Raku Alchemy.

I spent a great afternoon decorating some little ceramic figures for a raku firing today. Local ceramicist Esther Ley opened her garden and studio and provided some tiny bisque-fired houses and small birds to be decorated with oxides and glazes. Once we’d finished decorating, the little clay objects were fired in a spectacular outdoor kiln, then plunged into a mini-dustbin full of sawdust and newspaper before being washed off to reveal the subtle crackling and metallic hues typical of raku pottery.