the majority of the jewelry i create features a mixture of metal and clay. most of the clay beads/pieces you see are using a white crackle glaze and are raku fired. i can't get enough of that crackle! my dad and i work together on this process. it's fun having such a great partner in crime! here are some pictures of the process starting from near the beginning to the final product.
we start with sculpting the bead out of a high fire clay.
after they're dry, there is sanding and then the bisque fire.
the beads are bisqued, ready to be glazed.
next, the beads are glazed with several coats of whatever glaze is desired.
i prefer the white crackle glaze!
with a raku firing, rather then relying on time and temp, you use visual cues to know when the glaze is mature. the glaze will bubble right before it is mature and then get smooth and shiny.
this is a shot of the flame coming out of the top of the raku kiln.
when the glaze has matured, you quickly remove the piece with tongs and place it in combustibles (leaves, wood chips, newspaper).
the combustibles are contained in this trash can. once the wood chips catch fire, we smother the fire to obtain the smoke. the smoke is what runs into the cracks and makes them visible.
after a few minutes, we dig out the pieces and scrub them up a bit! beautiful!
