About Raku

"Raku" is a method of firing pottery that was developed by a Korean potter in the early sixteenth century and then brought to Japan by that potter. The traditional method of Raku firing in Japan was quite different than the western version of raku that is commonly seen in the United States today. In the traditional Japanese method the potter made primarily tea bowls by using the pinch method to create cups and bowls. Once the bowl or cup was formed by the potter it was coated with a glaze made from lead and was very rapidly fired. At the desired temperature the potter would remove the red hot pot from the kiln and allow it to air cool. The tea bowls made from this process were used primarily in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

The western version of Raku that is commonly found today was first introduced in England by Bernard Leach in the early twentieth century. Leach and other western potters, through a series of happy accidents and experiments developed the technique used by most raku potters today. In this unique process the completed pottery is first fired to bisque and is then glazed with one of two types of special glazes, One glaze type contains metal salts and oxides that is formulated to create a metallic look on the completed piece. The other type glaze is formulated to shrink at a greater rate than the clay pottery creating a crackled effect. Both glazes mature at temperatures in the range of 1800 to 1900 degrees Fahrenheit. After the initial bisque firing, the glazed pottery is rapidly fired in a gas kiln. This firing usually takes less than an hour. While the pottery is still red hot it is removed from the kiln with tongs or special gloves and is placed in a container of combustible material such as newspaper, pine needles, leaves, straw or saw dust. Once the combustible material ignites, the container is sealed and the piece of pottery is allowed to cool. Pieces coated with the crackle glaze are removed shortly after the container is sealed and are rapidly cooled. Pieces coated with metallic glaze are left in the container for a longer period. This process is called reduction. Sometimes the piece is taken out of the container and quenched in a container of water. Any portion of raku fired pottery that has not been coated with glaze turns black from the smoke that penetrates the still porous clay. The reduction process is necessary to create the brilliant metallic surfaces. Because the process is very unpredictable no two pieces are ever the same. Raku fired pottery is not waterproof or food safe.

My Raku

All of my clay sculpture is made by hand and each piece is an original, unique work of art. Although I use handmade templates to cut out basic shapes and molds to drape clay over, I never make two pieces exactly the same and the glaze or finish on similar pieces is never alike. All of the work is glazed with raku glazes that I prepare in my studio and raku fired. Antique gold sculptures are gold leafed over the raku glaze finish.

Geometric Raku Sculpture:
My Geometric shaped work is inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement and by the Art Deco Movement. Each piece of my geometric shaped raku work is hand built from leather hard slabs of clay. The pieces are constructed in much the same manner as a carpenter might build a cabinet. Seams and joints are mitered before assembly to create the strongest possible structure. Precision and symmetry are my technical goals. Balance and tension are my artistic goals in constructing the work. I use the raku glazes and raku technique to fire this work because of the tremendous stress that the process puts on the piece and the unpredictable result. I like the juxtaposition of the symmetrical, predictable form against the unknown result of the raku glazes and stress.

Figurative Clay Sculpture:
My admiration for the beauty and sensuality of the human form led me to the creation of my figurative sculptures. Although this body of work initially appears to be the thematic and technical opposite of the Geometric work, it is not. The body is, after all, basically a symmetrical work. Also, if one breaks down the structure of the body it is based upon or representative of geometric shapes. There is the triangular shape of the torso that fits into the rectangular shape of the legs. The arms are essentially elongated triangles that merge with a rectangular hand. The head and face fall into three geometric shapes, the triangle, the oval and the circle. My figurative work starts with a lifecasting made from body or body part. The lifecasting becomes the mold for the clay sculpture. The final clay sculpture is formed from a soft slab of clay draped either over the mold that is embellished, carved or textured to create the final shape and surface of the work. Some figurative pieces are intentionally broken, after they have completely dried, to create partial torsos or fragments of torsos. The firing technique is the same as used in my Geometric work.