4” x 8” tall hollow wheel thrown ice cream cone. This beauty has drippy white crackle glaze with some coppery sparkle and a smoked black clay body cone. I have a collection of many ice creams and this is but one :) This one was made in my very first RAKU firing in 2017 at a residency in Maine, Watershed.

The RAKU firing process is a low temperature outdoor firing technique. The pots are brought to temperature after painting on glaze in an outdoor gas flame fed kiln. Once the pots are yellow hot, they are pulled out by hand and placed in barrels containing combustible materials. The 1100 degree pots will catch fire to the sawdust and then the barrels will be sealed so the pots reduce in an environment void of oxygen. After a few minutes we take the hot pieces out and shock them in cold river water. The reduction gives cool metallic effects and the water shocks to produce crackle in the white glaze. Anything part of the piece left raw clay turns black and after a bit of scrubbing, VOILA!

RAKU pieces are not to be used for wet applications. They have been burnished with beeswax and are best with dry goods / foods / florals. They can hold water but they are more like terra cotta pots so the water will absorb.

Each piece is wheel thrown by hand and can vary slightly in size and colour from one to the next. Variations are to be embraced by the uniqueness of each piece and the nature of ceramic arts.