A few more photos of raku pots









Very tired, but happily so, after a long day with our studio open. Really nice people through, and I particularly enjoyed the company of two delightful children who made animals in my studio. I thought I would just post a few photos that my friend Peter Watson took of my work. Peter's camera can actually manage close ups!

Comments

Angie said…
The glaze is so beautiful ...metalic yet with the magical irredescence of oil on water.
Anonymous said…
Tweet tweet love those birdies! The colors you got in your raku are awesome!
ang design said…
v.cool peter, its a nice setup your lil wood fire raku kiln..how long do the 2&3rd firings take??
Linda Starr said…
Your raku colors are wonderful, that first bowl is almost like an oil spot and the birds are all so lovely.
cindy shake said…
Oh my gosh, that iridized color is fantastic. Can't get over the depth of the ruby color. And love the blue-jade rim. Lovely.
Peter said…
Thanks Angie, Mary, Ang, Linda, and Cindy for your comments, glad you enjoyed the colours (I do too!). I'm finding this little dabble in raku quite inspirational at the moment, and my head is starting to sizzle with new kiln design ideas, as well as pieces that are made specifically for raku, particularly sculptural ideas. Raku is such an "instant" process in comparison with stoneware, and the contrast does free up the imagination.

Ang, regarding the 2nd and 3rd firings..., I find that the first load is about 2 hours, the second and third are probably up to temperature well within 10 minutes each time. I actually "soaked" them for a short while, partly for the sake of the glazes, but also to give me time to free up some tin cans from the first load, and make space to process them.
The kiln climbs very fast from cold, and I do tend to hold it back a bit to begin with to be kind to the pots and to the kiln structure. When feeling a bit rushed I did manage to go to 700 degrees C in 20 minutes from cold....
From 800 degrees the kiln does slow down and the last 250 takes most of the second hour. The kiln has ordinary uninsulated heavy fire brick walls and floor, and I think that a lot of energy is being consumed heating them. I do think though that the stored energy really helps the kiln bounce back up to temperature again for each new load. (An old fiber kiln door makes up the roof on this kiln, so that part insulates really well.)

It is an interesting kiln to fire, I think it would get to 1100 C in its current form, and fiber insulation would help it get a bit higher. I edged it up to 1075 C without any difficulty whilst doing the last load of the day on Thursday. I'm contemplating splashing out on some insulating fire bricks and making a more "serious" small kiln along these lines, as it would be hugely useful for firing a small amount of work quickly and economically.

Popular Posts