Exquisite Raku Ceramics Exhibit at Camas Library

Each month, beginning on the First Friday, the Camas Public Library hosts a new art exhibit in the Second Story Gallery. For the month of March, the library is displaying the exquisite Raku Ceramics artwork of clay artists, Dave and Boni Deal.

The couple work full-time at their craft, producing quality art pieces at their rustic, off-the-grid home in the Columbia Gorge. Their work is recognized for its size, classical form, and surface design that has a Pacific Northwest feel.

Raku Ceramics are known for dramatic firings, and Dave pulls his work out of the 2000 degree F kiln, and lowers it into a barrel of organic burnables. The rapid cooling, as well as the flames, and smoke, give rack its hues, crackled glaze, smoky tones, and metallic accents.

Raku Ceramics Background

According to the library, Raku is a pottery technique with an ancient Japanese origin. “American Raku” was popularized by Hal Riegger and Paul Soldner in the 1950s and 60s. Dave learned the art form at Clark College and at PSU/Haystack school in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The couple eventually took Raku workshops from Riegger and Soldner, and started working full-time in their chosen craft in the mid-1970s.

Their work is a collaborative effort. While Dave creates clay forms on the wheel, Boni draws in the clay, and does the glazes. She earned her degree in graphic design from Portland State University.

“Clay offers a lifetime of possibilities for expression in form and surface design,” said the couple. “Awe of nature motivates us. A high aspiration is to reflect the beauty of God’s creations: plants, geology, and wildlife of rustic places are recurring themes — timeless, relevant today and even more so for the future.”

The Camas Public Library is located at 625 NE 4th Ave, Camas, WA 98607. To learn more, visit http://www.ci.camas.wa.us/index.php/camaspubliclibrary