Raku

Ancient Art of Firing

The firing technique of Raku originated some 400 years ago in Japan. The name, "Raku", first appeared in sixteenth century Japan and roughly translated, it meant contentment, enjoyment, and pleasure. It was, and still is used among tea masters during the Zen tea ceremony. The first Western introduction of Raku came in 1911 by a famous English potter, but the major contributor to the technique was begun in the 1960's by an artist who discovered the ability to add quality to the glaze effect by smoking the pieces. He also developed clays that would withstand the thermal shock of the Raku process, the basis for many Raku glazes.

The Raku process involves first applying a glaze to a bisque (or once fired) pot or ceramic piece, usually by brushing, pouring or dipping. The piece is then fired to a temperature close to 1840 degrees Fahrenheit - slightly over 1000 degrees Centigrade.

When the kiln has reached this temperature and the glazes have matured, the fuel supply is shut off, the kiln is opened, and the red hot pieces are removed with tongs or heavy duty gloves. These items are then placed into a metal container filled with combustible materials such as, newspaper, sawdust, or leaves. The container is then covered which creates a lack of oxygen. This causes the combustibles to smoke heavily. Smoke penetrates clay and glaze, turning bare clay black and creating metallic flashes or crackles on the glazes depending upon their composition. After smoking from anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours (or even overnight) pieces are removed from the cans, usually covered in soot and ash. Now comes the tedious part of scrubbing away the unwanted dinginess; however, not all marks can be removed since some are fired into the pieces.

The colours given in the descriptions are not "true" colours per se.....they are "flashes" of iridescent (metallic) glazes, blended in combination. There are glimpses of "true" colours as we know "blue" to be, for example, but generally much more splendorous colours of blues, greens, golds, magenta, turquoise, etc. These colours are truly difficult to capture in pictures....anyone with Raku experience knows exactly what we are saying. Needless to say, they are more beautiful in real life, which is a real bonus!

EVERY Raku piece is UNIQUE, no two will ever be exactly the same, and as you can see a lot of care and work goes into each one. There are many variables involved in the creation of Raku; dry weather, humidity, heat, cold all play a part in the outcome. The same glaze on a hot, dry day will differ when applied and fired on a cold, wet day for example.

Raku Making: The Adams

The Adams, namely Pat and Mary live out their passion for Raku craft in the state of Washington, U.S.A.. In addition to creating and making their Raku ceramics, they do conduct lessons in the art of Raku firing techniques and glazings, upon requests. You can view some of their exciting range of products on sale here by navigating to the menu bar on the left and looking under the Artist Corner for Adams RAKU.

*Due to the rapid heating and cooling of Raku, pieces must remain porous and are therefore not suitable for food or drink. If pieces are to be used for live plants or flowers, simply place a plastic or glass insert in the piece for water. Also, a sealer (such as Thompson's) can be rolled inside the pot or vase and allowed to dry, to waterproof the piece. A piece can be roll glazed and fired, before applying and firing the Raku glaze to it. This does add to the price of the item since it calls for additional glazing and firing, prior to the Raku process. If you would like this "additive" please advise in advance, so the item can be created to your liking. The roll glazing process works best with a Patina (non shiny) glaze, since the highgloss glazes craze. The crazing is almost invisible to the naked eye, but would permit slow leakage over time.