Customer Reviews

Raku Pottery

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is one of the Bibles of the Raku art world. Piepenburg gives a great introduction into the history of Raku, where it originated, the Raku families, and the ties to the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Sprinkled throughout the book are excellent examples of Raku artwork from a variety of artists. A wide variety of shapes, forms, glazes, and techniques are all detailed and described. There is also a nice collection of glaze recipes along with application methods and testing techniques. There is a section that talks about Raku kilns and burners and some basic information on how to build them. Finally there is an introduction into the firing and post-firing techniques that are used in Raku. Overall it is a very nice introduction to Raku with a very nice gallery of pieces to inspire you to create your own works of art.

Robert Piepenburg is one of the leading Raku artists in our time. I have been doing pottery for 20 years and this book has helped me hone my pieces to as near perfection as we can get. The helpful insights from type of clay, glazes, firing techniques and even kiln building are a step by step aide in creating and developing your own techniques--with borrowing a little from Piepenburg and others you can claim it as your own. Luckily the beauty of Raku is that you can follow anothers techniqes step by step and still come out with a totally different look. The main idea is to help develop the technique that is right to get the results you are seeking for the glazes you are using.

I found this book very clear with the detailed information on building kilns invaluable. The author has also included great information in forming raku bodies and glazes.

This book is almost all the history of raku! Don't buy this if you are looking for some real direction and inspiration. A real disappointment!

robert take you completely through the process leaving you wanting to go out and explore the raku process.