Studio and Pottery
Creative Endeavors inspired by Mother Earth.
Functional Pots
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Raku Fired Pots
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Decorative Clay Pieces
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—— About
Ann Colley Fowler
My pottery is all handmade, either on the potter's wheel or hand built. Most of my pieces are functional for everyday use. In addition to oxidation and reduction firing, I also enjoy raku firing, which although is always a surprise with it's incredible glazes and effects achieved in a raku firing, is not suitable for food or drink. Experimenting with new and different techniques and applications is how I work in my home studio in Southeast Texas, so every piece is unique, and matching sets are rare. Nature is my inspiration, and so the reason for my tag line: "Artistic Endeavors Inspired by Mother Earth".
Raku firing in the rain and wind........
What is Raku?
Raku is an ancient Japanese pottery firing technique. It was originally used for tea ceremonies. It was introduced in Western civilization in the 20th century when a potter named Bernard Leach returned from Japan and began to use the process. He wrote about raku in his book entitled A Potter’s Book, which was published in 1941. There was much experimentation by American potters from 1950-1970 with different clays and glaze materials.The process involves placing glazed pottery in a raku kiln and bringing the temperature up to around 1800 degrees F. At this point, the glaze is glowing white hot and appears liquid and shiny. The kiln is opened and the pieces are removed with tongs and placed in a container containing flamable material (dry leaves, shredded paper, sawdust, straw, etc.), which then ignite. The lid is placed on the container, which reduces the oxygen and creates a unique reaction with the chemicals used in the glaze, along with a lot of smoke. The results are sometimes amazing, and sometimes the pots break due to the thermal shock. They are always unique. Although this reduced glaze renders the pot too porous to be used for food or drink, they are beautiful decorative pieces.