How Waikato potter Janet Smith turned a woolshed into a vibrant art community

Janet Smith with some of her work awaiting glazing. Photo / Catherine Fry

Roto-o-Rangi potter Janet Smith has spent her childhood and working life on dairy farms.

She started pottery classes in the mid-80s.

“Back then, I made thrown pieces to replace the endless bowls broken by our large family,” Smith said.

“My neighbours decided I needed a pottery and built me a shed with a kiln.”

The family moved to a farm in the Cambridge area, which offered Smith a large woolshed for her pottery.

In 2008, when her husband Harley died, Smith stayed on the property, selling all but 6.8ha to run beef and raise calves.

A kitchen and toilets were installed in the woolshed when their son Murray had his wedding there.

It’s now a hub for a strong community of potters and artists in the Waikato area.

“I seem to be collecting kilns over the years, each one firing clay slightly differently.

“There’s quite an art to firing, and other people use my kilns regularly.”

Smith has two gas kilns, a manual electric and a digital electric, and her anagama kiln.

An anagama kiln is wood-fired, taking three to four days to fire pieces, and a week to cool down.

Smith said she is “over crawling around in kilns at her age”, and the anagama is walk-in with fully accessible shelves for 500 pots.

The kiln was designed by fellow potter Duncan Shearer from Smith’s plans.

Waikato potter Janet Smith in front of her anagama kiln with some of the ash glaze pottery she is well known for. Photo / Catherine Fry

It’s built from fire bricks and was insulated by Rose Tuffery using adobe - a mix of clay, hay, pumice sand, cow dung, and water.

“These kilns need 24-hour care with continual wood top-ups,” Smith said.

“We have such a community now, and we split into groups, each with a master firer, and it’s quite a social event.

“The woolshed with its cosy woodburner and modern facilities is the perfect venue.”

Waikato potter Janet Smith outside her converted woolshed pottery. Photo / Catherine Fry

While the word anagama is Japanese, meaning “cave kiln”, the concept originated in Korea.

“The kiln enables the Japanese/Chinese style of firing known as ash glaze, where wood ash in the kiln melts and forms a glaze on pots,” Smith said.

“The pieces are all unique and dependent on their kiln position, wood used and kiln temperature.”

Smith specialises in ash glaze pieces and exhibits all over New Zealand.

Her next project is a new kiln for salt glazing.

This technique gives an orange peel-like texture by throwing common salt into the kiln at the peak temperature, forming a glassy coating of sodium silicate.