Hello!

My name is Ellen, and I have been in love with clay for so many years, I have lost count!  I consider myself lucky to have found my passion in life and have the pleasure of working from my home studio on beautiful Vancouver Island.

A great deal of my work is decorative hand-built Raku fired pottery.  The raku firing process is just completely magical.  Once the work has been formed, dried, and fired once in the electric kiln (biscuit firing)…glazes are applied by hand and the piece is fired in an outdoor gas kiln to a temperature of about 1825 degrees Fahrenheit.  With protective gear and metal tongs, the piece is quickly snatched from the white hot kiln and placed into a metal container (reduction chamber)with combustible materials (paper) which catches fire instantly.  A lid goes on quickly, and the fire burns the available oxygen inside that chamber.  This is where the magic happens.  Depending on many many variables (like the ambient temperature, the size shape and weight of the piece, the size of the reduction chamber, how quickly it came out of the kiln, and the glaze application, results can vary dramatically.  It is SO MUCH FUN!!!  I would be happy to answer any questions you may heave.  Thanks so much for stopping in my shop.