“Raku” is the name of a special technique for firing ceramics. Originating in Japan, the method produces intriguing patterns of black crackle rings and beautiful metal shifts in the glaze. The crackling occurs when the products are moved directly from the approximately 1000 degrees hot gas oven to a “soot chamber” with combustible material. This catches fire of the hot objects. The fire is then smothered by means of a lid, and in the reducing environment then formed, the metallic color shifts and the blackened goods occur.
Raku actually means “joy,” and pure and cutting joy it is to create pottery with this method - it's fast, unpredictable and insanely exciting. Get ready for a nerve-wracking experience!
At the first course, we meet in the studio and produce our works. These are then left to dry before I burn them before course two.
On the second occasion, we glaze our creations and burn them in the gas-powered rake oven. When the glaze has melted at about 1000 degrees, we move them with pliers to a barrel filled with sawdust. The sawdust is then caught on fire by the hot objects, which are then allowed to smolder in a reducing environment before finally being moved over to a watering can and washed clean of soot. Alstren is ready to take home the same day.
During the course day two we are outdoors all day - clothes according to the weather. (The smoke from the soot barrel smells quite strong, so don't put on your best “go-away” garments.)
- 2kg clay
- Burning
- Fika
Bring your own lunch to the day of the fire
Have you ever felt the frustration that time never seems to be enough, and that what gets stepped on is always what you really want to do, what makes you feel your best and energizes you?
I have always felt at my best when I got to be creative and create in different forms - painting, drawing, singing, writing, cultivating, decorating, baking, sculpting... Still, these are the things that usually end up last on my list of priorities for a large part of my adult life, and I think there are too many with me.
However, during a “try-on-night” in clay in 2017, something was awakened in me - partly I found clay as a material, but also a realization that I needed to give space to my creative needs in order to feel good. I came home with a sense of satisfaction that I had not felt for a long time, and decided there and then to get my own ceramic kiln. The fact that clay became the medium of creation was thus more or less a coincidence, although it has always appealed to me because it is both versatile and wayward.
One gave way to the other, and after 25 years as a teacher, in autumn 2019 I made the leap and started Made by Pihl, with the vision to make room for that creative power for myself as well as for others.
My goal is to create sustainable and unique utility products and art for the design and quality conscious, and at the same time inspire and give space for more people to create for themselves.
Warmly welcome here!
/Linda Pihl