Isuspect that it is new since 1970, but who knows? In Muang Kung,Hang Dong, Chiang
Mai, Thailand they take pots out of a primitive woodburning updraft, stack them rim to
rim- foot to foot, suround them with a dampened basket, and fill the space inbetween
with a mixture that looks like rice hulls and sawdust. This produces a black Maria
Martinez-like shine on thier t sig coated water jars.
If anyone has any information about when this started I would love to know.
Louis
Keiko Suga & Noel Oard Mapstead wrote:
> as any loyal student would, i vote for my teacher hal riegger to have introduced
> post reduction raku firing, in mill valley, ca. I was a student of hal and betty
> feeves in the 60s and 70s.
>
> nevertheless, i continue to teach a traditional form of raku, red and black
> glaze, at esalen institute, big sur, california. For red we use a clear glaze over
> bisque trapping the red-orange bisque colour, and for black, we crush a black slate
> rock found along the pacific ocean at esalen, just like in japan where the black
> came from black rocks in a river.
>
> Since raku means "pleasure" and there are 9 types of pleasure, my students from
> japan only know or raku pottery as "raku yaki"
>
> noel mapstead....www.mapstead.com/noel or www.esalen.org
>
> SBRANFPOTS@AOL.COM wrote:
>
> > I've been away from CLAYART for a few weeks and came back to a discussion
> > about the differences between raku here and raku there. Here is my two cents:
> >
> > Both Vince and Mel and right on when they say that raku is not static.
> > Indeed, even in Japan, raku ware as produced by the raku family has taken on
> > a very contemporary aesthetic. Raku was introduced to the west by Leach
> > through his account of attending a raku party. However it was introduced to
> > America by Warren Gilbertson and subsequently experimented with on the west
> > coast by a few potters most noteably Hal Riegger and Paul Soldner. Hal was
> > doing "western style raku" as early as 1947 or so, before Soldner. Just who
> > was the first to come up with the idea of post firing reduction is a matter
> > of debate but it appears that it was Riegger. How important is it that we
> > know who was the first? Probably not much as it is likely that both potters
> > were working with the techniques independenly of each other and "discovered"
> > post firing reduction equally independently.
> >
> > Traditional raku was of two types. Red raku was low fired with a thick lead
> > based glaze. Black raku was high fired with a feldspathic glaze. Both wares
> > were fired quickly in a small charcoal kiln, removed with tongs and cooled.
> > There was, and is no post firing treatment.
> >
> > The important thing for us to remember is that raku has it's origins in the
> > Japanese culture, the tea ceremony, and the practice of Zen. It's basic
> > technical method has been adopted by contemporary potters and adapted to
> > their aesthetic sensibilities. New twists, variations, and ideas have
> > expanded upon this traditional technique and have given it new relevance to
> > modern potters. Calling it raku does not minimize its origins or relevance to
> > traditional Japanese practice or its wares and no one needs to feel guilty
> > about calling what we do raku.
> >
> > Carry on!
> >
> > Steven Branfman
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________________________
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> >
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> >
> > Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
