Ramon Camarillo

Vienna, Virginia, USA

Title: Pele's Hair #5

Year of Creation: 2008

Glaze: Peel crackle slip under white crackle raku glaze

Clay Body: Soldate 60

Dimensions: Height 16.5 inches, Width 13 inches

Artist's Statement: Each of my vessels are first created in one single wheel throwing session, top-to-bottom and sometimes bottom-to-top. My creativity and imagination are expressed in the shape they take on the wheel and the glazing process that enhances that shape. Influenced by the Hawaiian environment where I was born and raised, the land, the air, the sea, the volcanoes, the sun and the night sky are all inspiration for my techniques and visible in the surfaces of my pots. Even my raku firing techniques evoke the fiery volcanoes of my home state, when I transfer a red-hot vessel to a bin that ignites the combustible contents at the touch of the glowing pot. The fire and smoke produce luster or crackled smoky and swirling finishes in a variety of textures and colors. Depending on how the fire and smoke interact with the glaze, the spontaneous and sometimes unanticipated results create surfaces and textures that make each piece one-of-a-kind.