Randy McClelland / Colin Meston
We have spent more than fifteen years firing wood kilns together on the Oregon and Washington coast. Our collaboration began through anagama firing and has continued through the construction and operation of Neiseru Gama, a crossdraft wood kiln located in Naselle, Washington.
We have come to see similarities between the tides that shape our coastline and the firing process that shapes our work. Both are driven by movement, accumulation, and transformation. Tides carry sand, minerals, mud, and organic matter that build and sustain coastal ecosystems. In much the same way, currents of flame move through the kiln carrying ash and minerals that settle onto the surfaces of vessels, leaving behind a visible record of their passage.
The work in this exhibition is deeply connected to place. Local clay from the Naselle River was incorporated into many of the clay bodies. Wood salvaged from repurposed Columbia River pilings was used as fuel in multiple firings alongside locally sourced Douglas fir, cedar, alder, and maple.
We often think of the firing itself as a kind of tide. As the kiln comes to temperature, waves of heat, flame, and ash move through the chamber, transforming clay into finished work. When the kiln is opened, the surfaces of the pots reveal the evidence of that journey. With each firing, layers of ash are deposited across the vessels, softening edges, enriching textures, and creating surfaces that could only emerge through repeated exposure to fire.
Fire and Tide reflects our ongoing exploration of the relationships between clay, fire, water, and place. The work presented here is not only inspired by the Lower Columbia Pacific region, but materially connected to it through the clay, the wood, and the natural forces that continue to shape this landscape.
