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My small studio has a view of the Cascade Mountains and the tip of Puget Sound where it meets The Strait of Juan de Fuca and Georgia Strait. Tame deer pass by and are kept out of the garden with tall fences. This is an exposed windy site so I have had to build a shelter for my raku kilns with side walls to keep the wind and rain out. |
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| Unlike other raku artists I use whole oats in my bin, the kind that one feeds to horses. The oats become charred and can be used over and over. The oats also create a soft bed that helps prevent the animal’s delicate legs and antlers from breaking off in the raku process. As soon as the red hot piece is taken from the kiln and placed in the bin the materials ignite and smolder. The bin is then sealed with a lid to create a highly oxygen-starved reduction atmosphere, which interacts with the glaze chemistry (such as copper). The high-carbon smoke levels in the bin at this time also penetrate any unglazed clay on the artwork, coloring it black. There is a fascinating sense of involvement and immediacy with raku firings. The interaction of smoke, flame etc make for an exciting, spectacular event. For most raku artists firings are typically completed in 45 minutes or so, in gas kilns, compared to many hours for a 'normal' pottery firing. However, I use a custom made electric kiln that is front loading. It takes about 2 hours for the kiln to reach 1850F degrees to 2,000F degrees. By firing a bit slower I have almost no breakage. My small animals are solid clay and this technique works very well. |
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| To purchase Ruth Apter, please contact the Gallery Shop at 314.725.1177 x322 or by email. | |
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