RAKU CERAMIC
Raku is a Japanese ceramic firing technique, born in harmony with the Zen spirit, capable of enhancing the harmony of the little things and the beauty in the simplicity and naturalness of the shapes.
Raku is an art at the service of another art, the tea ceremony : a ritual, made with poor objects, focused on the cup that guests exchanged.
Its size was such that it could be contained in the palm of the hand.
Raku is a ceramic firing technique from Japan, born in harmony with the Zen spirit, able to enhance the harmony of the little things and the beauty in the simplicity and naturalness of the forms. While the oriental ceramic tradition (Japanese in particular) foresees the creation of objects closely linked to the tea ceremony (cups, small trays, teapots, etc.) in the West the production soon expanded to all types of creations. Not only cups, therefore, but also works in artistic modeling, small animals, vases and everything that the imagination can understand including beautiful objects that see the use of raku ceramics for artistic and handcrafted jewels. it is necessary to use a different type of clay from that used for classic creations and the clay used is generally refractory or semi-refractory.
Firing raku ceramics is really special and engaging. Once fired for the first time in a gas or electric oven, subsequently enameled and fired again in the gas oven at a temperature of approximately 960 ° C, the handicrafts are extracted when they are incandescent and subjected to the reduction process mentioned above. Thermal shock, which is why semire is used instead of lathe clay, is the main difference between the classic Italian ceramic and raku: the former is left to cool in the kiln while the latter is extracted hot. The fire produces a reduction of oxygen: the unglazed parts in reduction become black or, if partially in contact with oxygen, gray; in any case they take on a rustic and warm color.
Although a skilled and expert ceramist can design a piece with certain characteristics and approach the initial idea in the realization, the unpredictability of the raku technique means that every time the creation is extracted from the sawdust and passes it under water never surprises them. This fact, together with the craftsmanship of the clay, makes each creation visibly unique: each object has its own history, is unrepeatable and acquires value and beauty for this very reason.
