Raku is the closest a potter gets to unraveling the magic of the ceramic process - the chemistry, geology, the change of organics into minerals, making the ephemeral and amorphous into permanent and memorable. Being able to step in during the firing and control the outcome of the process is not a common opportunity for a contemporary potter. For this firing, we will provide terra sigillata (to be applied at the studio in advance of the firing date), horse hair, and sugar to create beautiful effects on your pieces like in the accompanying photograph -- but every piece will be completely unique!
Participants should bring up to five bisque fired pieces on the day of the firing. In our experience, cone 10 Babu porcelain works best to resist cracks from thermal shock. Each piece should not exceed 14" in height or width, with a total limit of 1080 cubic inches for all of your pieces plus any additional material such as aluminum foil or wire baskets.
In advance of the firing day, we will provide an e-handout created by Natalya that describes how to prepare your pieces for raku, including video tutorials. Prior to the firing, you may come to the studio and use our terra sigillata (to be applied to bisqueware), brushes, and polishing cloths.
