The pictures on this page show the glazing and firing process. Click on any picture to enlarge it.
Pouring on the Glaze
Leib applies the glaze in many ways. She paints it on, dips the piece in the glaze, and paints the glaze on where appropriate. Here she pours it on.
Spreading the Glaze
Here she spreads the glaze evenly, removing any bubbles or imperfections.
Removing Excess Glaze
Leib poured glaze into the vase. Now she ensures that the entire inside is glazed and then she removes the excess glaze.
Painting on Glaze
Here, she paints on different glazes to get different effects. Wherever no glaze is applied, those locations will be black on the final piece.
Placing the items and firing them
She places a number of objects in the kiln and lowers the cover. Note that for a Raku firing, only a few items at a time can be fired because the end steps of the process must be completed in a short time for all pieces.
Leib gets the smothering chambers ready for when the pieces are removed from the kiln and then she fires the kiln. On the left, below, is a picture into the kiln while the pieces are being fired. On the right the cover is removed, revealing the white hot pieces.
Burning in Wood Chips and Smothering (Smoking) the Pieces
The following pictures show, in order, the combustible process, smothering and smoking, removing the combustion covers, debris on the piece after the smothering, cooling in the air, and finally, immersion in water for the final cooling process.
The Finished Piece
And finally, a number of views of the finished piece
