Lucknow: Recently, a special eight-day (25 August to 1 September 2024) Glaze Raku Firing Workshop was organized at Clay and Fire Studio in Jankipuram, Lucknow. The chief trainer of this workshop was ceramic artist and owner of Clay and Fire, Premshankar Prasad and co-trainer sculptor Vishal Gupta (independent artist) and coordinator Ajay Kumar.
The young artists who participated in this workshop were Archana Singh (Kushinagar), Drishya Agarwal (Lucknow), Vanshika Singh (Lucknow), Preeti Kanaujia (Lucknow), Pradeepika Srivastava (Sitapur), Utkal Pandey (Sitapur), Harshit Singh (Lucknow), Prakriti Khakya (Etawah).
During the conversation, coordinator Ajay Kumar told that on the first day of the workshop, all the participating artists were welcomed by both the trainers by giving them tools kits. After that, detailed information was given about Raku glaze which is as follows- (Raku is a Japanese method of making pottery which is traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies, these were often made in the form of tea cups. In the traditional Japanese process, the baked Raku leaves are removed from the hot kiln and allowed to cool in the open air.
It officially started in Japan in the 16th century.) After giving information, all the participants were told the method of making clay for Raku. All the artists prepared the clay and started making sculptures. On the second day of the workshop also, all the participating artists prepared the final sculpture in clay by giving texture and finishing to their sculptures. After that, the sculptures made in clay were dried for 4 days. Drying is done so that when baked in the kiln, they get cooked properly. If the sculpture does not dry, it will break in the kiln. After 4 days, when the sculptures were completely dried, all the sculptures were put in the furnace for biscuit firing.
Biscuit firing is done at low temperature. After that, the next day, these sculptures are taken out of the furnace after they cool down. After that, Raku glaze is applied on the biscuit fired sculptures and they are again put in the furnace. This time the temperature of the furnace is higher than before. They are baked for 2 to 3 hours. On one side this process is going on, on the other side, sawdust is put in a big iron box and newspaper is cut into small pieces and put in the box.
After this, the hot sculptures being baked in the furnace are held with a tong and put in the box one by one. After that, newspaper and sawdust are put and the box is closed for 1 hour. So that the smoke does not come out of the box. After 1 hour, the box is opened and the sculptures are washed with water. So that the ash on the statues gets cleaned.
Raku glaze happens after such a long process.
This is how the workshop was successful. The sculptures of all the artists turned out to be very beautiful.
Raku method –
What is Raku? On this Ajay Kumar explained that Raku is a form of Japanese pottery. Raku first appeared in medieval Japanese porcelain during the 16th century in the Momoyama period, around 1550. Japanese Raku pottery was traditionally used to make tea bowls for use during the Japanese tea ceremony. Raku tea bowls were known as both ‘blackware’ and ‘redware’. Redware was simply red pottery with a clear glaze applied to it. Blackware was made from stoneware clay with a black glaze applied to it.
How can it be used in today’s time? On this Ajay explained that
What is modern Raku pottery?
Modern Raku pottery is believed to have been introduced to potters outside Japan by Bernard Leach. While in Japan in 1911, Bernard Leach attended a Raku pottery party. Those present at the party applied colour to their pots and then fired them right there and at the party.
Although Bernard Leach was a painter at the time, it is said that this party inspired him to begin practising raku pottery! More and more potters were then introduced to the traditional method of raku firing and it became a contemporary pottery technique in its own right.Although Bernard Leach was a painter at the time, it is said that this party inspired him to begin practising raku pottery! More and more potters were then introduced to the traditional method of raku firing and it became a contemporary pottery technique in its own right.
The modern American Raku ceramics movement was started in the 1940s by potters such as Hal Rigger and Warren Gilbertson. By the 1970s and 1980s, Raku’s popularity had grown and it had become an art form practiced by many studio potters.
Today it is used only for decoration.
Cups, plates, bowls or any other sculpture made by this method cannot be used for crafts. Because the glaze used in it is harmful to the body.
