Elm Studios Fine Art • Ericka Lyn O'Rourke Paintings & Pottery

Raku . . . a complete cycle of earth, fire, air and water . . .

Raku Pottery was developed in Japan over 400 years ago as the Ceremonial Tea Ware of the Zen Buddhist Masters. It was preferred by the Masters because of its humility, its tasteful unpretentiousness, its simple naturalness, and its deliberate avoidance of luxury . . . all very intrinsic to the Zen philosophy. What is practiced today, is a western variation of raku process developed by Paul Soldner and others in the 1960s.

Raku is a pottery apart from utility or function. Raku must be approached with a different criterion in mind, like a painting or a symphony. The Zen Masters believe raku is valued because the Spirit of the Maker is embodied in the form and revealed at the foot, which is traditionally left naked (unglazed). It is believed that if we are alert to ourselves, in contemplating the Raku form, we will recognize in it our own Spirit and Meaning.

Raku Pottery is earth derived . . . the firing process is unique and daring, and in the eyes of the Zen Masters, the process truly reflects the most fundamental rhythm of enlightened life. To begin the process, a bisque fired piece is coated with a glaze and placed directly into a raku kiln and brought up to 1,800 to 2,000 degrees F. It is this first tremendous heat shock which often causes a pot to explode or to develop large “body cracks” in the clay walls. If the vessel survives this shock, almost immediate metamorphosis begins. Within just minutes the entire vessel glows like a re-hot coal, and the “glaze-paste” melts into a sheet of liquid glass. At this point the pot must endure a second shock as the potter uses tongs to remove the glowing mass from the inferno. As the cool air outside the kiln hits the glowing vessel, the severe temperature change produces the cracks in the glaze. These cracks are highly prized as characteristic of traditional Raku Pottery — they are the “proof-marks” of the earthenware’s having survived this dramatic trial by fire.

Upon leaving the kiln, the glowing pot is placed directly into a metal container filled with leaves, pine needles, or the like, which immediately burst into flame and produce smoke. It is the fire and flames that “paint” the beautiful metallic colors unique to raku. The trapped carbon from the smoke turns the naked clay foot black and highlights the valuable cracks in the glaze. As if all this were not enough, when the colors are deemed “just right,” the vessel (often still over 1,000 degrees F) may then be plunged into cold water to halt the process.

••• Pottery produced by the Raku method are not food safe. Wrapped or dry foods (i.e. pretzels or candy) are fine. Please hand wash.