HPS SENIOR, JULIA O'DWYER'S, "RAKU THOUGHTS"

You need a strong team for a Raku firing, one that can work together seamlessly, help out their neighbor, and also laugh at the ups and downs of the process. Thankfully enough the E-Block ceramics squad was that team. I could feel the build up of anticipation, waiting to see the huge flames engulf our time consuming clay pieces. Friends working side by side to toss in newspapers or help cover the barrel and stop the little fires. However, no excitement was better than waiting to uncover the barrels hiding our projects and finally seeing the outcomes of this very experimental process.

After a few rounds of firing we all discovered it was a much better idea to go in with low expectations and lather every glaze possible onto our pieces. This process moved far away from detailed tedious painting and instead we layered glazes slopping them on very thick, which was a nice change. I certainly crossed my fingers when it was time for my piece to be heated up to 1800 degrees. It was an awesome time, one that definitely brought the whole class closer together and revealed some new Raku rockstars that are among us at Hingham High School.

Click here to read more about the artist and the process of Raku firing.