Raku: Fire & Transformation
Led by Angela Smith Kirkman
Experience one of ceramics’ most dramatic firing techniques while exploring the relationship between clay, fire, smoke, and chance. Students will design and build forms specifically for Raku firing, learn the history and philosophy of this centuries-old Japanese tradition, apply glazes, and participate in the complete firing process—from glowing kilns to smoky reduction. Throughout the workshop, students will discover how fire becomes a creative partner, producing surfaces that can never be duplicated.
Learning Objectives:
What You’ll Take Home:
Please click here for a brief overview & introduction from the Instructor, Supply List and Workshop Schedule.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the history and philosophy of Japanese Raku.
- Learn safe studio and firing practices.
- Design forms specifically for Raku firing.
- Develop stronger hand-building skills.
- Explore texture and surface design.
- Apply Raku glazes and participate in firing and reduction.
- Connect artistic choices to the Ghost Ranch landscape.
What You’ll Take Home:
- Several finished Raku-fired ceramic pieces
- A deeper understanding of atmospheric firing
- Experience participating in every stage of the firing process
- An appreciation for how landscape, fire, and chance influence ceramic art
- New ideas for incorporating alternative firing techniques into their own work
Please click here for a brief overview & introduction from the Instructor, Supply List and Workshop Schedule.
Program Details
Start Date:
End Date:
Categories:
Art
Ceramics
Ghost Ranch Program
Date & Time Details:
3:00 pm Check in
10:00 am Check out
10:00 am Check out
Location:
Ghost Ranch
Address:
280 Private Drive 1708, Abiquiu, NM, USA
Contact:
Programs
programs@ghostranch.org
505-685-1000
Email Us About Program
About the Leader
Angela Smith Kirkman
Angela Smith Kirkman is a ceramic artist and educator based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
She is the owner of Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery, Tumbleroot Pottery Pub, and Paseo Pottery, one of New Mexico’s largest community ceramics studios, offering classes and workshops in wheel throwing, hand-building, sculpture, and Raku firing. For more than thirty-five years, Angela has explored ceramic arts and firing techniques. She is passionate about harvesting wild clay from the New Mexico landscape and helping students discover that ceramics is more than making pots—it is a way of understanding earth, fire, place, and the beauty of the unexpected.
She is the owner of Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery, Tumbleroot Pottery Pub, and Paseo Pottery, one of New Mexico’s largest community ceramics studios, offering classes and workshops in wheel throwing, hand-building, sculpture, and Raku firing. For more than thirty-five years, Angela has explored ceramic arts and firing techniques. She is passionate about harvesting wild clay from the New Mexico landscape and helping students discover that ceramics is more than making pots—it is a way of understanding earth, fire, place, and the beauty of the unexpected.