Raku, means "Pleasure", "Enjoyment", "Best in the world" and begins in a tea
ceremony in Kyoto - Japan, arriving there with the Zen Buddhist monks from
Chine in the Twelfth Century.
Tea Originally drunk on ceremonial and religious occasion or used as medicine.
This practice then spend to a wider section of the population.
Sen no Rikyu (1552 - 1591) was a man of a great artistic judgement and
one who was commissioned to design a tea bowls and produce it at his
specifications as a Tea Master. These tea bowls were carved, not thrown on the
wheel and therefore great subtlety could be caught in their structure and
volume in the relationship between internal and external space, each elements
of this ceremony was carefully distilled, with the purpose of creating a
situation and atmosphere where spiritual self-development could take place
and through a quiet focusing of the mind, to achieve an ego-less state.
The simple appearance of the tea bowls, the preparation and handling of tea
implement, the quiet filterers light and the simplicity of the tearoom, its scents
and objects, even movements of the people participating, were essential in his
form of ceremony.
In this contest the tea bowls exist naturally and harmoniously in which
the guests could decorate and take it home with them as a keepsake, The Raku
technique has enjoyed a revival in modern times.
Best made Raku is made from a heavily gorged body high in fire clay, then are
decorated with a low-fire glaze. Often this glazes will contain metallic
oxides such as copper carbonate, silver nitrate, ferric chloride, tin chloride,
silver chloride, bismuth sub nitrate copper sulphate, which will reduce to a pure
metal in the process.
Once the glaze is dry, the pieces are placed in a kiln, which may be cold or
already up to temperature. It's really an experience and has its own
particular mystery the earthiness of smoked clay, combined with vibrant
coloured glazes and the necessity to be fired again and again sometimes in
different range of fires and the results are often surprising. A front-loading kiln
is much better than a top-loader for Raku, as the ware must be easily removed
from the kiln when the glaze is observed to melt, and the rush of superheated
air that comes out from the opened top of a kiln results in a rapid loss of
heat, and can be dangerous as well.
This process is also much more suitable for outdoor than indoor potteries,
due to the toxic fumes generated. The pot is removed up quickly from the
kiln with long tongs (wear always heat-resistant gloves and eye protection
when opening hot kilns and a wet towels in the hair and the precaution to
turn off the power to avoid an electric shock with the metallic tongs) while
the glaze is observed o melt, is put on a small pile of leaves, sawdust,
fruit peels, pine needles, cattle feed, rise peels, seeds, straw, grass and also
newspaper, lying on this and is covered with this materials inside of a metal
container so as to seal the pot in a smoky and oxygen-poor environment
obtaining a reduction atmosphere because the effects only take place while
the glaze remains molten. Steel drum with their tops cut off, sized
proportionately to the ware, works well for this. One piece at a time, is for me
the best way to work and in the critical moments with a good friend for enjoy
this play with fire, helps.
Although some sources advice a water quench, is not necessary, and will
only weaken the ware, which does best if allowed to cool off in a warm place.
Raku has been the scene of much technical an artistic innovations. The link
between the past now exist most positively through the activity and its effect on
the work produce, history and art change as our attitudes change.
ceremony in Kyoto - Japan, arriving there with the Zen Buddhist monks from
Chine in the Twelfth Century.
Tea Originally drunk on ceremonial and religious occasion or used as medicine.
This practice then spend to a wider section of the population.
Sen no Rikyu (1552 - 1591) was a man of a great artistic judgement and
one who was commissioned to design a tea bowls and produce it at his
specifications as a Tea Master. These tea bowls were carved, not thrown on the
wheel and therefore great subtlety could be caught in their structure and
volume in the relationship between internal and external space, each elements
of this ceremony was carefully distilled, with the purpose of creating a
situation and atmosphere where spiritual self-development could take place
and through a quiet focusing of the mind, to achieve an ego-less state.
The simple appearance of the tea bowls, the preparation and handling of tea
implement, the quiet filterers light and the simplicity of the tearoom, its scents
and objects, even movements of the people participating, were essential in his
form of ceremony.
In this contest the tea bowls exist naturally and harmoniously in which
the guests could decorate and take it home with them as a keepsake, The Raku
technique has enjoyed a revival in modern times.
Best made Raku is made from a heavily gorged body high in fire clay, then are
decorated with a low-fire glaze. Often this glazes will contain metallic
oxides such as copper carbonate, silver nitrate, ferric chloride, tin chloride,
silver chloride, bismuth sub nitrate copper sulphate, which will reduce to a pure
metal in the process.
Once the glaze is dry, the pieces are placed in a kiln, which may be cold or
already up to temperature. It's really an experience and has its own
particular mystery the earthiness of smoked clay, combined with vibrant
coloured glazes and the necessity to be fired again and again sometimes in
different range of fires and the results are often surprising. A front-loading kiln
is much better than a top-loader for Raku, as the ware must be easily removed
from the kiln when the glaze is observed to melt, and the rush of superheated
air that comes out from the opened top of a kiln results in a rapid loss of
heat, and can be dangerous as well.
This process is also much more suitable for outdoor than indoor potteries,
due to the toxic fumes generated. The pot is removed up quickly from the
kiln with long tongs (wear always heat-resistant gloves and eye protection
when opening hot kilns and a wet towels in the hair and the precaution to
turn off the power to avoid an electric shock with the metallic tongs) while
the glaze is observed o melt, is put on a small pile of leaves, sawdust,
fruit peels, pine needles, cattle feed, rise peels, seeds, straw, grass and also
newspaper, lying on this and is covered with this materials inside of a metal
container so as to seal the pot in a smoky and oxygen-poor environment
obtaining a reduction atmosphere because the effects only take place while
the glaze remains molten. Steel drum with their tops cut off, sized
proportionately to the ware, works well for this. One piece at a time, is for me
the best way to work and in the critical moments with a good friend for enjoy
this play with fire, helps.
Although some sources advice a water quench, is not necessary, and will
only weaken the ware, which does best if allowed to cool off in a warm place.
Raku has been the scene of much technical an artistic innovations. The link
between the past now exist most positively through the activity and its effect on
the work produce, history and art change as our attitudes change.
Ceramic Technique Raku
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Crackle Raku Glazes
When a glaze shrinks more than the clay body it covers, cracking or crazing occurs.
Different types of glaze will crazedifferently. As the glazecontracts, it can be heard to ping
and shrink. The form will also influence how a glaze crazes. This effect has been used in
the past decoratively by the Chinese in high feldspathic glazes.
When a glaze shrinks more than the clay body it covers, cracking or crazing occurs.
Different types of glaze will crazedifferently. As the glazecontracts, it can be heard to ping
and shrink. The form will also influence how a glaze crazes. This effect has been used in
the past decoratively by the Chinese in high feldspathic glazes.