Chronicle 004 - Casey Zablocki

Over crackling sounds from his wood-fired anagama kiln, we spoke with Casey Zablocki, a ceramicist and sculptor based in Missoula. Zablocki’s work doesn’t hide the process of creation. Instead of glaze, he lets the kiln’s own wood ash melt over his pieces, while the ravages of fire—splitting and cracking and warping the clay—become integral components.

Zablocki fires his work only twice a year, so we were lucky to accompany him. Watching the process is exciting, and not only because of the fire and Zablocki’s own fiery passion, but because tending a kiln this massive takes several people, laughing and talking and working together. You feel, amidst the glowing kiln, the friends circled around it, the pines in the background, that you are like campers sitting by a fire, sharing stories, and wondering what will emerge from the flames.

The work from this firing is currently on display at Guild Gallery in New York, opening today, September 12th – 6-8pm, 321 Canal St. NY NY 10013. The show runs through November 14th.

Medium format film photography by Colton Rothwell
Studio photography by Kayla McCormick

Placed: Watching you wood-fire, I’m amazed at what a process it is. Where did you learn? 

Casey Zablocki: The first time I was introduced to wood-firing was in Finland. I was going to industrial design school and at the time I was a potter. But they had a wood-fire kiln. When I got back stateside, I was interested in Japanese clay bodies so started researching more seriously. Shortly after I moved to Colorado where I hauled furniture for money and taught community ceramics, still searching for my place in ceramics. My pottery wasn’t really selling and I wasn't really happy. My mind was starting to shift towards sculpture, I just needed time and space to explore it. My now wife told me if you really want to do this, you need to figure it out and pursue it, we’ll make it work. 

So I went on the road for three years working apprenticeships with wood-fire potters. First Joe Bruhin in Arkansas. I worked for him for four months. I didn’t work out with Joe so I left, long story!

PL: I want to hear that story.

CZ: We can talk about that another time! I left for North Carolina and reconnected with my buddy Kenyon Hansen for a few weeks. I left feeling inspired and headed to New Jersey to work for Peter Callas. I wood-fired the whole time. Not much later Kenyon got into Archie Bray and he mentioned to come out to Montana to fire with him at the Bray. I temporarily moved out to Bozeman for my post-bacc, and when that finished I moved back to Colorado to be with my partner Kayla and work to save some money. I had the opportunity to rent studio space at Smokestack Pottery in Fort Collins—during that time I would travel from Colorado to Bozeman to fire wood kilns, eventually moving to Missoula as the Clay Studio’s wood-fire resident for two years. After this residency I worked with Hun-Chung Lee in Korea for a stint learning how to make ceramic furniture. I came back to Montana, had a small local show geared around furniture and shortly after was contacted by the Roman and Williams Guild.

CZ: It totally changed my life. I never sold to any galleries before them. I didn't even want to sell my work. I just wanted to make for myself and bake bread.

CZ: My work is deeply connected to the environment around me. As I’m making I draw inspiration from the landscape and use local materials to create my sculptural furniture. During firing I utilize trees from the surrounding forest to fire my work and create the natural surfaces on the work.

PL: The use of the kiln also breaks the stereotype of the solitary artist working alone. You need a whole team.

CZ: Firing a kiln of this size requires a crew of 8-15 people working around the clock to maintain the fire. It takes 2-3 days to load, followed by 6-8 days of firing, during which we burn eleven cords of wood. People from the surrounding areas come to contribute their work and assist with the process. When firing the kiln solely with my own work, we operate with a smaller crew, but it still takes a village to make it happen.

PL: You mentioned briefly electric firing, but found it soulless.

CZ: I’m not saying that electric firing is soulless, but wood firing is different and significantly more energy-intensive. It requires a lot of planning and coordination between people, extensive prep work, days of loading. This process is as much an art form as the pieces being loaded, with stacking dictating the flame's movement through the kiln. The journey of firing the kiln lasts for 6-8 days, demanding everything you have. It’s exhausting and draining, but for me, this process infuses my work with my entire being. If the firing takes everything from me, the work should also carry a piece of my soul.

CZ: It's not something I know for certain, but rather a feeling. I believe that's what art is—a feeling, and it's a feeling only I truly understand because this work is an extension of me.

CZ: The show opens on September 12 at Guild Gallery NYC, and we are still finalizing the name. This is my second solo show in NYC. We're very excited. The collection consists of pieces created over the last two years. The first show was quite intense, many pieces referencing the kiln stacking process. This show is more minimal and quieter. A greater focus on sculptural furniture that seems to emerge from the earth.

 As an artist, I believe in being vulnerable and true to myself. The only way to achieve this is through honesty and authenticity. This show differs from the last because I am a different person now. I've experienced profound personal growth and reflection. The work reflects that change.