Outside Inspiration: A Clay-Fire Connection

Raku pottery is so fascinating. There are a myriad of variations and techniques, so much so that it’s rather hard to define. The only real commonalities between them all seem to be the low-firing temperature and pulling the pottery out of the kiln while still red hot. The Western method includes introducing red hot clay to a combustible material to halt the chemical reaction in glazes and introducing the black smoke that works its way into the cracked glaze, creating those characteristic black crazing patterns. But it has been the intense color that can be achieved with raku that has drawn it into such favor in recent decades.

I had a chance to build a few of my own raku pots back in art school and found myself drawn not only to the color and crazing but to the direct relationship the pottery had with fire and earth. We would bury our hot pots in a sawdust-filled hole in the ground, watch it smolder and then cover the hole with a heavy metal lid to let the pottery sit and take it in. There was this primal, raw feeling that the earth itself was assisting in creating this art. It was so unusual, to be outside, letting the fire, smoke and earth create the texture and design of my pieces, and I can’t say I’ve had quite that kind of experience since then.

I think it is that uncontrollable outcome in the surface design of raku that also draws people to this kind of work. That happenstance texture is dominant in the work of ceramicist Chris Hawkins. Yes, he works up some really brilliant colors, but it is his collaboration with the fire elements, allowing the heat, flame and smoke to choose the patterning, that makes it so breathtakingly beautiful.

You can find a gallery of Chris’s work on his website and a bit of insight into how and why he creates these pieces on his blog.

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