Josef Wieser

Naturlehmkeramiker Josef Wieser

Ceramicist

©Josef Wieser

©Manfred Horvath

©Robert Maybach

©Manfred Horvath

Painting vessels with fire

Josef creates his own kilns to fire his work
His vessels are naturally glazed by the fire
He loves working in a field of endless possibilities

When he was a 12-year-old boy, an acquaintance showed Josef Wieser how to build his first furnace and shared a book by potter Bernard Leach, sparking his first experiments with ceramics. Unable to find an apprenticeship in ceramics, Wieser went on to become one of the rare ceramicists qualified as a hafnermeister, a certified builder of tile stoves. He has been firing pottery and building kilns for over 20 years. His proudest achievement to date is his woodburning Anagam stove, which allows him to produce highly textured flameware. The unique vessels he creates were awarded the Kunsthandwerkspreis of Salzburg in 2002.

Interview

©Robert Maybach

©Manfred Horvath

What made you build your Anagam stove?: Most ceramicists nowadays use electrically heated kilns, which results in much more even and standardised results. Woodburning, which has been around for thousands of years, results in unmistakable traces of the process.
What makes Anagam ceramics so distinctive?: The vessels are directly exposed to the flickering fire. As the flames caress them, they deposit wooden ash. Combined with oxygen and minerals, it melts into natural glazes.
How often do you fire this kiln?: It is only possible to do so once a year. It takes a group effort of at least five people, and we have to work in shifts to stoke the fire for several days, feeding it wood constantly to achieve the temperatures of over 1,200 degrees.
How does it feel to see the results of this hard work?: After months of preparing the clay and the shapes, that first look into the oven after the firing is unforgettable. The materials we work with are so fragile, they require not just the mastery of fire but also the ability to deal with setbacks and disappointments.

Josef Wieser is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1985