Lorenzo Beer, Staff Writer
Ever wonder what a pot looks like when it is 1800° F? Well, Mrs. Preston, Mr. Yoo, and several other students do. On Wednesday, September 17, Mrs. Preston and Mr. Yoo, along with over a dozen artistically talented students, rode the bus for over an hour to a raku pottery workshop in Milford, Pennsylvania. For several months, Mrs. Preston and her students had been preparing pieces to bring on the trip. The process of creating beautiful pieces of pottery can be quite lengthy but ultimately, it results in a one-of-a-kind pot that means so much more to the artist than to anyone else. Tom, the gentleman who runs the workshop, is the ultimate master potter. With many years of experience underneath his belt, Tom knows the tips and tricks to creating beautiful pottery and he has been willing to share them with our OP artists.
Once the group arrived at the workshop, which is located upon a beautiful piece of property covered with pots, they got right to work. First, the students prepared eight pits filled with sawdust and straw hay. Next, the door was taken off the kiln where Mrs. Preston and Mr. Yoo, while wearing protective heat gear, grabbed the bright orange pots with three-foot long tongs and moved them into the sawdust-filled pits. The straw hay and sawdust immediately catch on fire and the entire pot went up into flames. Next the fire was smothered with metal pail garbage bins filled with even more sawdust and straw hay. Eventually, the fire went out and cooled down. Once the pieces had been cleaned, they became a unique and artistic masterpiece.
Mrs. Preston, Mr. Yoo, Tom, and all the students who attended the trip certainly had a wonderful time playing with fire. They enjoyed the trip so much that Mrs. Preston is currently contemplating a second raku trip. If you are the least bit interested in art, I would highly recommend participating in the trip. I myself have gone and can say without hesitation that it was an unforgettable experience and you surely do not want to miss out on this great experience.