Both raku and saggar keep me sprititually close to the materials I employ, and the final results are always beautiful and exciting. When I lift the lid of the reduction chamber for my raku, or remove a piece from the saggar, I never really know what I'm going to find.
I choose Raku primarily because I enjoy the somewhat unpredictable nature of the process. For me, there is a mystical element involved in Raku, because each piece is different from the pieces that preceded it and the pieces that will follow.
Raku (Ra'akoo) translated from Japanese it means ease, pleasure of enjoyment. By using the technique of firing, I hope to give the clay pieces a look that brings pleasure of enjoyment.
Raku firing is a low temperature, fast firing technique. In rakuing, I pull the glowing red clay pieces from the kiln and place them in a reduction chamber to cool. The fast firing and quick cooling creates a beautiful range of colors and textures to the clay body.
I enjoy saggar because it, too, presents an element of unpredictability in each piece, but the end result is dramatically different from my Raku pieces. I love the soft eary tones I obtain on the clay bodies, but nearly as important, I love the opportunity the saggar provides to incorporate organic materials and minerals in my work. It is an additive process involving a bit of knowledge and skill, but when the pieces are fired I am no longer in control.
A saggar is a container of heat resistant material to hold the clay objects in during firing. One can place materials and minerals inside the saggar that will carbonize, flash, or blush the surface. This controlled atmosphere will create soft shades of earth tones onto the clay body. The clay body is then sealed using a wash or clear fixative. Saggar pieces are not food safe.
