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Midnight
Sun Raku
in Alaska
Summers, though filled with hungry mosquitoes, are a time when Alaskans try to cram as much activity into their lives as possible. In the Fairbanks area, located in the central part of the state, the snow is usually gone by May. June 1st marks the day when we can officially plant flowers. The "Midnight Sun" is nearing its full effect and the urgency associated with the need for sleep seems to fade as our daylight lasts longer and longer. This year the temperature actually began to reach the upper seventies by the first week in June so the Fairbanks Potters Guild decided to hold their monthly meeting outside, accompanied by a potluck and raku firing. We frequently try to add some activity to the meetings to encourage participation and make sure we have plenty of fun. To my astonishment, I found that all the materials except high temperature wire were available locally! Actually, I ran out of high temperature wire and found that bailing wire works just fine as a temporary solution but it will have to be replaced much sooner than the high temperature wire. The base for the kiln was made from firebrick left over from the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup project in Prince William Sound. Members of the guild brought old broken kiln shelves that they could donate for use in the kiln. Reduction of the ware was accomplished using leaves, sawdust and strips of newspaper. We had some old metal garage sale cabinets that we used as reduction containers. Smaller containers would have been nice but the hinged doors on the cabinets worked well. Recipes for raku glazes were found on the web. We mixed up six different glazes in 1000-gram batches. Our favorite was a cone 08 glaze called Tomato Red. It had a wonderful blend of copper, blue, bronze and silver that worked well with other glazes such as white crackle. Most of the glazes were supposed to mature at cone 04 but we mixed and matched without worrying about temperature ranges. We just watched for all of the glazes on a pot to progress through the bubbly stage and smooth out again. When they were smooth and shiny we pulled the pots from the kiln. Some glazes tended to be runny but it still resulted in some surprisingly nice pieces. Members began to show up at about 5pm with food and pots. Some brought extra pots to share with those who didn’t have any and everyone brought extra food. We started firing at about 5:30pm and continued throughout the evening. Raku Party Animals An advantage of raku is that after I'm thoroughly covered in smoke the mosquitoes don’t find me to be nearly as attractive (funny thing though; neither does my wife.) We never did actually get around to having our official meeting. At about 8pm the guild treasurer made the announcement that we were having way too much fun, so the meeting could wait for another time. Most people left the party by 11pm but a few stayed on to fire those "last few pots." Of course, it was still light and we were all having so much fun that no one really paid much attention to the time. By the time the last guest finally left at 1am. we had fired about 70 pots. As for me, the host of the party, I stayed up to refire a few final pieces. As I waited, I sat peacefully in the summer twilight listening to the birds singing and the mosquitoes buzzing. I shut the last kiln down at 3am. just as the sun began to rise again for a new day. The main thing we learned from this foray into the odd world of raku is that after a piece has come through the risky process of raku firing one must relax and accept as it is it. It is a lesson on finding beauty in diversity. I wonder how old moose droppings would work for reduction? I’ll have to let you know. But first; I must find a smaller container for reduction. |
