Working with clay is a fascinating experience, combining gentleness and rigor, where each piece reflects a patient journey through various methods such as throwing, slab building, and pinching. My creations, primarily decorative, extend the artistic explorations of my painting into three dimensions.

 

It is in order to explore other possibilities and play with the magic of fire and its surprises that I like to use the Raku technique.

The cracks and chemical changes in the enamels make each piece unique.

 

Raku

It is a Japanese cooking technique dating back to the 16th century, linked to the tea ceremony.

After a first normal firing, the pieces are glazed and placed in a special outdoor kiln and heated to approximately 1000 degrees so that the glaze melts onto the pieces.

Then the kiln is opened and the pieces, still red-hot and glowing, are removed with tongs. Contact with the cold ambient air creates a thermal shock, resulting in cracks known as crazing in the glaze. The pieces are then plunged into a container filled with sawdust, which ignites upon contact with the hot ceramic, burning away all the oxygen once the container is closed. This causes the metallic glazes to reduce, changing color and creating metallic reflections. Simultaneously, carbon from the combustion penetrates the cracks and the exposed ceramic, producing a deep black. Once cooled in water, the pieces are rinsed and cleaned of soot.