired the kiln. Cone 11 on the first firing!!! I really like the design and hope to build something similar at my studio in Oregon. Check out the newspaper article about the kiln; it truly made an impact on the community.
October 2006 - I have been invited by Eva Kwong to exhibit a large vase in the International Wood firing Conference that will take place this month at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. This conference will be a very important gathering of wood fire potters from around the world. I will attend the conference with several of my friends from Hikarigama, including Hiroshi Ogawa, Tim Steele, Terry Inokuma, Nick Geankopolos and John Benn. The official conference website is www4.nau.edu/ceramics. My piece can be seen in the catalog of the exhibition.
September 2006 - This month Hiroshi Ogawa, Nick Geankopolos, and I conducted a wood firing workshop at the new anagama in Boulder, Colorado, which was designed and built by Nancy Utterback, Jim Lorio, and Jim Cooper. We had a wonderfully successful firing, getting the entire kiln raging hot with lots of beautiful natural ash deposits. Although we did get the police and fire departments called to the kiln site (sorry Nancy!), the workshop participants all had a wonderful experience and have promised to invite us back for another workshop.
August 2006 - The Hikarigama crew has just completed our last firing for the summer. We have done four soda firings and three anagama firings so far this year, each with spectacular results. New work is posted in the salt/soda gallery and wood firing gallery. Please enjoy!
May 2006 - This month I will conduct my first official kiln building workshop. Laura Kukkee has invited me to Northwest Missouri State University to construct and fire four small wood kilns. We will build an Italian-style updraft, an Olsen fast fire downdraft, a cantenary arch crossdraft, and a crossdraft train-style kiln. All four kilns will be fired simultaneously with no pyrometers. Flame on!
April 2006 - Two of my bowls and ceramic spoons were selected by Gail Brown to be in the exhibition An Extravagance of Salt and Pepper at the Baltimore Clayworks. As many of my "clay heroes" will be in the show, it will be quite an honor. The show will be up for the entire month of May.
March 2006 - The annual NCECA conference is in Portland, OR this year. I have been invited to display a large wood fired vase in the front windows of the Portland Justice Center. 3500 potters will descend on the city for a 5 day clay extravaganza; hope they notice my piece...
December 2005 - The Hoffman family has purchased a home in Corvallis, OR.! We have found a glorious piece of property in the Soap Creek Valley, 10 miles north of downtown. The house is surrounded by beautiful oak savanna and has enough space for me to build a studio and eventually my own wood kiln. We are very excited, to say the least.
September 2005 - I have finally found time to update the website. There is new work in all of the galleries. I am particularly excited about the new soda firing process that Hiroshi Ogawa is orchestrating at his Hikarigama kiln. Check out the vases in the salt/soda gallery and wood firing gallery! I am eternally thankful to Hiroshi and truly respect his approach to firing.
August 2005 - My wife Tess has given birth to our son! Max Leonard Hoffman was born on August 12, 2005 and weighed 9 lbs. 4.5 oz. He is a happy and healthy baby; we are so fortunate to have him. As anyone can guess, I am sleep-deprived and disorganized, but happy as can be!!! It will be a challenge to balance time in the studio and time with Max...wish me luck!
March 2005 - New work has been posted in the wood firing and crystalline galleries. This month, I attended the annual NCECA conference in Baltimore. I was honored to have three wood fired vases in a special exhibition for recent graduate students called "School's Out!", which was curated by Gail Brown. The conference was very inspiring and I had the opportunity to discuss my new glaze tests with some experts. What great feedback! Looks like black is still beautiful...
January 2005 - HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am beginning this year by testing some traditional dark Chinese Jian glazes, often referred to as tenmoku. (a japanese term) Some of the effects possible from these glazes include oil spots, hare's fur, partridge feathers, and russett mottling. Check out some of my test results, along with glaze formulas, on the Glaze Test Page.
July 2004 - I have just returned from one of the most exhilarating and inspiring experiences in my artistic career-a five week residency at Kanayama Pottery in Goshogowara, Japan! Master potter Ryoji Matsumiya was kind enough to invite me to return for the 2004 Goshogowara International Wood Firing Residency. (there are many great photos on the official website) A group of twelve artists from all around the world (USA, Canada, Spain, Greece, New Zealand, Korea, and Japan) worked side by side making pottery and sculpture for the many Kanayama wood kilns. It was truly a unique international exchange of ideas, techniques, and culture.
March 2004 - New work has been posted in all of the galleries at samhoffman.com. I have resumed my crystalline glazed porcelain after a 3 year break. Fortunately, my first firing was a big success; lots of large crystals in a nice variety of forms and colors. These pieces are available in the crystalline gallery. Another exciting spring project that I am working on is the construction of a salt kiln at Hively Pottery. Doug and I are designing and building a sprung-arch, front-loading kiln that will be fired to white heat. As the kiln reaches temperature, table salt is thrown into the kiln. It immediately vaporizes and coats the pottery with a translucent glaze. Should be pretty exciting!
December 2003 - Hiroshi Ogawa invited me to participate in my first wood firing since returning to Oregon. His Hikarigama kiln, located in Elkton, OR, is truly magnificent. It has a large anagama chamber with a noborigama salt chamber in the back. The firing crew of Hikarigama is a wonderful group of artists-we had a really good time together. Some of Hiroshi's pieces from the firing will be put on exhibition in conjunction with a show of sculpture by Isamu Noguchi. What an honor! Check out some of my pieces from this firing in the wood firing gallery.
August 2003 - Tess and I are married!!! On August 23rd at Crab Tree Farm, just north of Chicago on Lake Michigan, Tess Schuler became my wife! I feel like the luckiest man in the world!
July 2003 - I am back in Oregon! After a wonderful three years in Kent, Ohio, Tess and I have finally moved back to Corvallis. Doug Hively, my previous Oregon mentor, has kindly asked me to share studio space at Hively Pottery. It will be good to start making work in the Willamette Valley again!
January 2003 - My professors Kirk Mangus & Eva Kwong have very generously invited me to stay in the Kent State studio for an extra semester to prepare myself for the difficult lifestyle of the self-sufficient potter. I have decided to try and make a living creating and selling functional and decorative pottery. Please support samhoffman.com!!!
September 2002 - My M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition has been approved for graduation from Kent State University! For my thesis, I displayed 25 plates and platters. Cosmic imagery was wood fired and glazed on their surfaces. Many of these pieces are viewable in the archive gallery in this website.
August 2002 - The 2002 Aomori International Woodfire Festival was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The kindness and generosity of the people of Goshagowara city and Kanayama pottery was absolutely incredible. And the pottery, of course, was the most amazing I have ever seen. Check out the official website to see photos of the festival.
June 2002 - I have just been accepted to attend a wood firing conference in Japan this August! After viewing my website, Ryoji Matsumia of Kanayama pottery in northern Japan has invited me to participate in the 2002 Aomori International Woodfiring Festival!!! What an honor!
May 2002 - Website is funded by "pot-of-the-month" subscribers Jack & Renate Schuler, Tanya & Jay Sharman, and Priscilla & Stuart Schube; thank you for your support!
March 2002 - After three long months of photography and web design, samhoffman.com finally goes online. What an effort!
©2008 Sam Hoffman Pottery