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Course information: One Day Raku and Horsehair Workshop
Maximum number eight.
A one-day workshop in these beautiful traditional techniques. Students can bring their own bisque fired pots or buy them from the studio. Raku glazes, horse hair and gas are included.
We will try to fire everything, but please assume that you will be able to fire five pieces.
When booking, it would be helpful if you could use the message field to let us know more details about whether you will be bringing your own pots or if you would like us to provide them
What to bring — a guide to Raku pots
You're welcome to bring your own bisque-fired pots to the session. We also have a small supply of bisque available on the day if you'd like more to work with, though please note these are not burnished.
When choosing or making pots to bring, size matters more in terms of width than height — slim forms work best, ideally no wider than 15cm. Taller pieces are fine up to around 40cm. The reason for this is practical: we fire one shelf per kiln load, so wider pots take up more space and mean fewer pieces can go in per firing. Smaller, slimmer work gives everyone more firings throughout the day.
A few things to avoid: don't bring plates or flat dishes, as these are particularly vulnerable to thermal shock and often crack. It's also worth bearing in mind that raku is fired at around 1000°C, which means it's a low-fire process — even after glazing, your finished pieces will be porous. For this reason, raku is best suited to decorative and sculptural work rather than functional forms like mugs or bowls intended for daily use.
Think of what you'll take home as a piece of art — and enjoy the beautiful, unpredictable results that raku is famous for.