Drawswords Studio

Another raku-fired vase.

The spots of warm yellow glaze catche the light like the first rays of morning, drifting through whites and soft blues. Against it, the carbon-trapped black feels deep and quiet. The crackled surface echoes weathered stone, while the gentle curves soften the form.

Raku has a way of leaving behind small surprises and how fire, smoke, and chance become part of the final piece.

A lidded jar, trimmed and carved by hand, including carved feet. Wax resist was brushed onto the surface before layering two different glazes, allowing them to break, drip, and pool across the form.

The rough cuts and carved marks stay mostly visible beneath the glaze, giving the piece something weathered and almost geological — somewhere between a vessel and something that could have been found washed up, dug up, or grown slowly over time.

⌀10.5cm, height 20cm.
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Another stoneware vase from a raku firing in the north of Amsterdam.

This one was layered with multiple glazes before going into the flames, and the firing gave it everything I hoped for: vivid colour shifts, fine crackled textures, and deep carbon trapping in the unglazed parts of the clay.

The unpredictability of Raku — part control, part surprise — is exactly why I love the process so much.

⌀14cm, height 20cm.
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A set of matcha bowls, made for Natalia after she brought back a rowdy kilo (!) of matcha from Japan. My intent was for the bowls to feel incredibly comfortable when cradled in her hands, hence the trimmed rings, and for the colour to contrast with the intensely green matcha itself.

For this set — and for quite a few things I’m currently making — I used ’ Lavafleck, containing basalt that forms those deep brown flecks that beautifully pop up during high firing.

I brushed the outsides with wax resist before glazing both bowls with a glossy recycle glaze that we call Midnight Espresso, and a ‘Vogelei’ (bird egg) matte glaze. It’s quite mesmerizing how the glazes interact while at the same time covering the coarse-ish texture of the clay.

⌀11.7cm, height 7cm.
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