All of the ceramic sculpture is Raku Fired: This is a low - fire technique that was developed in Kyoto Japan in the 16th century. Traditionally, the pieces were used for Japanese tea ceremonies, prized for their aesthetic quality, which embodied the ideals of Zen Buddhism. The process was first brought to the attention of the western world in 1911, but was only experimented with in the U.S. in the early 1960s. Today, the 15th generation of the Raku family is still producing traditional Raku-ware.

For firing, 4-6 pieces are placed in a pre-heated kiln and are brought up to temperature quickly. After the glaze has matured, the pieces are removed with tongs from the blazing hot kiln and placed in a lidded can with combustible material so they can smoke and cool. When the smoke fills the cracks, this is what creates the unpredictable crazed appearance. This process is continued every 20 minutes for 5 - 6 hrs. Then the pieces are scrubbed to remove the smoke.