GREENFIELD — A fiery and unpredictable form of pottery is taking center stage at this year's MKE Studio Tour in Greenfield.
Sam Frey is a potter who practices an American version of a Japanese style of pottery called raku. When a hot piece of pottery is placed into a bin with a combustible substance like newspaper, an intense thermal reaction alters the glaze and creates an unpredictable yet colorful pattern. The allure of the art form comes from that uncontrollable nature.
"The world's full of chaos. Why not create a little bit more," Frey said.
Watch the story to see how raku pottery is done...
Another technique involves heating the pot and then burning horse hair or a feather on it to create a unique pattern.
"It's like Christmas day every time you open up that. Your heart just gives a little bit of a leap, and it's just normally beautiful," Frey said.
Frey will demonstrate raku firing all day on Oct. 3 and 4 as part of the MKE Studio Tour which is put on by Wisconsin Craft. The event features more than a dozen artists from around the Milwaukee area who open their professional or home studios to the public for free.
Fellow potter Melanie Ownley will offer tours of her Greenfield home studio while Frey fires raku outside it. Ownley said the event is about showing people what is possible.
"Just showing what can be done and what you can do in your own home, in your own studio, and people get excited to see that," Ownley said.
For Ownley, the most rewarding part of opening her studio is the spark it creates in visitors.
"I love it when people get inspired. I love it when they decide I want to try pottery, I want to try ceramics, or even something else that they were just thinking about doing," Ownley said.
The MKE Studio Tour gives art lovers a behind-the-scenes look at how artists create, offering a new perspective on how something as simple as a piece of clay can become beautiful pottery.
A full list and map of participating studios is available at mkestudiotour.com.
This story was reported on-air by James Groh and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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