Ceramists have a primal fascination with the power of fire on clay. It is for these artists and aspirants that we wrote this book on raku and other postfiring reduction methods. We believe that you’ll find these fast-firing techniques attractive because they yield such rich texture and color. Clay artists are often intrigued by the fleeting marks that are made when clay, heat, and smoke interact. The serendipitous nature of these low-temperature firing processes makes discovery as significant as invention. There are so many variations in the techniques described and illustrated here that your results will be limited only by your imagination.
We invited ceramic artists Randy Brodnax, Don Ellis, and Linda Keleigh to help us demonstrate their firing methods for this book. The five of us came together with a commitment to share with you all of our secrets based on our years of experience.
We have included straightforward information about how to perform Western-style raku, as well as pit and barrel firings. We demonstrate saggar, low-temperature salt, alcohol reduction, and precious-metal fuming techniques, with plenty of information on alternative firings and tips for these various processes. There’s a detailed plan on how to build an affordable, versatile, and easily constructed raku kiln that can be used for the majority of the techniques you’ll see demonstrated, plus instructions on how to convert a gas burner to propane. As a bonus, Randy builds his unique wood-fueled Downdraft Stovepipe Barrel Kiln.
Our hope is that as you explore the processes demonstrated in this book you’ll have as much fun as we had at the top of the mountain in western North Carolina.