Raku

Met today with my long time clay group, the Geronimo Art Guild, jajaja…..a fancy name for a few cool women who get together every Thursday at Maribeth’s house to play in the clay. Today we RAKU fired pieces that they had already made. Raku is one process used to fire pottery. The pieces are removed from the kiln while glowing hot (1800°) and placed inside metal cans full of newspaper (or any combustible material) that catches fire immediately from the hot pieces. The lid is put on and the fire inside consumes the oxygen within the can and draws the oxygen out of the pottery, called a reduction chamber. The surface of the pottery is stained with carbon, which gives raku its unique apprearance…The process is known for its unpredictability, so its always a surprise to pull the them out.