Stop by Carson City Art Gallery & Pottery, 110 S. Curry St., from 10 a.m. to noon Sunday to see pottery being raku fired. The demonstration will be led by Patrick Cahill.
From 10 a.m. to noon Sunday, Aug. 19, potter Patrick Cahill will be joined by his Raku Pottery Class students to participate in a raku firing demonstration.
The public is invited to stop by Carson City Art Gallery & Pottery and see pots being fired using the raku technique.
The technique was devised by Japanese potters, who held tea ceremonies to appeal for an optimal firing before striking up the wood kiln.
Using their elbows, women would shape tea bowls from clay and quickly fire the pieces for a one-time use.
“In the west it’s a bit different, and we can achieve some amazing results,” said a press release from the gallery. “Here we take the pot out of the kiln while it is glowing red-hot and place it into a metal trash can with newspapers in the bottom. The paper catches fire and is quickly snuffed out. Wherever there is no glaze on the pot, the reduction caused by removing the oxygen turns the area black.”
The pots are removed from the can after it’s warm to the touch. Sometimes, the gallery said, potters take horsehair to a pot with no glaze.
“The colors are beautiful, and no pot comes out the same.”
Carson City Art Gallery & Pottery is at 110 S. Curry St., at the corner of Second Street. It’s housed in a building originally used as a stage stop.
For information, stop by the gallery, or call 775-313-8628.