Raku pottery starts out like regular pottery in that it is bisque fired after being formed from clay, usually special clay formulated to withstand the thermal shock (going from 1800 degrees to regular air temp quickly) Then everything changes…, the piece is glazed with raku formulated glazes, and rapidly fired to 1800 degrees, after the glaze matures in this heat, it is removed quickly and put into a container with combustible materials (such as leaves, pine needles, newspaper, etc) and covered to produce an oxygen-starved atmosphere which creates the amazing variety of colors.

Things to remember about Raku Pottery; it is decorative and should not be exposed to strong light, it is not food safe, it is not water tight and it is more fragile than regular pottery. You can insert a plastic or glass insert if you want to use it for cut flowers. Making and firing Raku Pottery is fun, but you can’t be attached to the outcome, because there are so many parts of the process that can cause destruction to your art. The shock of rapidly taking it to 1800 degrees causes breakage, as does taking it out of the kiln and moving it the container of combustibles. Sometimes you have to fire it more than once to get good color effects, increasing the possibility of breakage. But those of us who enjoy it would not give it up, we love to see the pieces as they come out, each time is a treat, the spontaneity of it, the unpredictability of it all makes it worthwhile.