Raku
We have an exciting announcement... we are adding Raku firing to our pottery courses!
we thought we’d leave these photos of Georgie in the process of making her degree showcase in 1992, where she was taught by a fellow potter named Norman Cherry.
Norman was kind enough to share his vast knowledge of Raku and even generously gave her his glaze recipes.
We have recently found this old recipe book and are at present mixing up glazes and experimenting, we can’t wait to get going and share them with you!
Come and enjoy a Raku Experience at Bird’s Pottery to experiment in this
ancient Japanese technique of glazing and firing pottery.
Raku is an exciting style of creating pottery using heat, sawdust, fire and water.
Raku firing is unique and one of the most dramatic and exciting ways to fire pottery.
It was developed in Japan in the 16th century for the Japanese tea ceremony.
On the day you will be working in Bird’s Pottery Raku Shed and outdoor space. Each
participant will have a choice of various styles of bisque fired pots. You will glaze
your own pieces with a choice of glazes. These are then dried and put directly into a
hot kiln outside for half an hour at a temperature of approximately 1000°c.
They are then put into a reduction chamber, a metal sawdust bin.
This atmosphere and temperature change produces some finishes, associated with Raku Pottery.
These are then allowed to cool naturally or plunged into a water bath (as on the Pottery Throw down).
Each piece that you create will be unique and you never know exactly what is going to appear!