Raku Pottery

arrel-Fired

Pottery

arrel-fired

pottery

s a form of wood firing that cures the pots in a fire

built in a barrel. Like Raku, it is considered an alternate firing technique, where

unusual and colorful pieces of pottery are created at a low temperature.

Colors are obtained from the materials burned in the fire with the pottery -

various chemicals are added to the fire to produce different colors.

With b

arrel-fired pottery, it is very hard to control the outcome. As the

color is added by fuming of materials not attached to the pot, the final pieces

are the result of a wide variation of temperature, location in the barrel, and

added chemicals.

I add salt, baking soda, red iron oxide, and

even M

iracle-gro

the firing to get a variety of yellows, reds, and oranges. The wood provides

the black, but the way it is captured on the pieces depends on how the ashes

fall in the firing process.

arrel firing is worth the uncertainty because

the results are difficult to

obtain in any other technique. The colors

appear on the pieces like clouds,

producing random fading effects that make

every piece unique.

I am still

trying to figure out where each color comes from.

lso like Raku pottery

arrel-fired pieces are

not waterproof or food

safe.

But they make a spectacular artistic statement that more than makes

up for their lack of utility.