Raku Firing Experience

Discover the creative transformative power of fire as members of Clay on the Bay demonstrate RAKU, a low and fast fire method for glazing ceramics. Participants will come at their scheduled time and select a piece of bisque ware, then, be guided in applying masking tape to the surface to create personalized designs. Participants will be asked to take a selfie with their pot after decorating (to assist with getting pots back to the correct participants). Then it will be time to choose one of the three Raku glaze options - clear crackle, turquoise-red (varies from turquoise to warm mossy green and even spots of crimson with a copper sheen), or "royal blue" luster. The Raku team will dip the piece in the selected glaze, remove the tape, and place each piece in kiln for roughly 45 minutes of firing and 15 minutes of reduction. When the pieces come out and cool, participants will be able to gently scrub off any soot at the wash station and take home a lovely souvenir from the day. Purchase a timed ticket and join the party!

The ceramic pieces made using this Raku method are decorative, they are NOT FOOD SAFE and are not suitable for holding water as vases (glass inserts are advised).

You must be present at your scheduled ticket time in order to ensure your piece can be decorated and fired same-day. Participants who arrive late may need to return at a later date to retrieve their fired piece.

-OPTIONAL-

You may be offered the opportunity to pull your own bisque ware from the kiln or reduction cans. If this is something you would like to do, you must adhere to the following safety requirements. Participants who have not followed these guidelines will be asked to remain a safe distance from the kiln area while pieces are being pulled.

• Wear long pants
• Wear closed-toed shoes
• Be prepared to pull your hair back with a clip or hair tie as necessary
• Bring a longsleeved 100% cotton shirt to put on while pulling work out of kiln
• No drugs or alcohol should be consumed prior to or during the Raku firing

Vision: To create a vibrant, nationally recognized arts destination in Southern Anne Arundel County, Maryland, where everyone can experience the life changing impact of creative expression.

Arts Lab of South County operates as a workspace where artists can create their own work and share the experience with others. Arts Lab provides dynamic interactions with the arts through our community of visual artists, open studio tours, and programs. Through our artist members and guest artists, we offer art up close, in person, and in progress. Artists work in oil paint, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, pencils, glass, ceramic, metal/jewelry, fiber arts, stone, plastic and more. We aim to create value for Southern Anne Arundel County residents through classes, lectures, and other community events.

Arts Lab of South County is supported in part by the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, Maryland State Arts Council, Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area, The Cynipid Project, Dippel & Co., and Herrington Harbour North.

Also check out other Arts events in Tracys Landing, Workshops in Tracys Landing, Parties in Tracys Landing.