Raku

Raku is a sixteenth-century firing technique associated with the philosophy of Zen Buddhism and the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Raku wares are drawn directly from a hot kiln, igniting a bed of combustible materials on which they're placed before being plunged into cold water. The word ‘raku’ is most often translated as 'enjoyment', 'contentment', 'pleasure' and 'happiness', with connotations of simplicity and asymmetry. While the process may seem contradictory to some of these terms, its ritualistic nature produces an unexpected balance between exhilaration and meditation.

"I seek to make raku objects that respect the medium's origins. My works are individually hand-shaped, with an emphasis on simplicity and beauty. By combining sensuous shapes and elaborate glazes with unrefined edges and sooty black surfaces I try to show that beauty can be found in imperfection."

A few raku images:

2005

2006

• Emerging Woman
• tree of life with coral
• Kiln

• Mermaid
• Cycladic Women
• Greek Dress
• Wedding Dress
• Chain Dress
• Copper Lizard

• Pandora's gift: serenity
• Hera
• Medea