Richard Gruchalla & Carrin Rosetti

Contemporary Raku
Creation of our pottery begins with form, as we look first for the silhouette of the piece; the lift from the surface, the graceful extension from the foot to the belly to the curve of the body, the strength of the shoulder, the grace of the neck, and finish of the lip. All the parts are connected and should be cohesive. Surface decoration comes next. We can either tell a story or let the eye silently link the piece to history. Form itself is sometimes enough to present a narrative to the viewer. Familiarity can often be a catalyst of a conversation between the pottery and the audience.
Many influences can be seen in our work. Asia and the Far East as well as Africa and the American Southwest cultures have given us inspiration. Lately, we have been introduced to some of the great ceramic designers from the turn of the century….Frederick Rhead, Clarice Cliff, Lenore Asbury, Edward Hurley, Kataro Shirayamadani, the sublime Adelaide Robineau, Tiffany, and those marvelous Saturday Evening Girls form Boston.
Richard is the trained potter, doing all the throwing and building as well as carving on the surface. Carrin is the colorist and breathes life into the bisque ware with her glaze applications. We then put the pieces through the rigors of the Raku firing process.
We hope to continue with our innovation of this technique to produce work that will add to the library of contemporary American ceramics.