Our Raku ware is made in a small ceramic studio in Northern Germany, between the Baltic and Atlantic Seas

The general firing process of Raku is to heat the glazed pottery outdoors in a gas kiln, removing it at the highest point (around 900°C) to shock cool it in the fresh air. This shock allows small cracks to appear, making beautiful tingling music while forming and creating unpredictable patterns and colours on the glazed surface.
The hot pottery is swiftly placed in a barrel filled with combustible material ( we use oak shavings from the wokshop next door), creating a smokey atmosphere. The smoke-fumes stain the unglazed portions of the pottery black and the cracks become more prominent too.
This special process of smoke firing achieves the interesting and uneven surface glaze that is unique in every piece.

We finish our pieces with a gum like sealant after a good long scrub to wash the oak shavings and burn marks way.

No piece is ever alike, nor can it be recreated. Like with any good alchemy, there are so many contributing factors that it is impossible to control them , one must just go along with its beauty.

Creating such a large Raku bowl is a challenge, due to the shock the bowl experiences from

The hot kiln to the ground where it’s left to cool until the cracks appear, before being immersed in the oak wood chips to smoke.

Pyromania is a prerequisite for anyone participating in the making of Raku, as neither flames or smoke can be avoided. There is a satisfactory scent of stingy oak smoke that permeates all those working on the creation of our Butterfly Bowls.

What is most devastating in the Raku making is a high amount of broken pieces. At least 10% of all pieces do not survive the heating and cooling process, with long cracks appearing along the bowl body.

This makes the Raku so incredible delicate and precious.