East Creek Art Wood Fire Camping Retreat 2026

Pottery Northwest is proud to be partnering with the fabulous folks at East Creek Art to offer our students a weekend wood fire retreat!

Participants will take part in a tutorial session prior to the event where they will be given the appropriate clay and shown how to prep their wares for the wood fire. During the weekend of the event, everyone will have a chance to learn how to prep, load and stoke a wood fired kiln!

Each participant will be allowed 4 cubic feet of kiln space.

Camping is free! For other accommodations, see Accommodations section below.

While the kiln is stoked over the course of two days, participants can camp out and enjoy a raku session and some delicious wood fired pizza. 

Saturday, February 28th, 10:00AM - 4:00PM: Mandatory info session at Pottery Northwest.

May 23rd, 24th, and 25th: Camping and wood fire event at East Creek Art.

Saturday, May 30th from 11:00AM - 4:00PM: Kiln unload at East Creek Art (optional).

See the schedule below for full details.

INFO SESSION

Saturday, February 28th, 10:00AM - 4:00PM

*Info session is mandatory for all participants.*

Joe Robinson of East Creek Art will join us at Pottery Northwest and conduct a tutorial for all participants. The morning will consist of an informational presentation about East Creek regulations and what to expect from the wood firing event. The info session lasts about 2 hours. After a lunch break, participants will be invited to view some demos and be given technical guidance for how to prepare their pots. This second part is optional. Each person will receive a 25 pound bag of clay to prepare work suitable for the wood fire.

CAMPING AND WOOD FIRE EVENT

The event will take place at East Creek Art in Willamina, OR. It will begin on Saturday, May 23rd at 11:00AM and end on Monday, May 25th at 6:00PM.

East Creek provides all necessary materials and firing supplies as well as safety gear for those who do not have their own. Please feel free to bring safety gear if you have it.

Saturday, May 23rd

Loading and stoking the wood fire kiln

-11:00AM, prep pots with provided glaze and wadding. 

-Load the kiln all day Friday.

-Light gas burner Friday night late night.

-Dinner is your responsibility. You can bring items to bbq at East Creek (see kitchen description below in Accommodations section), or you can head into town which is only 8 miles away.

Sunday, May 24th

Stoking the wood fire kiln / Raku / Wood fired pizza

-6:00AM, begin stoking wood.

-Morning stoking and prep for raku.

-Raku firings will take place throughout the day (Included in registration price!)

-By mid-afternoon, ceramic cone temps will be reached and the firing increases intensity. 

-5:00PM - 8:00PM, wood fired pizza time! Everyone makes their own pizza with provided dough, sauce and simple toppings (cheese, pepperoni, olives, onion, bell pepper). Feel free to bring your own toppings if you want something more!  (Included in registration price!)

-Overnight stoking shifts will require around-the-clock work. This is not mandatory, but those who want to participate can speak with Joe at the tutorial event.

Monday, May 25th

Stoking the wood fire kiln / Soda day

-Around mid-morning, techs will prep soda mixture (gail nichols mix, soda ash, whiting, baking soda) and apply it to the soda boards, which will be stoked into the kiln's firebox.

-The soda application process usually runs from 12:00PM to 4:00pm.

-5:00PM - 6:00PM, the kiln is shut down.

Participants may leave at any point on Monday.

Saturday, May 30th

Unload Day

-This day is optional. Participants are invited and encouraged to come. If you cannot make it, please coordinate with a fellow participant to bring them back for you.

-Unloading will take place from 11:00AM - 4:00PM.

-Session will begin with a 15 minute recap talk and instruction on cold working (removing stuck on wads).

-Each participant should plan to grind 3 shelves (one per cubic foot). Those with physical issues may take a pass on grinding, but they should plan on helping some other way. Clean up is an important part of wood firing. 

ACCOMMODATIONS

East Creek Art has some accommodation options for participants that you can discuss with Joe during the info session. Camping is free and requires no reservation. There are shared bathrooms with showers and a shared outdoor kitchen. The kitchen is equipped with a large gas grill with plenty of space for everyone.

Accommodations other than camping with your own gear are not included in the event fee and must be booked separately with East Creek Art.

For those who are not campers, there are hotel accommodations nearby, as close as 13 minutes away for a modest but clean and comfy room. There are some other more luxurious options nearby, along with some airbnbs so have a look around to see what looks right for you.