Shaun Hall's Raku Ceramics Blogspot

Safely delivered to Buckenham Galleries for the upcoming Winter Show in November...... ....Some new work in raku, copper matte and glaze post reduction...and some new volcanics based on coastal rock textures...see you in part 2....

I was really pleased to send some new work to the Ledbury Art Gallery in Herefordshire this week. It's an offshoot of the Lion Street and Erwood Station Galleries. I've been busy double boxing and wrapping pots so hopefully it's a good representation of my current work. Bon Voyage! Aside from that, the sodium silicate test pots are coming along nicely, and I've been glaze testing in the new Cromartie kiln. This time it's stoneware temperature, but the effects I've been perservering with have a little of the immediacy and tactile quality of Raku...so more on that later I hope! A additional range perhaps. Web stuff:  http://www.ledburyreporter.co.uk/news/ledbury/16167370.ledbury-has-a-new-art-gallery/ http://www.erwoodstation.com/ Pictured - some of my raku work and Brent Blair and the manager at Ledbury.

I've been testing out some sodium silicate wash on porcelain slip....in an attempt to generate some more textured surfaces. Some of the results are shown below. It's definitely something I want to progress with and especially with bowl forms. For now I'm going to try out a raku glaze and "wipe back" but I'm also keen to try out Obvara firing and also maybe some wood ash. It will have to wait until the weather warms up!

I cannot believe it was a whole year ago that Curocarte came to visit my studio all the way from Mumbai, India. I am deeply indebted to Pragya Aswathi and Chhavi Saklani from the company,   who first spotted my work and approached me about the possibility of marketing my Raku work in India. They really take care of their makers and highly value crafts. They are a rare company indeed. I'm very proud of this achievement, and it's an opportunity you only get once in life! From showing at Edida the India Design Festival, a full page ad in GQ magazine and having a work on show at the Elle Design Awards 2017, it's been deeply touching to have seen my pottery works so valued. It's not quite the same story here in the UK...but perhaps a move to India is on the cards..well perhaps! Elle Decor Awards, Delhi 2016 GQ magazine double advert Nov 2016 Indian edition with Pragya Aswathi the Procurements manager at Curocarte August 2016  ...

Working in Raku doesn't always go to plan. A lapse of concentration here, the wrong temperature, too slow to get the pots in the smoking bins, dropping and cracking  pots, getting them stuck together in the kiln...anything and everything can and does go wrong. So it's tough when you get a pot that's ultimately flawed but not bad enough to merit being banished to the back garden by the fish pool rockery...or death by going under the hammer. Here are one or two ultimately flawed pots that I felt deserved a stay of execution. (I'm sorry the really bad ones are already under our patio...) This is the curse of Raku...so many pots get sacrificed...

Firings are continuing each week as I work my way through stacks of bisque pots. I'm about half way through the glaze wares, before I do any...Gulp...."copper matte"! Anyway I'm really pleased with how things are progressing and especially these little Raku Chawans. The best yet, but always room for improvement.

It's all go here, lots of glaze firing going on. Hopefully this batch of current work will make it's way to galleries in Wales later this summer. It's hot work, but so far so good. Here are some recent images.