RAKU POTTERY WITH LEAF
AND NATURE IMAGES
Nancy Briggs has been on the faculty of the Des
Moines Art Center since 1986 and currently teaches
ceramics to adults and children. Her work has
been shown in regional and national juried exhibitions.
Using the raku pottery technique, Nancy is able
to give her pottery and sculpture a mysterious,
ancient quality. The pottery is quickly heated
to melt the glaze, then is removed from the kiln
while red hot and placed in beds of sawdust to
smoke the wares. This smoking gives the clay its
black color and the glazes their rich metallic
look. Due to the process, raku pottery is therefore
fragile and porous.
