Black By Design
Fine Art and Ceramics with a 'Black Theme'
from Black by Design
Hello
The collections you will browse all have 'black' as a major characteristic.
The art works shown in the 'Traditional' and 'Contemporary' Art Galleries can be commissioned as a quality Giclee Prints.
To browse or order this artwork click on the GALLERIES option at the top of the page then make a selection by clicking on either of the art types.
The hand building and Raku processes used to construct the ceramic pieces however, mean that it is impossible to replicate a piece exactly. This is one of the major attractions of this type of pottery.
If any of the Raku pieces featured on this site are unavailable, and you wish to commission something very similar, we will do our very best to meet your design needs.
So what is Raku?
Raku is a pottery technique originating in Japan with instantly recognisable features.
Pieces can be thrown or hand built, however all our pieces are hand built.
After the piece has been constructed and has dried out, it is then bisque fired in an electric kiln. After cooling the piece is then glazed and placed in a Raku kiln for a second firing.
Pieces are taken from the Raku kiln while they are still glowing red and are placed in metal container lined with combustible material. A lid is placed on the container which starves the pieces of oxygen and creates a reduced atmosphere around them.
It is this reduction in oxygen that gives the Raku glazes their huge variety (and unpredictability) of colour. During the extreme temperature change from the kiln to metal container, crazing of the glaze very often occurs.
The other major aspect of this process is the change in colour of the unglazed areas on the piece to a black or charcoal grey.
To browse this artwork click on the GALLERIES option at the top of the page and select from the dropdown menu.
