LaSells Stewart Center’s Galleries are featuring art that creatively represents how fish and fishing habitats are sustaining the spirit of Oregon’s bounty

Two salmon bowls and a colabrative vase with Lynda Farmer are on display.

Feb. 2  Exhibit Opens

Feb. 9  Artists reception 6:00 – 8:30 pm

Mar. 10  Exhibit Ends

 http://oregonstate.edu/lasells/

It is always a pleasure to open up the kiln and see the beautiful blue and green celadon glazes on my salmon bowls. 

 The shallow bowls have handles on the side to make them easy to carry.  Fired to cone 10 gives the glaze depth.

   Raku is a very exciting firing method.  Pieces are fired twice, once before glazing and another time after.  The second firing is the most fun.  Red hot pieces around 1800 °F (982 °C) are removed from the kiln with tongs and placed into a metal container with paper and other combustible material.  As the paper ignites, flames swirl around the piece and leap into the air .  The flames swirling up and around the piece cause various patterns of color and metallic luster on the glaze.  After a few seconds a lid is placed on the container starving the flames of oxygen.   Smoke fills the container and boils out of small openings around the lid.  The dense smoke soaks into any unglazed areas of the piece making them black.  Glazes with small cracks are sometimes used and the smoke penetrates these small cracks reveling their random patterns.   The flames are unpredictable and each piece is unique.