Gary Carlson Works

Gary Carlson

Gary Carlson has been making pottery for about 25 years. He works primarily in stoneware, glazed in black, blue, green brown, white & rust colors. He often combines glazed & unglazed areas in his work. His pieces are principally wheel-thrown but frequently include hand-built components, as well.
Gary has a strong interest in indoor water fountains, which he creates in a wide range of designs & colors. Gary also makes a variety of other stoneware pieces, including vases, chalices, bowls, platters & Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) containers. Southwestern motifs (such as wall-hanging fountains with Southwestern landscapes & pueblo scenes) & Oriental designs (including matte-black fountains, rice bowls, serving platters & Ikebana containers) are two of his favorite themes.
Gary won a blue ribbon in pottery (Professional category) at the 1997 State Fair for one of his unique shadowbox design wall-hanging fountains. His work has recently been featured in a Slim Randles article in the Albuquerque Journal.
Raku pottery is created with a specific ceramic firing process that uses both fire & smoke to create unique patterns & designs. With raku pottery, the piece is first bisque fired. Then, it is glazed & undergoes a raku firing process. The raku firing process requires a special raku kiln that is fueled by propane & reaches temperatures of about 1800°F (about 982°C).
In order to complete the firing process, the raku pottery must remain in the kiln for approximately 30 minutes. The raku pottery is then removed from the kiln using specially designed raku tongs. While the raku pottery piece is still hot & glowing, it is placed inside a metal can full of combustible materials. The heat emitted from the raku pottery causes these materials to catch on fire.
After the materials inside the metal can catch on fire, a lid is placed over the can & the raku pottery is sealed inside. The raku pottery is capable of withstanding these high temperatures & the fire within the can because it is made from a special type of clay that is capable of withstanding thermal shock. Traditional pottery clays, on the other hand, would crack from the drastic temperature changes raku pottery undergoes. 
As the fire consumes the oxygen within the can, it also draws the oxygen out of the raku pottery & its glaze. This process is called post fire reduction. It is the post fire reduction stage that creates the unique look of raku pottery. The resulting patterns & colors are unpredictable, as they are created through the natural process of oxygen removal. 
After the raku pottery remains in the sealed metal can for about 15 minutes, it is removed & placed in a can of water. This freezes the patterns that were created during the post fire reduction stage. The amount of time a piece should remain in the cooling water largely depends on the piece & its size.
There are three very important warning disclaimers regarding Raku pottery.
Due to glaze chemistry & the low firing process used:
Raku is not food safe.
Raku is not water tight.
Raku is fragile.

Consider Raku as an art object, not as functional pottery.  Raku should always be handled with care as it does not have the strength of stoneware.