I began potting 44 years ago, but it is only since "retiring" and moving to my cabin in 1998 that I began to fulfill my dream in earnest. Although I had worked primarily in functional stoneware and porcelain, the nature and beauty surrounding me here on the shore of this great lake has inspired me to expand my creativity to soul-filled, unpredictable and magical raku.   Raku is an intense and dramatic firing process based on a 16th century technique. I make and glaze the pots in my studio and fire them in my raku kiln up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, which takes about 45 minutes. I then remove each red-hot pot from the kiln and place it in a garbage can filled with combustibles, such as newspaper, wood shavings or dried leaves, which immediately burst into flames.   I put the cover on the garbage can to smother the fire and create an airtight reduction chamber that produces iridescent coloring and crackling. After about 15 minutes, I remove the pots and plunge them into a pail of icy-cold Lake Superior water.   When cool enough to handle, I scrub each pot to clean off the soot residue. Holding the pot gently and turning it in my wet hands, I marvel at the magic that has happened. No two pots are ever alike.   In 2002, my raku firing was featured on two Twin Cities TV stations: Channel 45 Environmental Journal and Channel 5, On the Road with Jason Davis. I currently hold raku workshops through North House Folk School at my studio, located on the shore of Lake Superior just 12 miles east of Grand Marais. I'm also a pottery instructor at the Grand Marais Art Colony.   Sunrises, sunsets, full moons, huge waves, storms, stones and rainbows all inspire me. Each vessel I create has in some way captured my soul and spirit as well as my surroundings.
Kristi K. Downing kkd Pottery 17 Hut Point Road Grand Marais, MN 55604 Tel: 218-387-1149 kksera@boreal.org mailto:kksera@boreal.orgshapeimage_2_link_0