The following pieces were created by the 2017 Art of Ceramic Raku Firing June Term class taught by Ms. Brodie. The course offers students an opportunity to actively manipulate work in the final stage of the ceramic process: the firing. Participants learn about the techniques and procedures developed by 16th Century Japanese potters through independent research, slide presentations and demonstrations. Raku is an exciting process with its spontaneous immediacy and its delicate blend of control and experimentation. Students in the 2017 class learned by creating hand built and thrown pieces using a special clay body and glazes. The pieces below were heated in an outdoor kiln in a rapid firing cycle, the pots being placed into and removed from the kiln at or near the optimum firing temperature with metal tongs. As demonstrated in this video, the hot pieces were then placed into combustible materials in order to alter and enhance the surface.
Enjoy these lovely Raku ceramic pieces:
The video captures the magic and the collaborative nature of the raku firing process. So great the experience could get captured so vividly! Beautiful pieces. I love raku’s deep colors.