It was the moment of truth, the culmination of three years of planning by Moraig McKenna and Ian Jones, months of feverish organizational work and four days of firing. The final speeches had been made and as the jocular crowd followed master of ceremonies, Ian Jones to the kiln, an expectant quiet descended. A soft dry rasping marked the raising of the firebrick door and after dramatically knocking out a few more bricks Jones removed the first piece and held it aloft. A collective, 'Ahhh,' betrayed a mix of curiosity, admiration and relief. It is the moment that ceramicists live for, when the marvelous alchemy or destructive potential of the firing process is revealed. It can be a moment of ecstasy or despair.

It seems appropriately paradoxical that on one hand: woodfirers conservatively adhere to the most ancient, even anachronistic practices, such as developing an intimate physical knowledge of the textures, smells and behaviour of earthen materials and enjoying a masochistic pleasure in manual labour. On the other hand they continually innovate by adapting techniques, researching and inventing new recipes, willingly taking on technical risks in a quest for surprise, to achieve something not seen or made before. These qualities mark woodfirers as a separate breed. It goes some way to explaining the close ties within the woodfire community, but the practical necessity for collaboration is another.

To fire the nine metre long anagama kiln at Old St Luke's, Jones Gundaroo home, a team of four people worked in eight hour shifts over four days. Onlookers became an eager human chain at the masterfully orchestrated opening. Murmuring accompanied each piece as it was passed from hand to hand, closely examined and the lingering warmth enjoyed. It took over an hour to unpack the kiln, which contained pieces delivered before the conference by around 50 of the participants. After the pieces had been admired and retrieved, only the farewells remained to be said. And there were many. Delegates had come from as far away as Western Australia, Tasmania and overseas to participate in the 2005 Gundaroo Woodfire Conference.

The program was structured around demonstrations by international guests, Herve Rousseau of France and Linda Christianson of the USA as well as Australians, Malina Monks, Steve Williams, Petra Svoboda, Virginia Jones, Ray Cavill and Kirk Winter. But there were many other concurrent activities, exhibitions and time, particularly in the evenings, for social gatherings in the restaurants and wine bars of Gundaroo Village. I hear that the Gundarooskis went 'off' on Saturday night and a good time was had by all, including local residents. The networking opportunities of such events are critical, not only for the exchange of ideas, but in building relationships that are capable of sustaining the physically tough team working practices of woodfiring.

Such gatherings are also a time to discuss theoretical questions and a conference paper by Gail Nicholls asked, 'Is there a woodfire aesthetic?' Certainly woodfiring can be described today as a global movement with a long history of regular international exhibitions, artists exchanges and conferences. Iowa State University has hosted events in recent years and other major ceramic events will be held this year in Canada, China and the UK. Viewing the many exhibitions listed in the Raw Heat, Hot Clay program guide produced by Craft ACT provided a variety of opportunities to reflect on the aesthetic question.

A Deligate Situation a show of conference participants' work at the Gundaroo Uniting Church Community Hall clearly articulated the individual artists personalities and concerns. For instance, work by Victorian, David Kerr was dramatically geometric and featured stone masonry finishes including cutting and polishing. Earth Water Fire curated by Dianna Campbell at the Tuggeranong Art Centre brought together artists using a variety of ceramic techniques. Cloth and Clay: Ancient Traditions New Perspectives at Strathnairn Homestead linked Asian influenced textiles and ceramics. I was struck by the relationship of shibori pleating to carved ceramic surfaces, including vases by Robin Witworth and Ian Jones. The porcelain works in Smoke Free Zone, shown at the ANCA (Australian National Capital Artists) Gallery the week before the conference, stood in complete contrast to the earthy palette of Wood-fire Journeys, shown in the same space during the conference week.

Described as the Woodfirers' woodfirers, by Catrina Vignando in her speech at the closing event on Sunday night, Daniel Lafferty, Simon Reece, Yuri Weidenhoffer and Kirk Winter, focus on effects peculiar to woodfiring. Lafferty, who organized the ANCA show and directed a kiln construction demonstration during the conference, observes, 'the appeal is in the endless variations of the natural ash glazes that capture the essence of the clay body and the firing process. ¹This approach has been described, by Dr Owen Rye in his curatorial essay for the Australian Woodfire Survey 2005 as having led to a dominance of the 'aesthetics of imperfection and irregularity. ² It is evident in the 2005 Survey, shown by the Canberra Potters Society at the Watson Arts Centre Gallery, which could be described as a 'who's who' of Australian woodfiring.

• 1. Daniel Laffery, artist statement, http://www.australianwoodfire.com/cataloguePage.php?aid=17
• 2. Dr Owen Rye, Australian Woodfire Survey 2005, http://www.australianwoodfire.com/essay.php

But the individual variation, from the abrasive volcanic, Moving ground series III, by Neil Hoffman to fragile delicacy and intense colouration of Sandy Lockwood's Rhythm I and the delicate virtual vessels depicted in Malina Monk's intriguing ½ & ½ relief drawings, is amazing. It flags the question of individual aesthetics and local influences. Response to the landscape and locally available materials are cited as significant factors in many of the artist statements on the website Australian Woodfire Survey 2005 The Gundaroo landscape with its strong light and chromatic grey palette is old and softly rounded. It has been baked by drought till the weathered bones are starting to show. It is a landscape that has always demanded sensitive responses and dogged perseverance from its inhabitants.

Jones possesses these traits and they are evident in Wall, a seven metre installation shown at Craft ACT as part of the Raw Heat Hot Clay program. According to Jones, the sculpture was inspired by a Gulgong butcher's counter, which sported a floral vinyl cover in the evening. The work is a fascinating record of the firing over the length of his 9metre kiln.&nbp;³ Darker colouration indicates the end near the firebox and the proximity of side stoking ports. The firing of the conference deligates' work was the seventh time the long kiln at Old St Luke's has been used. Working together Jones and McKenna usually use 'Moraig's kiln' which is half the length. McKenna is also showing at Craft ACT. Her installation Mouth, in the counter showcase, consists of drinking bowls and is part of an exhibition series that relates objects to parts of the body. Close attention to surfaces and finishes give McKenna's work a delicate tactility.

• 3. Ian Jones, Wall floor talk at Craft ACT, 19 May 2005

The studio at Old St Luke's had been emptied for demonstrations during the conference and after returning it to its usual productive state and replenishing their water supply, McKenna and Jones are nearly back to normal. The outside kitchen will remain as a reminder of the event. It was built with help from Bernie Weise, joint proprietor, with Poppy Benton of the Essential Object, Tathra. The Australian Woodfire Survey 2005, instigated by Ian Hodgson of the Canberra potters Society, has been a major adjunct to the event and Paul Davis will no doubt mount a similarly significant exhibition at Sturt to mark the next Woodfire in 2008. Today life and work are seamlessly integrating into virtual environments and it is imperative to recognise the value of woodfiring; the sense of real physical achievement and the legacy of unique objects crafted with care directly from the raw products of the earth. It is something to celebrate. Congratulations 2005 - roll on 2008.

Ann McMahon is a freelance writer and the Contributing Editor - Craft for Artlook magazine, Canberra's art monthly.