Daniel Klapprott specializes in ceramics but not in the way you may think. The Lafayette native and Gallery 621 member artist does not rely on traditional glazes and instead uses fire and other natural materials to create pottery. This method, known as pit firing, dates back thousands of years and is the subject of Klapprott’s new show “Spirit of Fire” at Gallery 621, where he is the featured artist.

Klapprott began working with ceramics in the early ‘90s. Prior to that, he worked professionally as a chemist but sought to do something a little more active on the side.

“My wife suggested that it would be nice to do something a little more creative from a physical standpoint, not just creative in problem-solving but doing things,” he said.

Klapprott started off by taking ceramics classes in Walnut Creek. By the end of the ‘90s, he had his own full studio with wheels and kilns. By the mid ‘00s, Klapprott retired from his chemist career and began taking classes at Diablo Valley College, where he has been a student for 13 years and has exhibited work at several student shows. In addition, he had a solo show at the Moraga Library in 2004, won numerous awards at the Alameda County Fair and has been a member of Arts Benicia, which led to a membership at Gallery 621.

“I got a call from Nikki Basch-Davis after one of the shows that I was involved with at Arts Benicia,” he said. “She said she represented the artists that were in this gallery and was wondering if I was interested in getting involved.”

“I came down and talked to Nikki and looked at the work that was in this gallery, and I felt that it was the right one for me,” he said.

Klapprott has made everything from vases to bowls to ceramic pears and marbles. However, instead of using glazes, he uses a technique known as pit firing, which historians claim has been used for nearly 30,000 years.

“It’s probably one of the oldest ways of forming clay,” Klapprott said.

The process begins with Klapprott forming the pieces of his work and letting them dry. He then rubs a stone on the surface of the clay to align the particles, leaving for a smooth surface.

“When I’m done doing the burnishing, the ceramic actually shines just from the fact that it’s so smooth,” Klapprott said.

After that, he fires the pieces at home in his kiln so they can become rigid. He then goes to the beach, digs a pit in the sand and places sawdust at the bottom to protect the ceramics and give them color when burning. Once the pieces are in place, Klapprott covers them with natural materials like seaweed, cow dung and banana peels.

“Just about anything organic that has some kind of mineral in it,” he explained. “Those are the things that when the fire gets really hot cause colors on the piece.”

He will put copper wire around some of the pieces for decorative purposes. Klapprott then covers the entire fire pit with cow dung and puts firewood on top while the fire burns for three or four hours. Within four to six hours, they become cool enough that Klapprott can move them out of the pit. After that, he cleans the pieces by spraying them to set the colors before the piece is finished.

Klapprott likes the look of pit fired pieces compared to glazed pieces.

“I think the look is very unique,” he said. “There’s a very organic look to the piece. It gives a highly decorative look but in a very natural appearance.”

Klapprott chose to do the show to demonstrate the capabilities of pit firing, or as he calls it, environmental firing.

“I wanted to do it just with pieces that were fired in an environment that actually colored the piece,” he said. “I thought it was a good theme, and it’s the bulk of my work these ways.”

Klapprott hopes the show will give viewers an opportunity to see the products of a kind of ceramic firing they might not be as familiar with.

“I think it’s a type of ceramics that people don’t often see,” he said. “There are a number of people who do this kind of work, many in the Bay Area, but I don’t think it’s one that people see a lot of. For one thing, I think it will expand what they think of ceramics. It’s not just the plate that you’re having dinner off of or the vase that you can buy at Crate and Barrel. It can be much broader than that. It’s a very natural way of firing.”

“Spirit of Fire” will be on display at Gallery 621 through Sunday, July 30. The gallery is located at 309 First St. and is open from noon to 3 p.m. Thursdays and noon to 6 p.m., Fridays through Sundays. For more information, visit gallery621.com.