A variation on the age-old raku technique is naked raku. It is a relatively young technique that was discovered by accident in the 1980s, probably because a ceramist used a “wrong” glaze that produced interesting results.
The technique is actually based on a glazing error. This is because the raku glaze used cannot adhere properly because a special clay slip has been applied to the work. After firing, the glaze flakes off, leaving behind, as a memory, only the black lines and dots that come from the smoke migrating through the crackle into the glaze.
As with “regular” raku, cutouts or incisions can give your piece an added effect. The black areas thus created match beautifully with the black smoke lines of the cracks in the glaze.
