April and May Schedule

April and May Schedule 2019

                         Burnished Black with Apophyllite

I found these beautiful apophyllite crystals at a gem and mineral show and they have inspired a new limited series of Black and White.  I love the combination of the soft, smoked blackness of the naked raku and the beauty of the natural crystal.  It is all from the earth!

April:

April 13:  East Carolina  Pottery Festival...…..History Center, New Bern, NC

April 27-28:  The Art Market at Historic Honey Horn....Coastal Discovery Museum, Hilton Head, NC

May:

May 4-5:  Art in the Park...….Byrd Park...…..Richmond, VA

May 11-12:  Bethesda Fine Art Festival...….Bethesda, MD

May 18-19:  Stockley Gardens Art Festival...….Norfolk, VA

May 25-26:  Art in the Park...…..Staunton, Va

Galleries that have some new pieces at this moment are:  The Red Dog Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC and Seagrove Pottery of the Sandhills, Aberdeen, NC

email:  jettclay@aol.com
Website:charlottemunningraku.com

Spring Schedule 2017

Spring Schedule 2017

Spring is one of my most favorite seasons! It means rebirth and renewal. I hope to exemplify these in my new spring work in raku.  I am combining the soft smoked blackness of the raku firing and copper to showcase the white flowers of spring.  With open cut work and texture, the flowers come alive.  I hope that you will visit me at a spring show and see my new work.

February 2017:

February 10 - 12:  Springtime Made in the South - Savannah International Trade and Convention Center, Savannah, Georgia

March 3 - 5:  Craftsmen Classic - Richmond Virginia

March 10 - 12:  Craftsmen Classic - Columbia State Fairgrounds - Columbia, South Carolina

March 24 - 25:  Catawba Valley Pottery Festival - Hickory Metro Convention Center, Hickory, North Carolina 

Please visit my website for more information on my unique raku: 
www.charlottemunningraku.com

My email is:  jettclay@aol.com

NEW IDEAS FOR A NEW YEAR!

NEW IDEAS FOR A NEW YEAR! Christmas is over and the new year has begun. I loved the holidays and family but now it is time to start thinking about 2013. My goal is to work on new and exciting designs this year. In 2012, I focused on large hand built forms that were intricately carved. The raku fire licked at the designs and brought out beautiful colors. I also worked on the burnished black raku and added the carvings for texture and interest. I still have much to learn and discover in these two directions but I will add a third branch to my explorations. I want to develop some of my wall hangings into larger more dynamic pieces. There are problems to solve and that is part of the beauty of the journey! Have a great year, hope to see you at an upcoming art show.

New Raku

This is one of my newest pieces, a combination of the burnished black and the rich copper. Intricate designs have been carved into the area that I will glaze. The over all contrast between the smooth blackness and the vibrant copper gives my raku an updated look. This piece can be seen in an exhibition at the Mendenhall Administration Building on the Davidson County Community College, Lexington, NC. This piece as well as three others will be on exhibit until Dec 10th, 2012.

I have added a new form of raku to my spring collection called naked raku. This technique is unique because after the pot is made, while it is semi-dry (leather hard) I pollished it using old nylon hose and plastic grocery bags, spoons or smooth rocks. Sounds strange but what is accomplished is the clay particles are compressed from the rubbing and as the particles move closer together, the clay begins to take on a shine. The technique is called burnishing and takes patience and time to develop the shine.
After the burnishing is complete, the pot is dried, bisqued and then rakued in a traditional raku kiln. No glaze is added so the pot absorbs the smoke and the result is a pot with the soft black shine of naked raku.