Saturday, May 10, 2008


a pic for my on-line photo class of my raku pottery class project...
I was soliciting gift ideas and cousin Julia said "make a fairy house for the girls". This is my fairy house effort. It actually came out well enough that I whipped up another one on Friday (just the clay part - it still needs to be "bisqued" / fired and then glazed). I missed most of the first class - the one where they showed how raku pottery is fired (at relatively low temps) then pulled out and popped in a can that has a bed of wood shavings. The shavings catch fire and create a lot of smoke and turn any unglazed pottery black/gray and the rapid cooling causes the crackle that raku is known for. I didn't 1) know that unglazed parts turned dark and 2) that the low firing temps and/or glazed used result in pottery that is basically purely decorative and can't be used for food. What?! You mean those cups/bowls I was busy making in the first class or so are essentially useless? I don't have room for such things! But a fairy house could live outside...

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