A quick guide on the 6 different Raku fired pottery vase finishes

After nearly 20 years of experience, our founder and artisan Adil Abdul Ghani has honed his skills and lead to six types of finishes for his ceramic art pieces, including:

Smoked Raku Finish on Raku Pottery

Smoked Raku - or Naked Raku is a finish where the outer shell of the slip falls off during the firing process and reveals the beautiful “naked” surface. After drying, it shrinks and cracks, resembling dried mud. Then, it is infused with smoke, seeping into the cracks of the slip and creating a beautiful black crackle design on the pot.

Half Copper Matte Finish on Raku Pottery

Half Copper Matte - Only being applied to a portion of the vase, the copper matte glaze induces an intricate, unpredictable, rainbow-like metallic finish after Raku firing. This guarantees that every vase is one-of-a-kind, delicately accenting the shape of the vase. 

Full Copper Matte Finish on Raku Pottery

 Full Copper Matte - Similar to the Half Copper Matte, but the copper matte glaze covers the surface of the ceramic piece fully. After reaching a temperature of 1000°C, it is quickly placed into a metal container filled with paper. This ignites the paper, making it so that the smoke and carbon react with the copper to create brilliant rainbow colors.

Obvara Finish on Raku Pottery

Obvara - This is a firing technique similar to the Raku technique, but the ceramic piece is dunked into a special Obvara mixture and then into water, producing wonderful unpredictable patterns reminiscent of animal prints or wood patterns. This technique originates from Eastern Europe and gives off a rustic, vintage feel to the ceramic piece. 

Tape Resist Finish on Raku Pottery 

Tape Resist - In this finish, tape is used after bisque firing the ceramic piece, to make geometric patterns or shapes on the piece. After this, coats of glaze, are applied layer by layer. Once the glaze is dried, the tape is removed and the piece is fired using the Raku firing technique, revealing a wavy, almost mystical, rainbow design. 

Carbon Half Copper Matte Finish on Raku Pottery

Carbon Half Copper Matte - This happens when a bisque-fired ceramic piece is partially covered with a copper matte glaze. In the end, some parts of the ceramic piece that had no copper matte glaze, turn out black after firing, providing a polarizing yet alluring design.

What are other types of finishes or glazes that you know and love? Let us know in the comments!