On Sunday, Oct. 20, Ed Staples and Nienke Klaver hosted a “Raku Party” for a group of local potters. Sue Delatour also invited students from the Princeton Riverside Pottery Studio Adult Fall Pottery Class to participate in the event.
Ed introduced this special firing technique by giving everyone a short description of the history of Raku, which originated in Japan and was associated with the Japanese Tea Ceremony.
He went on to explain how over the years, North Americans have adapted the firing to include a post-reduction process.
This produces decorative ware with the signature white crackle glaze, shiny iridescent copper glazes and jet black bottoms.
Each participant was able to glaze 2 pieces, some of them originally made by the artists and some created by Ed.
The pieces were then put into the kiln, two and three at a time. When the kiln reached 980 degrees Celsius, great excitement ensued as the work, molten hot, was removed with tongs and placed into metal garbage cans with newspaper to act as a reduction chamber.
The results were enjoyed by all and everyone was keen to do this again, perhaps next spring.
For more information on Adult Pottery Classes at Riverside Centre or future Raku gatherings contact Sue Delatour at 250-295-0527.
