Twice yearly a dozen or so ceramicists from the Santa Fe and Taos areas place their wheel-thrown or slab-built pieces in a large pit lined with horse bedding. Dried coffee grounds, sea weed, horse hair, salt, copper wire, plant fertilizers — and whatever else artists want to add — are sprinkled judiciously in the pit. Hard wood is added and the heap set ablaze. It smolders for a day.

When uncovered there are oohs and aaahs, surprises and disappointments, at what had been created. Mine was a long aaah.

The gold accent lines were painted afterward