RAKU POTS & FIRING

Raku is dramatic firing technique adapted from ancient Japanese tradition which yields immediate and vivid results.  Pots are fired in an outdoor gas kiln and removed from the kiln at peak temperature using tongs, then immersed into ash cans containing combustible materials, such as saw dust, newspapers and leaves.  The pottery smolders in the covered ash cans for a short time and then removed and immersed in water, a process that  imparts a wide range of copper metallic lusters, white crackle and luminescent effects on the pottery.

Above: Molten pieces are quickly removed from the kiln placed in an ash can for reduction.  Sawdust or other combustible material is tossed into the ash can and is ignited by the red-hot pottery.  The can is closed and left to smolder for about 10-15 minutes.  Then they are removed and doused in water and scrubbed with steel wool to remove residue. It is then that the wonderous surfaces of raku are revealed!

Raku pieces are decorative and cannot be used for food storage and serving. Paul conducts both scheduled and impromptu Raku firing workshops  at the Croton/Cortlandt Center for the Arts.
 
Jen Zern's White Crackle Vases
Now on Display at the Flat Iron Gallery, Peekskill, NY

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