All Fired Up

Things were sure heating up at our place tonight. Henri has just taken the lid off our raku kiln to reveal this glowing pot that has reached 1900 degrees F.

Here you can see the tongs he is using to transport this pot over to the waiting garbage can filled with newspaper.

As soon as the pot hits the paper, it bursts into flame.

Tonight we got some aqua color along with the copper flashes.

Even though we used the same glaze, each pot has different results.

Here's the inside of one that got a sprinkling of sea glass at the bottom.

While Henri was busy with the fire tonight, I made myself busy in the kitchen.

Except my blueberry muffins only had to reach 350 degrees F. before they were done.

Baptism By Fire

Did she fully understand what she was getting into?

This can be addictive.

Art night is all about the wine. This is some leftover so how good could it be?

Spice it up, over a low flame and you have wine worthy of art.

This really isn't the dungeon, but it doesn't really matter, there is wine.

And where there is wine, there is great art (so we've heard).

See?

Art happens.

Signed by an amazing artist, who tonight is taking on a new craft.

Her very first pieces will soon be ready for the all important baptism. That's when her addiction will take hold. More to come.

From Raku Pots to Lobster Pots

Last night's raku firing

Long tongs being used to retrieve glowing pot fired to 2000 degrees F.


A sampling of our pots finished in a glaze of white crackle and copper lusters.

It's like Christmas retrieving them from the trash cans where they sit overnight buried in sawdust.

And would you look what I pulled up in one of our lobster traps this morning.

Get a load of those CLAWS!

This is one lobster that did not make it to our lobster pot. We threw him back in spite of him being a keeper. I know at least 1 person who will probably be upset about this though. Dan?

The Art of the Fire

These whimsical fish were sculpted by my husband in an attempt to use up the extra clay that is wasted from working on wheel thrown pieces. Each one of his creations seems to take on it's own unique personality.

They have been bisque fired and glazed, but their true identity awaits and will be revealed in the next post.

Tonight was the night a few of them made it to the fire. This glowing creature is the result of

having spent about 30 minutes in the raku kiln where the temperature rose to 2000 degrees fahrenheit. This moment is part of the excitement of raku, when you lift the top off the kiln and are met with the very heart and soul of your piece. Tomorrow they will look quite different.

Our pots will be fired later, but tonight it was all about the fish.