Mini Bottle: Ubud Forest
Mini Bottle: Ubud Forest
About
Wheel-thrown stoneware. Woodfired at GAYA Ceramic Art Center, Bali, February 2026.
A tall bottle form with a twist.
16 × 8 cm (6.3 × 3.1 in)
The Making
Built using a spiral technique that creates a twist in the body — not a surface decoration, but a structural decision made during throwing. A very tall, thin cylinder is pulled on the wheel, cut free with a wire, then shaped entirely from the inside using one hand, expanding the form outward from within. The twist is a result of that internal pressure. It cannot be added after the fact.
The neck has a slight asymmetry. There was a strong stream of air through the kiln at that point in the firing. The bottle recorded it.
The Firing
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Made during a two-week wood firing workshop at GAYA Ceramic Art Center in Ubud, Bali, led by ceramicist John Dix — known for his Kurinuki carving technique and for teaching a looser, more instinctive approach to the wheel. The firing was led by master ceramicist Hillary Kane.
The kiln was fed wood continuously for approximately 50 hours, reaching 1270°C. Fuel: coffee tree wood. Loading method: Kibuta — firewood packed tightly into the firebox to restrict oxygen, pushing volatile flames and fly-ash through the chamber. This creates the flashed color and natural ash surface you see on the piece. No glaze was applied. Everything you see is ash, clay body, and clay slip.
The team worked in shifts around the clock. I did two six-hour shifts — one overnight, one at the closing stage when the temperature was already near its peak.
The firing ended with reduction cooling: oxygen was deliberately restricted as the kiln cooled, stealing oxygen molecules from the clay and surface. This produces the deep color shifts and the faint metallic quality. This was one of the last firings in this kiln — GAYA is relocating.