| What | Raku Experience Day |
| Where | Aylesford School of Ceramics, Aylesford Pottery, The Friars, Aylesford, Kent ME20 7BX |
| When | Throughout the year on selected Saturdays (as this is mainly an outdoor experience, severe adverse weather may cause postponement) |
| Booking | Essential |
| Places | 8 attendees per session |
| Duration | 10 am – 4pm with 1-hour lunch break (lunch not provided) |
| Suitable for | Adults of any age (18+) |
| Cost | £100 per person per session |
| Equipment and materials | Everything is provided, including apron, gloves, tools, biscuit fired pots, glazes and tea and coffee. You can bring your own biscuit fired pots measuring up to 20x20x20cm. Unfortunately, larger pots are not accommodated. |
| Level | Novice, beginner, intermediate, advanced |
| Before the session | ֍ Please look at the weather forecast and wear suitable clothes and shoes, remember this session is mainly outdoors – don’t forget the sunscreen.
֍ Look at some photos of previous attendees’ work to gather inspiration. ֍ Charge your phone or camera to capture some memories of the day and shots of your work in progress. |
| During the session | ֍ Your tutor will give you an introduction to this exciting and unpredictable ancient Japanese firing practice.
֍ Your tutor will show you some examples and methods of glazing to give you the most effective and impressive results. ֍ You will glaze the pots provided with a choice of different Raku glazes. ֍ With your tutor’s assistance, you will fire your pots to 1000°C in our outdoor kiln, removing them at the critical moment and leaving them to burn in combustible material. ֍ You will cool your pieces in water and scrub away the ashes, revealing stunning, completely individual decorative ceramic pieces. |
| After the session | ֍ You can take your pieces home straight away on the same day as the session.
֍ You may need to wash your pieces again to remove odours. ֍ You can use these pots for decorative purposes only, they are true works of art. ֍ You should not use these pieces for food or drink. |
2024 Dates
16th March
20th April
18th May
22nd June
29th June
13th July
2oth July
21st September
12th October
2025 Dates
To be confirmed…