Born and raised in Denver, Jannette (Gigi) Lamont moved to the mountain community of Golden Gate Park in 1976. As an artist, Jannette has found the process of Raku to be truly an experimental playground. Jannette's Raku pieces are easily recognized for their unusual colors and animal compositions.

Jannette's wall pieces are slab rolled clay. They are designed, waxed, airbrushed with underglazes and then bisque fired. They are then glazed and fired two separate times. The final firing requires that the pieces be removed from the kiln when they are red hot. The pieces are placed into a container filled with straw and sawdust for reduction. This causes a crackling effect on the glazed area and turns the unglazed area a rich black or smoky gray color. Raku firing takes places at a relatively low temperature (1700-1900º). Therefore, Raku pieces are rather soft, having the strength of earthenware, not of stoneware, and are not waterproof.

Although the Raku-firing technique was introduced in this country in the early 1900's, only recently have American potters experimented with the process and only recently has it achieved wide popularity. Enjoy!