14” tall Raku vase made in my very first firing of Raku at Watershed in Maine, a residency on 2017. This piece was a feat as it was quite fragile, and yes, I broke it while moving it red hot with tongs from the kiln to the combustible bins BUT it came back together nicely. There is a photo below that shows the glued lines. This piece has been priced accordingly.

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 combustable 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 into the piece eventually and will need to be dried out.

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.