It was a lovely day out at the Reitz Ranch ceramic studio in Clarkdale, AZ. a few weekends ago. Here I am with my hand built platter, or wall hanger, just after I pulled it out of the Raku kiln. Well I waited till it cooled off to take this picture! The ranch was formerly the home and studio of well known ceramic artist, Don Reitz. I'd see and talk with Don occasionally around Jerome or Sedona before he passed away. He was fun. Sheryl, with her husband, Ted, are now carrying on his tradition at the ranch, where people can work in clay and use various kilns and firing techniques.
This day it was Raku, an ancient style of ceramics dating back to the 16th century. The Zen Buddhist monks would use it for their tea ceremonies. Clay pieces are fired to a lower temperature and isn'
t really meant for function, more for its decorative qualities. Back in the old days , some glazes had lead in them, although not recently. It is a very " hands on" technique, since the pots are taken from the red hot kilns with tongs, then put into a trash can containing combustible material , such as paper or sawdust. It catches fire, then gets smoking when the lid goes on. Afterwards it is put into water, which can accelerate the crackling effect, so common in this style.
t really meant for function, more for its decorative qualities. Back in the old days , some glazes had lead in them, although not recently. It is a very " hands on" technique, since the pots are taken from the red hot kilns with tongs, then put into a trash can containing combustible material , such as paper or sawdust. It catches fire, then gets smoking when the lid goes on. Afterwards it is put into water, which can accelerate the crackling effect, so common in this style.
It was a team effort, with some nice Michiganders who had won a Raku firing at the library benefit. Sheryl was the kiln master, with Jerry, Jo , Dave and I working the kiln and pulling out the pots. That can be a little hairy, reaching into fire. I try to be well covered and use heavy gloves. Large porcelain platters like this can be a challenge. I may yet add some glitter to a hairline crack that appeared. What comes out is always a surprise. I read that the definition of Raku is " happiness in the accident." Comments?
