The song Mad Dogs and Englishmen often springs to my mind.
It did again today when I came across a group of cyclists needing the fix of an 80 mile ride to enjoy this freezing Sunday in March.
Yesterday I woke to a white blanket of snow. That didn't stop me from doing what I'd set out to do either: Spent the day in the open - temperature hovering around zero - with a group of similarly driven mad folk raku-firing our ceramic creations.
Our arctic pursuit was mercifully followed by an evening thawing out in front of my log-burner.... best invention ever ;)
Our arctic pursuit was mercifully followed by an evening thawing out in front of my log-burner.... best invention ever ;)
Raku-firing is a hit and miss process. It was my unlucky day as quite a few of my pieces didn't survive the thermal shock to which they were subjected. But I had a few good results too. Here are three of them:
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Hope you like them too :)
I like them very much! Sounds like a fun way to spend a day.
ReplyDeleteA fun day .... in a rather masochistic kind of way ... lol
DeleteI love the dark green shades.... they remind me of beetles for some reason!! I guess it might be the way they shimmer with such subtle colours....
ReplyDeleteabsolutely beautiful, no idea what Raki firing is though!
ReplyDeletePoint taken, Wendy :). All shall be revealed ;))
DeleteLOVE your stained glass window!
Never heard of Raki before but whatever it is I like them very much!
ReplyDeleteRaku originates from Japan. In the method, ceramics are heated to 1000 degrees C and then immediately transferred to a container filled with sawdust which catches fire. The container is closed and the fire extracts oxygen from the clay and glaze. The glaze develops crackling due to the thermal shock. These turn black in the smoke-filled container. That's it in a nutshell. :)
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