Raku tomorrow!

I'm waking up before dawn tomorrow and heading out to a pottery studio in Pennsylvania. Over the last several weeks I've been throwing and trimming pieces of pottery I've made with raku clay. I've even done a few pinch pots (this is new ground for me).

This is a major part of my final project for my MTS (Masters in Theological Studies). I'm going to be taking lots of pictures and video for use in the presentation. I'm doing this with a prayer for Holy Week in mind.

Raku is a firing that is done outside. You fire the pots for a short period and while they're still hot (VERY hot - 1850 degrees I think), you remove them from the kiln and put them in a large container with combustible materials - which, without surprise, combusts. The piece is shortly thereafter plunged into water to cool and halt the firing process.

My imagery for raku firing combines my love for pottery with a deeply spiritual element. Taking a vessel formed from the earth and exposing it to intense heat and fire, then water is a rather violent act. My exploration between arts and spirituality keeps bringing me back to this violent act of art and understanding how that speaks to me in the context of Holy Week. I have worked for years to understand the violence of Good Friday and I wonder if there is a way to understand this violence in the context of creativity and imagery.

The image of smoke and ash billowing around the pots and the potters reminds me of the ash we impose on Ash Wednesday. These images have been recent reminders of the quote we all hear as ashes are being placed on our forehead, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

I think I start my march toward Good Friday early this year.