This spring 2010 semester, Ceramics is by far on the top of the list as one of my favorite classes. I have always love working with my hands. Went off-campus facility at the Romberg Tiburon Center to do a pit firing and raku. Pit firing is the oldest known method of firing clay. The pieces are place together in a pit dug into the ground and are then covered with wood, sawdust, metal oxides, and salts. The pit is then set on fire and after cooling, removed and cleaned to reveal patterns and colors left by ash and salt deposits.
After the pit was filled with our ceramics pieces, minerals and salts were added to the top to add a little color.
An assembly line to add wood to the pit fire.
Raku
Is a Japanese type of low-firing temperatures (resulting in a fairly porous body); pieces are quickly removed from the kiln while still glowing hot and placed in a trash can filled with paper and a lid is placed over the trash can to cause a reduction firing. Here are some of the end results.
Here are two of my pieces. An abalone shell and a quick little box I made by pinching.
I can now say that I have done a pit fire and raku!
A little sneak peek into my next project in the works.
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