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Hot Pots Demonstrations!!
Join local artisan Don Michael Williams for exciting raku demonstrations
Downtown residents and workers: Brown bag your lunch and enjoy our courtyard studio area while witnessing the creative process!
WHEN: 11 am - 4 pm, Tuesdays through Thursday, approximately every half hour; through March 27th, 2005
WHERE: The Arts Center, 719 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33701
RAKU: ANCIENT ART FORM
Contrary to contemporary folklore, raku is not a religion or a specific glaze. Raku is actually a family name dating back to the 15th century in Japan.
The making of Raku ware was initiated by a young artist named Chojiro, a son in the first generation of the Raku family, during the Momoyama period (1573-1615). A written record confirms that Ameya, Chojiro's father, originally from China, is thought to have been the person who introduced the techniques of three-coloured glazed pottery from China, although none of his works has survived to prove this. These Japanese san cai wares were not, however, called Raku ware and it was only after Chojiro started making tea bowls for the tea ceremony (chanoyu) that Raku came into being. It could be said that the origin of Raku ware lay in the making of a single tea bowl for the tea ceremony.
Raku as an art form has changed drastically in the past 500 years; becoming a valued cornerstone of Western pottery techniques. The art of raku is essentially a fast-firing, high-temperature glazing process. There are as many different glazes as there are artists practicing raku. The way the glazes are used and how they are fired makes up for a great deal of creativity.
The one constant is that pottery is fired to about 1800 degrees. When the piece is at full temperature it is pulled from the kiln with metal tongs and placed into a bin of leaves, straw, newspaper or any organic combustible. The immediate flash of the fire, the sudden temperature changes and the smoke all influence the beautiful results. The piece is then washed and ready to share with others.
Don Williams has been working with raku for over 8 years and has yet to fully exhaust the myriad possibilities inherent in such an intricate medium. A noted visual artist before he took up raku firing, Williams has been exhibiting work throughout the Bay area for nearly 20 years:
"At an age when most kids learn to ride their tricycles I was learning aesthetics and design from my uncle Kevin who besides being a great inspiration, was also the curator of the Field museum of Chicago at the time.
Inspirations have been abundant throughout my life. Nature and its constant flow will always mesmerize my creative thought. The human figure and its beauty and sensuality are ever present in all of my work. My raku vessels have been referred to as "Dancing ladies" by many a stranger".
Join Williams for a true studio experience and witness the amazing process of raku creation from beginning to end -- from a molded lump of clay to a beautifully glazed decorative piece, ready to be packaged up and taken home.
All pieces created during the demonstrations are for sale and will be ready for purchase as they come out of the kiln.
