Naked Raku

Susan throws & trims each piece, then when leather hard,  they are burnished with stone or spoon. Burnishing the clay gives a very  smooth, lustrous surface. Alternatively, pieces are coated with a terra sigillata slip and burnished with
a soft cloth. After the pieces are burnished, they are fired to 1785° F - this is the bisque fire - the clay is  converted to ceramic.
 
The final firing is done in the raku kiln. A  thick clay slip is brushed onto the bisqued work and then coated with a  resist glaze. Several pieces are placed in the kiln, fired to 1500 F, removed from the kiln while hot, allowed to cool slightly and
placed in a post firing  reduction atmosphere (in our case trash cans) created by pine chips &  newspaper. After removing them from the can while still hot to the touch, the slip/glaze is peeled to reveal the naked bare clay with smoke enhanced surface. The black surfaces  and lines are the result of the carbon adhering to the exposed surfaces and  seeping through the cracks created in the reduction cooling.

For questions regarding pricing information, or to place an
order, please contact us.

(click photos to enlarge and see details)