Andrew Cummins discusses the ancient art of pottery making, with an emphasis on raku firing. “Raku” is a Japanese term for “fun” and “delightful.” It is also the Japanese surname of the family traditionally associated with the pottery style.
Andrew demonstrates the three processes of his pottery creations:
1) Throwing, pulling, trimming and shaping the clay
2) Bisque firing (first firing)
3) Glaze firing
He enhances the glaze by infusing smoke into his raku pots after they are removed from the kiln. The smoke embeds carbon into the crackles of the glaze to depict a unique aesthetic.
Andrews creates his pottery using Soldate 60, a clay that was originally formulated by Art Emeritus Professor Joe Soldate in Southern California.
He also finds inspiration from Jenchi Wu, who leads the sculpture and ceramics program at Ventura College.
Producer: GeorgeAlger.com
Camera: Alan Alger
Sponsor: SkyworksMarketing.com