Haliburton Highlands Brewing hosting Renée Woltz

Stardust Description: Wheel thrown PSH Sheba Raku clay, brushed slip and glaze, propane fired Raku, smoking for reduction

Shadow Crackle Raku is a technique in which a layer of raw clay, called slip, followed by a thin layer of glaze is applied onto a bisque fired pot. In the Raku kiln the slip and glaze shrink more than the pot itself and when the pot is placed onto the combustible material in the reduction pit, carbon is infused into the surface of the pot through the cracks created by the shrinking coating. This coating is peeled off once the pot has cooled, revealing a network of soft lines. In the case of this pot, the layer of slip and glaze began to release from the pot early, inside the reduction chamber, allowing carbon to form unique patterns that resemble the stardust from which the pot itself is made.

Artist Inspiration

This pot is a reminder that we are all made from ethereal elements in a universe that is constantly renewing itself, reassembling the cosmic dust into ever-more wondrous creations.

Artsist Bio

Renée Woltz has been a resident of the Haliburton Highlands since 2011. Originally from Southwestern Ontario, her love of clay began while she was studying visual art at the University of Windsor. Inspired by the beauty of her surroundings in her home studio on Lake Kashagawigamog Renée has focused on a style of work that involves intricate incising into the walls of wheel-thrown pots. She has always been drawn to Raku, a method of firing based on ancient Japanese traditions now widely known for its North American variation in which pots are bisque fired, glazed, then re-fired outdoors in a propane fueled kiln. Pots are removed from the kiln at temperatures of approximately 1,000 degrees Celsius and placed into a nest of combustible material. When the heat of the pots ignites the material, the pots are covered with metal containers to deprive the fire of air. This creates interesting metallic and crackle effects. After taking the Advanced Raku course at the Haliburton School of Art + Design, Renée constructed a raku kiln at her studio. She now combines her style of delicately carved pottery with the dramatic effects of Raku to create a unique body of work. Renée’s artwork has been exhibited throughout Ontario and can be found at the Ethel Curry Gallery, the Rails End Gallery, in the Tour de Forest studio tour on the August long weekend, and in the Haliburton Highlands Studio Tour on the first two weekends of October.