Throughout her career, Betty Woodman embraced the possibilities that different kilns and firing techniques offered, adapting her approach to the materials available in the diverse places where she lived and worked. Whether in the arid landscapes of Albuquerque, New Mexico, the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the rich soil in the outskirts of Florence, Italy, or the confines of a New York City loft, Woodman skillfully manipulated firing methods and temperatures to achieve her desired effects.

A key element of Woodman’s creative process was her intimate knowledge of the numerous kilns she used—many of which were built by George Woodman and fine-tuned by Betty herself. From her first adobe kiln in Albuquerque to a kerosene kiln ingeniously supplemented with secondhand wooden parts in Antella, Italy; gas kilns in Boulder, Colorado and a Carol Suzanne electric kiln in New York City—each kiln became an extension of Woodman’s artistry, demonstrating the artist’s unparalleled understanding of her tools, and enabling her to realize visions that were as innovative as they were intentional.

Woodman said: “I have always used the technical aspect of clay as part of the aesthetic side of my work, as a way of changing and not just being repetitive. If I know what’s going to come out of the kiln, if I change the method of firing, or I change the temperature of the color of the clay, the glaze, or the slip, then I have a whole new challenge to keep me from being bored. Ceramics is so rich technically that you can spend fifty years working with it and still find it exciting, because you don’t quite know what you’re going to do.”