2315 Raku Workshop - Obvara
Workshop - Ceramics | Registration closed 10/18/2025
Obvara is a low-fire alternative firing similar to Raku but without using Raku glazes. Often called Balkan Raku. It originated in the Balkan region of Europe in ancient times. The process involves firing bisqued pots up to roughly 1500-1600 degrees Fahrenheit, removing them from the kiln at temperature and immersing them in a fermented yeast, flour, and water mixture. The pots are then quenched in water to lock in the obvara finish, and can be sealed with beeswax when cool if desired. The finished pots are still porous, so are not to be used with food or water. Bring bisqued pots to the workshop, and you will be able to take home your finished work at the end of the day.
A $35 material fee for the first 25 pounds of stoneware clay will be added at time of checkout.
- The Obvara firing is scheduled on Saturday, 11/1 from 10:00am to 4:00pm at NCMA-WS Wood Fire Kiln Pavilion.
- Adult Registrations Only (18+.) Firing space is limited. You may bring 5 bisque fired pieces no taller than 10" and no wider than 6". Workshop is held at the North Carolina Museum of Art - Winston-Salem (formerly SECCA) located at 750 Marguerite Dr, Winston-Salem, NC 27106
A $35 material fee for the first 25 pounds of stoneware clay will be added at time of checkout.
Chloe Foster
I think often of the ancient people who, separately and across the globe, listened intuitively to the Earth and learned to create and fire vessels with it. In my practice I am continuously striving to channel that ancestral wisdom, especially as a human who has inherited a culture of detachment from the land. My work feels grounded in intuitive forms and textures, and I find inspiration in beings of life that span ecosystems: the winding of a river; mycelium; seed pods; weathered sandstone. My sculptures are spontaneous, grown through an explorative and intuitive process. It is an embodied experience in which I am in conversation with the piece as I build it, and I learn how it wants to grow.