The Mini Pit Firing Guide || San Francisco Pottery Studio Chronicles
π₯ Pit Firing: How Fire Transforms Clay β and You
Long before electric kilns and glaze chemistry, our ancestors fired their clay in open flames β in the earth itself.
This ancient method, known as pit firing, is one of the earliest ways humans transformed raw clay into usable, sacred, and lasting form.
At Artillery AG + Ceramics in collaboration with Mindful Ceramics, we continue that tradition, blending ancient technique with modern intention β through community, creativity, and ceremony.
β¨ Download your free Mini Pit Fire Guide below
to start your own fire journey.
What Is Pit Firing?
Pit firing is simple and elemental: dig a pit, layer in wood, sawdust, and natural materials, place your clay vessels inside, and let the fire do its work.
Instead of controlling every step, you surrender to the flames β allowing the fire to mark, color, and transform your pieces in its own language.
Each piece comes out as a one-of-a-kind collaboration between earth, air, water, and fire.
A Practice of Gratitude and Connection
Pit firing is not just a technique β itβs a ritual of gratitude and transformation.
Our Mini Pit Fire Guide invites you to:
πΏ Connect with the land youβre on before you begin
π₯ Gather natural materials from your home or surroundings
π§ Build your fire with intention
π Reflect on what is being transformed β in the clay, and in you
This is the kind of mindful art practice that reconnects us with whatβs ancient, alive, and deeply human.
π Sign -Up Below to receive the Mini Pit Fire Guide
Join the Fire Circle
If youβre ready to experience this in community, join us for our upcoming Pit Fire Workshop on October 18th in San Francisco.
Together, weβll prepare our vessels, create a fire altar, and witness the transformation β clay and self, side by side.
π« Register here at artillery-ag.com
Canβt Join in Person?
You can still walk this path through our online course: Shaping Rituals, where we explore hand-building, elemental connection, and creating your own traveling altar.
Learn to build your home ceramics studio, create with gratitude, and design your own pit fire at home.
β¨ Join the waitlist here β¨
About Artillery AG + Ceramics
We are a community ceramics studio in San Francisco β a space for clay, connection, and care for the Earth.
We offer classes, memberships, and special workshops rooted in mindful making, ritual, and nature-based art practices.
Explore more at artillery-ag.com or visit us in person at our studio on Mission Street.