On Friday, November 12^th, RB’s ceramics class completed the final steps of their Raku art projects. Raku (which translated from Japanese means “enjoyment”) is an ancient Japanese art style, traditionally done for the Japanese tea ceremony. Projects in this style are mainly made by hand without the assistance of a potter’s wheel.

Once the clay has been molded, it is painted with a lead glaze. Finally it is stuck in a kiln heated to roughly 900 degrees Celsius. Pieces made by this technique have a unique, iridescent look.

When asked about her opinion on the project, ceramics teacher Susanne Bartleson said, “I feel the project was a big success and plan do it again in the spring. The hardest part was the time constraint that comes with this being a first time thing.  We had to have an artist bring in his own garbage can kiln and I bought in my propane tank from my grill at home.”

Students completed their project during class-time outside the building.