During the first session we will create the pieces with handbuilding techniques or, if we have experience with throwing, we will make them on the potter’s wheel. Then we will learn how to prepare the terra sigillata and we will decorate our pieces with it. This will give them a smooth and satin surface. We will also learn how to prepare the slip for naked raku.
On the second session we will have our pieces already bisqued (at 950 °C). We will prepare them for the raku firing in the vicinity of the kiln, applying them specific glazes or the slip for the naked raku.
We will load the pieces in the kiln and once the temperature reaches approximately 900 – 1000 °C they are removed, in incandescent stage, with the help of tongs and immersed in sawdust where the reduction process takes place.
They are then taken to another metal container with water. We will also do naked raku, decorateion with horse hair, saggar, and decoration with ferric sulfate.
When the piece is cooler, it is cleaned to remove the remains of sawdust stuck to it, and to discover the metallizations and iridescence resulting from the reduction.
You can enroll in both sessions of the workshop consecutively, or if you already have your own bisque-fired pieces, you can choose to participate only in the second session. In case you do not have your own pieces, we offer the option to purchase those we provide in the studio, at an additional cost. Furthermore, you might be interested in creating your own pieces in our pottery wheel, sculpture, or handbuilding courses, which can be combined with this activity.
How are we going to work:
