“Raku is about risk and faith, if you just let go and give your work to the fire, you can end up with the most wonderful piece of magic.”

 

Sherry lives and works on the Lake Champlain Island where she grew up.  Her first experience with Raku firing in 1982 was thoroughly disappointing.  “All I ended up with were some brown lumps and a burnt sweater.”

After a couple of decades of life, a friend said “You need to get back to clay and get yourself centered.”  Sherry headed back to the UVM Pottery Co-op, where 25 years earlier she was a member during college. This changed her life.   They pushed, no, shoved Sherry towards Raku. They showed how beautiful Raku could be. They lit the fire! The risky relationship between clay, glaze, and fire is addicting.  The fire brings life to forms that hands cannot bring to the clay. Everything now looks different. Learning to Raku fire and watching the effects the flame on the glaze makes Sherry more aware of the way her own hands affect the clay.  

Sherry loves to share and teach Raku firing at Across the Grain Pottery in South Hero, where all firings are open to the public.