H29 W34cm. Smoke-fired

Coiled from heavily grogged clay on a clamp firing course, this is a copy of a Viking pot I saw at the Yorkshire Museum (inset). The course, led by Lee Steele, was fun. We cut out sods of earth before digging a hole, then put in our greenware pots on a platform of thick sticks over kindling. The pots were protected by a roof sticks, finished with sods after setting alight. We gathered grass and leaves to try and block the many remaining holes, through which steam and smoke swirled. The results were as mixed as could be expected, especially for the bigger pots, so I was pleased I’d only put in small ones. I sneakily smoked my Jorvik pot in a dustbin of sawdust after bisque firing in an electric kiln.