Raku firing

Yesterday the Sculpture class fired our Raku glazed art. Two of my pieces are here. I fired 3 pieces. The piece you see above turned out exquisitely- It isn’t totally finished- there is a tongue part that will be gold- that will extend through the head part and show under the snout. I was just so excited to see the undulating metallic colors…

The second piece shown –at the bottom is flaking off. I smile when I use the word “flake” as I sometimes act flaky. Art reflects life. (smiling)

The last piece I will use the technique Kintsugi on. Yesterday I wrote about it- the gold highlighting the cracks. It was a heart. I placed many small holes in the heart. Originally I was going to weave copper through the holes. Now- I will mend it with gold- and then decide how best to deal with the holes.

The instructor Margaret Keelan said: “It isn’t Raku –if it isn’t broken.” I laughed when she said it. She is right- it is part of the process…

It was like Christmas morning, waiting for the smoke to transform the art. Every time we pulled the art out the class would oooooo and awe over the colors. It was an incredible experience! It is a fun class! The graduate students work hard to make their work incredible. Academy of the Arts University is an awesome environment to perfect and honor my craft!

It is heaven upon earth!

Life is grand!