The Lee Art Center is located in Arlington, Virginia, in the old Robert E Lee grade school. When I began my internship in September, 2005, my first task was to help Donovan Palmquist and Al build the center's new gas fired car kiln. What a pleasure! Not only was building the kiln an excellent education, but I learned from the best, and fired a true luxury kiln. Now that my internship has ended, and I am moving on to new experiences, I wish the best to all of the members continuing their curiousity at the Lee. Helen Hensgen was my firing protege at the Lee, and we had a lovely ritual of coffee and snack at her house while the kiln fired in the wee hours of the a.m.

During my time at the Lee, I played with side-firing bottles, inspired by my experiences with wood and soda firing, as well as by the work of Dick Lehman. We are always standing on the shoulders of the many who have come before us. There's something about letting go of control, and letting the fire, kiln, glazes, weather, and chance collaborate in the process. Each bottle was fired on its own tray, on which I place shells, then the bottle, and finally driped different glazes over the bottle before loading it into the kiln. Sometimes I felt like a mad scientist, sometimes Jackson Pollock.....and I was always excited about opening the door of the kiln, wondering what collaborative magic happened in there between the flames.

For anyone within driving distance to Arlington, workshops at the Lee are a wonderful opportunity to meet up with great artists for a day or weekend. As my final intern experience, John Britt joined us for a 3-day glaze and firing shpiel, based on his book "The Complete Guide to High Fire Glazes." I've also had the pleasure of working with Bernadette Curran and Joyce Michaud, each for a weekend, and highly recommend taking a workshop as a way to invigorate your imagination and pick up a new technique or two to integrate into your palette, no matter what medium you prefer.