CUTE TOUCAN WOODPECKER BIRD RAKU FIRED GLAZED POTTERY FIGURINE SMALL (13CM LONG) HAND CRAFTED AND SIGNED BY ARTIST

A CUTE TOUCAN BIRD RAKU FIRED FIGURINE WITH A CHARACTERISTIC LARGE BEAK. HAND CRAFTED AND SIGNED BY THE ARTIST. STILL IN VERY GOOD CONDITION.

With the Characteristic Glazed Pottery of Raku. Hand Painted and Hand Crafted.
Each Raku item is made with quality and care - by hand - in South Africa.

EACH CREATION IS UNIQUE NO TWO RAKU ANIMALS ARE THE SAME.

Size: 13cm Long 11cm High. 5CM WIDE

Condition: IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. NO CHIPS. NO CRACKS.

WHAT IS RAKU?: FOR A LONG TIME I THOUGHT RAKU WAS A SPECIFIC COMPANY IN SOUTH AFRICA. ONLY RECENTLY I LEARNED THAT RAKU REFERS TO THE TECHNIQUE USED TO MAKE THE POTTERY AND THAT THERE ARE IN FACT A FEW COMPANIES THAT MAKE RAKU WARE IN SOUTH AFRICA.
Raku firing is an incredible ancient Japanese ceramics technique that has been used for centuries. Raku means pleasure or enjoyment.
In essence, Raku is when pots are taken from the kiln while they are still glowing red hot, they are then placed in a material that would be able to catch fire, such as sawdust or newspaper easily. The reason for this is to starve the pot of oxygen, which gives the glaze a wonderful variety of colors. Pieces with no glaze (A glaze is a thin layer of liquid which is put on a piece of pottery and becomes hard and shiny when the pottery is heated in a very hot oven.) on them take the oxygen from the clay itself, meaning some areas will have a matte black coloring. Raku differs from normal firing, where the piece is removed from kiln after its cooled down slowly.
For potters, its an incredibly exciting technique, as theres always the anticipation of how each piece may turn out with so many different variables. INDEED A PLEASURABLE PROCESS.

PLEASE ALSO SEE MY OTHER ITEMS LISTED.
YOU CAN SAVE ON POSTAGE BY COMBINING ITEMS!