Raku Project

Project Challenge: 

Develop 2-3 forms that relate through subject and surface: at least one must be thrown, at least one must be a realistically formed animal. 

Reflection: 

What is a Raku Firing? How did you take advantage of the process (and wax!) in your surface design?  

Raku firing is a process where you take your red-hot piece out of the kiln and put it directly into sawdust before covering it with a trash can. The sawdust will ignite and react with the glaze to create unique and unpredictable effects. Any part of your piece not covered in glaze will turn a smoky charcoal color. This was a fun project to plan out because the black allowed for a lot of contrast within my design. I waxed the swirl of my snail inside my bowl to make it stand out against the white crackle glaze of the shell. 

Are you happy with your work on your raku forms?  Why or why not?  Explain how your two pieces relate and what you could do next time to create more of a relationship.

I am mostly happy with my forms- I did not expect the glaze colors to vary as much as they did, but it added an element of surprise to the process. I think my bowl and snail related very well - the colors were coordinated and the swirl on the shell and on the inside of my bowl connected the two with texture. Next time, I would make sure to create a wider swirl in my bowl to make sure none of the glaze covered it. This would make the swirl (and the connection to my snail) more obvious. 

Please describe what you thought was the most informative part of the field trip.  Are there changes you would recommend for the next time the forming of this project is done?  How would these changes improve the project?

I thought that being able to interact and help with the raku process was the most informative part of this field trip. Instead of just watching someone else pour the sawdust or scrub the pieces, we were able to do it ourselves, which was much more interesting and rewarding. I don’t think there are any major changes that should be made - there was a good balance of walking, firing, and exploring Portland.

LINK to Raku Research