Copper Flash Raku by Judy Geerts (copyright Judy Geerts)
Artist’s Statement: My specialty is copper flash raku, a process in which there are so many variables to achieving good color. I enjoy finding that “sweet spot” where I can maximize the beauty of the color with the figure I have hand built.
I have been working with clay since 1993 when I first attended Ox-Bow, a school of art and artists’ residency, associated with the School of the Art Institue of Chicago.
Artistic Medium: Ceramics. Ceramics is my love. Copper-flash is the process I am drawn to. Achieving a repeatable palette with a very unpredictable process is, for me, one of life’s greatest adventures.
Raku is a firing process taken from the 16th century in which the piece is removed glowing hot from a 2000 degree kiln and placed into combustibles. The resulting smoke and flames create a serendipitous display of vivid color on copper patina and unique carbon patterns on a piece’s unglazed area.
Raku is capricious. The blazing colors have a mind of their own and there is just so much the artist can do to guide the colors in the right direction. What I create from the flames is a blend of science and color built on the art I love.
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I love your raku colors. Mostly i saw it only in the hues of blues n greens but this is really different