Welcome -

 

For the last 15 years I have been using Western Raku and Pit Fire techniques to finish my decorative pots.  With Western Raku I rely on the metal oxides in the glazes for bright metallic finishes, and the smoke and fumes produced by the 1000C heat to create the crackle patterns and smoky markings on the work.

 

In the Pit Firing technique I combine organic matter (wood, seaweed, salt, etc.) with the pots and usually leave about 24 hours to let the pit heat up and then cool.  The resulting smoke and fume marks are uniquely organic and often tell a story of the firing.  Some pots are heavily blackened from the wood smoke, but a wide range of lighter smoky colours usually also appear.  The pit is a 10,000 year old way to make clay/mud into "ceramic", and continuously surprises and gives new and interesting results. Both of these techniques allow me to point my pots in a direction where I have strong expectations regarding final results, but ..., I've also learned to enjoy the alchemy of the unexpected!