Our good friend Gary Hootman came for tea earlier this week. Gary’s internationally known for his wood-fired ceramics. He completely redesigned his kiln over the summer, and the first firing started last week. The kiln is taller inside than I am. Gary’s been creating lots of new work, and he invited several of his friends to fire with him. One of his friends who was helping with the firing came along for tea and a discussion of the new work.

I’d not realized how complex the wood firing process is. Once the fire begins, Gary and his team tend the flames constantly for up to five days. At that point, the cooling takes as long as it does. Gary was hoping to be able to get into the kiln by the middle of the month.

This is one of Gary’s tea bowls (chawan) for the Tea Ceremony ready for our meeting. He’s a specialist in shino glazes. This bowl has deep reds and blackened areas. I love it for tea in the winter.

Here’s another of his bowls. Gary fired this one on its side so it slumped slightly. The glaze pooled in places around the rim, creating a dragon’s eye. Gary finished the piece with bits of gold leaf.

Early this year John had me sit inside and plan a new tea table for the Back Room. His idea was to create a table with various tops that could change with the season and the occasion. He pulled exotic woods in various tones and hues; the top in the picture above is Bubinga, one of his favorite woods. He showed me the tops — and then, silence. I forgot about the project during the summer while John built an incredible range of new work for the shows that he’s presented all fall.

Then one day in October he came home with the table. It’s now installed in the Back Room — and what a wonderful time for it, too. The weather’s cold, and I’ve shut the Teahouse for the winter. But tea is warm inside. Here’s the table prepared for a simple presentation of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.