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Wali Hawes 1952 - 2014 |
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Wali Hawes Potter's Diary |
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Report on Raku SummitRaku Summit Shinano Ceramic Centre 23rd-24th November 2003 Establishing a bridge between the Japanese and people from all over the world who love ceramics is one of the goals of Pottery-Tech and to do so we organized the first Raku Summit held at the Shinano Tojiki Centre in Seto, Aichi-ken. Seto is one of the historic ceramic centers of Japan to such an extent that in Japanese Setomono is synonymous with pottery. I would go so far as to suggest that Chojiro`s Kuroraku comes from none other place than Seto (and maybe Mino) and his genius to remove the piece red hot from the kiln can be traced to the technique of “hikidashi” commonly practiced in Seto to this day. So given this background Master Potter and expert in Raku Tea Bowls Genya Sonobe and ceramic innovator Wali Hawes responsible for fast-fire salt, “in-situ” and various kilns suitable for raku firing met to demonstrate, exchange and generally enjoy raku in the best spirit of fraternity and conviviality together with participants from all over Japan, a sprinkling of foreign potters and a stream of visitors. The day started with the construction of a wood-fired cross draught raku kiln, a gas kiln and an oil-fired kiln. The last two being of the updraught type. Glazes used were a simple white and a copper ruby luster. The beauty of the copper ruby is its ability to give an incredible palette of colours depending not only on combustibles used for reduction but also temperature and firing conditions. Naturally the difference between what is seen as the traditional firing techniques associated with raku in Japan and that as practiced elsewhere soon became apparent. To begin with reduction is done in the kiln in Japanese Raku. Wood is placed in the firing chamber to achieve this result. Pieces are fired one by one. The raku as demonstrated by Wali Hawes saw reduction outside the kiln and several pieces fired at the same time. Whilst raku in Japan may concentrate on Tea Bowls what is now known as Shin Raku fires any type of ware. After a brief lunch action was moved to the firing of a slab for the “in-situ” technique. “In-situ” refers to the style of firing in which the piece isn’t moved and where the kiln built from bricks is dismantled. This developed out of the observation of what happens to the earthen base on which fast-fire salt kilns are built on. A special mix of pulp, sieved local sand, refractory clay and frit go into making a thick slab made in the same way that traditional tiles are made in Spain. In this case bolts and rivets were also inserted into the slab. It was rather a surprise to the participants when they realized that the piece to be fired was the slab. They all thought it was a dirty old kiln shelf and wondered why nothing was placed on top! When temperature was reached the kiln was opened and water splashed liberally on top to cause local reduction. In the meantime the wood kiln slowly inched up to temperature at times and then would shoot up in a matter of seconds. Quite temperamental! The pieces from this kiln showed how the glazes would vary according to firing conditions. The white glaze on an iron rich body gave us a beautiful shino effect. To end the day the fibre kiln was used to demonstrate “the tower” Almost a metre high, pieces placed on several kiln shelves were fired to temperature. The kiln was then lifted off revealing a glowing red -hot tower from which pieces were removed. After this we all repaired for much needed refreshment and delicious Japanese food. The next day saw Sonobe-san demonstrate the making of the Tea Bowls. With deftness that one associates with an expert he showed how one pinches into shape the classic form following closely studied techniques. Visitors to the event were invited to decorate their own pieces, which were directed very patiently by Horibe-san. Horibe-san the previous night delighted us by showing his techniques for raku firing at his studio. The Summit continued with the demonstration of Copper Matt and Naked Raku also the technique of post-intervention using metallic salts mainly iron sulphate. Time began to fly and there was an awareness that we were racing against the fast enclosing darkness. The wood kiln was taken down and rebuilt to incorporate two chambers for high fire. Sonobe-san had very generously made Tea Bowls for each participant. He demonstrated how he decorated the piece. (Detailed description can be found on the Pottery-Tech web site for those interested) This was followed by the firing of the pieces. Not used to firing in a kiln other than his own he approached the process with what can be only be seen as unnecessary trepidation. Ignoring the specially designed pre-heat chamber he pre-heated the pieces over the flue exit before placing them directly into the firing chamber. Kiln props were placed in a special way to deflect heat back onto the pieces. As firing progressed we were able to witness a dance as the process achieved a rhythm. When the last piece came out we all burst into applause. The day ended with a demonstration of fast-fire salt which showed what results can be obtained though as always time was the determining factor that influenced results. It was a brilliant event and more so because of the way raku became so accessible to everyone. Both streams met on equal terms and I hope one day that we forget about making unnessary differences and use whatever of the techniques that allow us to do what raku is all about. To express ourselves in freedom and to do so in Joy. 10/12/2003
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