Naked Raku

Each naked raku piece is carefully hand burnished to create a beautifully smooth, polished surface before being finished with layers of terra sigillata — a refined liquid clay made from ultra-fine particles that produces a soft natural sheen without the use of glaze.

During the firing process, the red-hot pots are removed from the kiln and decorated with organic materials such as horsehair, feathers, and other organic materials. As these materials burn against the surface, they create delicate carbon markings, smoky trails, and flowing patterns that can never be exactly repeated. The result is a collection of elegant, one-of-a-kind pieces that celebrate the raw beauty, movement, and unpredictability of naked raku ceramics.

Raku pot with terra sigillatta, feathers, sugar and horsehair (2021).

A feather is being applied to a pot that has been heated to 700 degrees celsius. You can see that the carbon released from the feather is instantly trapped into the clay body.

Here is an example of a effect that I have nicknamed 'Ghost Feathers'. Each feather is applied to the heated pot at precisely the right moment to create a contrasting design. The lighter feather on the left is placed on the pot at it's hottest point, and the feather on the right is placed when the pot is 100 degrees cooler. This ying and yang decoration has taken many years to perfect.

The Great Pottery Throw Down

Three of my raku pots were proudly featured on series 8, episode 4 of The Great Pottery Throw Down, where they were showcased as inspirational reference pieces for the contestants’ challenge. The show carefully selects work from respected ceramic artists who specialise in particular techniques, making it an incredible honour to have my raku pottery chosen to represent this exciting and unpredictable firing process on national television.

Keith Brymer Jones and Richard Miller filming the 'perfect' perfect' segment. (Photograph: Channel4/Love Productions).

Keith Brymer Jones handling one of my raku vases. He described it as "an amazing example" and commented on how the feather is "instilled in heat and time". (Photograph: Channel4/Love Productions).