Raku is an ancient Japanese method of firing pottery. I fire mine in a kiln outside of the studio. I bring the pieces up to 1830 degrees and then pull them out and let them cool, or even blow air on them, before putting them into a reduction chamber. The glaze cools faster than the clay which is why the cracks form. The reduction chamber impregnates the clay with carbon and once it’s cooled, the black is locked into the cracks and the clay and is permanent. Each Raku piece is very different from the next and really exemplifies the hand made look and feel. Raku pottery is visual art only and does not hold water and is not food safe
