Earth, wind and fire

All the pieces finished in Jennifer Mulligan's raku glazing and firing session. My pieces are all the front row slab work and the tall slab piece with circles in the back.

Dirt fire pits lined with paper and ready.

Playing with fire should have been warmer, but it wasn't.  The raku shelter at potter Jennifer Mulligan's place was on a cold and windy bluff above a small river.  The wind blew and the rain fell on and off the whole day.  Cozying up to the gas kiln during the first stage of the firing provided some solace.  In spite of the wind, the other two elements of earth and fire provided a high degree of activity and excitement to the handful of students hellbent on having a raku experience on this day in March.

Raku is a thing of mystery.  The glaze buckets were labelled things like "yellow rose" and "purple haze." My tall moonscape came out blue and pale turquoise and lovely anyway.  "Copper penny" glaze and "yellow rose"  produced a nearly black interior with hints of metallic and a pale greenish exterior on my coiled piece reminiscent of a burst-open pea pod.  You paint on the glaze with adventure and bravery in your heart and then turn the piece over to the raku gods.  Wind, dampness, coldness, temperature, too much paper, not enough paper, too much sawdust, not enough sawdust, too much oxygen, not enough oxygen--all these factors toy with your glaze and create a piece you are in awe of but cannot duplicate. Sometimes they blow your piece up and give you bits you learn from. 

It's all good, creative fun.  A day in the country, nice people to meet and the opportunity to say things like "apple crackle" as you vow to put that glaze on a bigger piece next time because it is so special.  Thanks, Jennifer. The earth, wind and fire day was terrific.