We shape the earth into art, we give soul to clay

Raku technique

This is an old Japanese technique of making for the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The host and the guests alike would design and form the dishes and cups for their Enjoyment Ceremony. This ritual was part of their social contact and a way of communication amongst themselves.

The same feelings are experienced today when in contact with Raku ware.
They are fired once or twice on an open fire not exceeding 1000 C.
The clay remains porous and receptive to the magical absorption of smoke after it has been adorned with crystallized glass colored with metallic acids.

The presence of silver nitrate makes the random, uncontrolled striations that are characteristic of Raku.
Even though Raku was used as a form of expression, it also has the ability to be used to satisfy modern demands and applications, such as microsculptures, drown wall hangings and big flat items.

The forms, which are earthly but also transcendental, give birth to one another, are drawn together, are drawn apart, are lost and then appear in my eyes to tell stories that erase in time.

Dimitra Safiolea

Clay is a very interesting and fundamental material: it’s earth, it’s water, and – with fire – it takes on form and life.

My first contact with clay was at 18 years old, at the art workshop of Kalamata’s (Greece) DEPA, with Myrto Magkanari.

There I felt that pottery is a constant effort to express my inner world. I worked on ceramics, and especially on the Raku technique for 18 years together with Spyros Arvanitis. With my hands – an extension of my soul -, shaping the clay, I want each ceramic to arouse many emotions in each of us, no matter how small or big.

Spyros Arvanitis

He was born in Messinia(Greece) where he was also raised. His first contact with clay was near his father who used to make earthenware jars.

He studied in Doxiadis faculty and in the Technological Applications Centre.

During 1985 and 1988 he taught ceramics at courses given by the Athens Municipality.

Getting past the lines of traditional pottery, he began expressing himself more and more through art, while researching new techniques and methods in his research of balance between the usage, the sculptural expression and architectural function.

For many years he was undertaken with the RAKU technique, where his personal pleasure is illustrated in his creations through stories and “performances” that fade in time. He had had personal exhibitions and had been part of joint exhibitions in Greece and Europe.

He passed away at 2015.