 Raku Pottery
These vessels are handbuilt from slabs of clay and then fired in an old
technique that resembles components of a style developed by Japan's Raku
family of potters in Kyoto. Pots are placed into a hot kiln and at
precisely the moment the glaze melts, they are removed with large tongs
and placed into trash cans with newspaper, sawdust, or wood chips. The
hot piece of pottery immediately ignites these materials. It is during
this final smoking stage the subtle colors and shadings of the clay and
the crackling of the glaze emerge. Western Raku pottery is beautifully
unpredictable. Each piece is a unique creation, never to be duplicated. Due to the stressful nature of creating these pieces,
they are not designed to hold water.
This spontaneity and unpredictable result of the firing is why I have
devoted over 30 years to this process. I am constantly surprised by the
beauty that can come out of this randomness. Click here to learn more
about the Western Raku process.
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