RAKU

What is Raku?

The magic of alchemy

Raku is a firing technique that originated in Japan as a way to expand the possibilities of ceramics — a way to create unique tea bowls for tea ceremonies rooted in the philosophy of wabi-sabi: allowing the impermanence of an object to be the best part, appreciating the natural imperfections in art, nature, and life.

Thank you to the artists who created this glorious technique, and to all the people who first cooked pots. Thank you, thank you!

There is something deeply exhilarating about taking red-hot pottery out of a kiln and scorching it in a trashcan full of banana peels, coffee grinds, seaweed, newspaper, salt… whatever burns and seeing what magic will be created by the fire. It’s a technique that doesn’t let you pretend to have control — the fire decides… the magic of alchemy!

I taught Raku courses for a few years; below are some of the incredible student creations from these courses.