Our Pit, Barrel and Raku firing extravaganza weekend will be a jam packed exhilarating and educational two days. You will learn a lot about all 3 firing techniques through these very hands on, experimental processes and gain a deeper understanding of our material and its history.
But also, this experience is FUN!
Seeing, in the most immediate way this transformation of earth, through water and fire is just pure joy. Each day can last anywhere between 5-8 hours and starts at 10am.
Pre-fire process:
All pieces will be bisque fired at the studio first. The studio will provide a few different colored terra sigilatas that you should apply over the pieces that you designated for pit and barrel. These should be burnished as they do not get glazed.
The pieces designated for Raku will be glazed on sight with special Raku glazes. You do not need special Raku clay, however you should use some type of white stoneware with grog. Dark clays will absorb all the colors and grog makes the clay better resistant to thermal shock. Plasticky clays such as porcelain and studio white (S240) are not recommended.
Each person should have up to 12 pieces divided as follows:
pit (4-5 pcs)-dimensions 22” max height and 15” max width
barrel (2-3 pcs)-dimensions 16” max height and 8” max width
Raku (4-5 pcs)-dimensions 12” max height and 8” max width.
Ideally for best fit, have a variation of some smaller items, medium and large. If you have mostly small you might bring more than 12. If your pieces are all very tall you may have to limit the amount to 6 etc.
The last bisque firing at the studio for each firing will be the Tuesday before the workshop date. 8/20 for pit/barrel and 8/27 for raku.
Firing Fees are paid separately prior to firing. The firing fees are 5 cents per cubic inch for items under 12” and 6 cents per cubic inch for items 12” and over in any direction.
Firing weekend schedule:
Sunday, 8/25: 10am-6pm*
The day will start with choosing our combustibles, wrapping our pieces and preparing them for the pit and barrel. We can even take a walk on the beach to collect seaweed and feathers and such. Also feel free to bring your own special combustible!
We will proceed with loading the pit and barrel, setting them on fire, dinner and hanging by the pit. After a few times of stoking the fire to ensure it engulfs the whole pit we will cover it and call it a night.
If we have time we can get a head start on glazing our pieces to prepare for Raku.
Sunday, 9/1: 10am-6pm*
We meet for some breakfast and coffee and begin our day by unloading the pit and barrel. After, we will begin with Raku. We plan to make between 8-10 firings in a day. At the end of the day we will clean and polish all our pieces and unveil our creations from the pit, the barrel and Raku.
General notes:
- The studio will provide all safety gear for the workshop however you should arrive dresses accordingly. For example long pants, long sleeves, no open toe shoes, hair pulled back etc. This event is outdoors so dress accordingly to stay warm as well. For sanitary reasons participants should bring their own respirators and face masks if they wish to wear them although these are not required.
- There is limited parking so carpooling or LIRR is strongly recommend. If you come by LIRR I will pick you up at the station.
- We will be breaking for lunch, potluck style so all participants are encouraged to bring items to share for our lunch.
- All participants will be expected to lend a helping hand in setting up and breaking down the firing set ups and participate in overall clean-up after the workshop.
