Raku Stitched Pot

Raku is an ancient Japanese firing process that involves pulling the vessel out of the kiln at around 1800 degrees and then plunging it into a bucket of paper and sawdust. The resulting smoke and oxygen-starved environment creates variations in color and cracking that cannot be duplicated. The clay is white but any area of the vessel that is not glazed becomes blackened by the absorbed carbon. The black patterns on this pot are slightly reminiscent of ancient symbols.