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The Raku Process
Raku is a special firing process that has an element of magic in it for me. Bisque fired pieces are glazed with special glazes then heated in a kiln till the glazes are glowing hot. Pieces are then removed and placed in containers with combustible materials which immediately burst into flame. Lids are put on the containers shutting off the oxygen to the fire. This results in something called "reduction" which creates amazing colors and metallic flashes. There are always surprises for me when the work is removed from the reduction can. Raku pieces are NOT food safe and should not be kept in bright sunlight as it can fade the amazing surface colors. To read more about the process, see the blog post here: http://www.clay-cloth-paper-paint.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2013-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2014-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=2
Image credit for pictures of red hot kiln interior, studio and reduction can - Josh Parker |
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