This past week we gathered in Wytham Woods, firing under the expert guidance of Svend Bayer and Brigitte Colleaux. Nearly 400 pots, each carefully wadded and placed by hand, were stacked shelf by shelf, stack by stack. Creating pathways for the flames to dance around the pots.

For days and nights we stoked the kiln, listened to her, fed her, and responded intuitively to her needs. When we weren’t on shift, we split and stacked wood, shared meals, and camped on site away from the outside world.

Between firings and forest walks, there were quiet conversations with fellow potters. Stories of clay, fire, and the journeys that led us here. A week woven together by mud, flame, and the magic of the woods.