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The background of this page is a detail of the glaze colors typical of copper and cobalt raku glaze. When the glaze is painted on the bisqueware before the raku firing, it is a plain, flat grey. It is almost impossible to accurately predict where the coppers, blues and greens will appear.
The Technique: Raku firing is an ancient and passionate technique. The work is painted with glaze then fired very quickly to a glowing, runny state. Each scorching piece is then taken out of the kiln with tongs and tossed (gently) into a can of burnable material: dry grass, sawdust, that sort of thing, and a lid is clapped on. As the starving fire tries to burn, it steals its oxygen from the glaze leaving the amazing colors and metal lusters you see on the artwork. Finally, to set the colors, the still sizzling pieces are plunged into cold water. Through it all, each piece of artwork develops its own unique personality. The form and colors can never be repeated or tamed - this is wild art. Traditionally, the Raku firing techique was used to create drinking vessels as part of the Japanese tea ceremony. The word "raku" roughly translates to mean comfort, happiness, or contentment. In the modern tradition, however, the beautiful crazing of the glazes caused by the thermal stress of the firing process makes raku ware unsuitable for dining. |
Ocarinas, whistles, miniatures and other stuff
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