Another Exciting Raku Workshop !

September Class
Ron, Elly, Mark, and Linda

What a day yesterday ! This was our third Raku workshop at Gets Centered Studio for Lee and I, and it is turning into a well-oiled machine. All was set up in 30 minutes or so, while the students trickled in, giving an hand here and there. Many thanks to Mark for helping Lee with taking her big horse trough kiln out of her truck!
This time, our host Elly decided to join in the fun, donning her student hat. Though she knew what she was doing, with her glazing already planned, and she had no qualms taking her pieces out of the kiln.
It was very gratifying to have the September class willing to try out more than the standard Raku glazes. Ron committed himself entirely to Naked Raku, experimenting with white bodies and colored slip bodies. Mark touched a bit of everything. His horsehair vessel turned out a real beauty ! Linda was fascinated with the choice of metallic glazes and made them her focus.
Our class picture tells it all. Look a their big grins ! So happy to take home quality pieces. Or maybe it was the Gin and Tonic Ron brought along for our end-of-day happy hour ???!!!!

Next and final workshop for 2011 will take place on November 13th. A special alternative firing workshop: horsehair and naked Raku only ! For more info go to Gets Centered Studio website: http://www.getcenteredclay.com/.

Some great work at our April Raku workshop

The graduating class: Fred, Sara, Yanna, and Paul

The day started uncertain, with a mix of blue skies and big menacing grey clouds. A few waterdrops scouted the parking lot behind the studio where we had set up our two Raku kilns, just as Lee was getting ready to do her Horsehair Raku demo. Air was unusually brisk for April, not a bad feature with two kilns going. Then the skies cleared up around noon, and we knew it was going to be a nice day.
And what a nice day it was ! Everyone did extremely well. Good glazing, nice pieces. Every one was patient, organized, receptive. It made the day exciting and fulfilling. Fred, Sara, Yanna and Paul all left with some wonderful pieces to remind them of the experience, as well as a new appreciation of Raku firing. Paul was so enthused he is considering converting his old electric kiln into a Raku kiln ! For her second Raku workshop, Yanna was prepared. She knew the glazes and used them to great effect on her pieces, with pleasing combinations of copper glazes and crackle glazes. Our metallic glazes had a huge appeal on Sara, embracing completely our selection of copper glazes to match her cake-decorating style. Fred had a good ol' time throughout the day, trying it all with equal glee.

Horsehair Raku lesson with Lee

Unloading the big kiln

Some postfiring work to make it more interesting

Big jar by Fred
Copper glaze

Mask by Paul
"Naked Raku" style

Layered vase by Yanna
Mix of copper glazes and white crackle glaze

Faceted vessel by Sara
Copper glaze

Our raku event was covered in an article by Chris Lavin, editor of e-news LaMesaToday.com. Chris, and his publisher Gina Garcia, took some really great shots of us throughout the workshop and arranged them into a 2-min slide show at the end of the article. Check it out !