Rhonda Summers has been creating Raku* masks and other works in clay for 7 years. She has been an instructor in the media at the City Arts Centre, a City of Edmonton facility in Old Strathcona and still enjoys teaching adults, teens, and children how to work with clay.

She begins with molds she has made herself, and then sculpts the features and backgrounds one by one. Masks can be made to order, but the brilliant metallic glazes characteristic of Raku can never be duplicated exactly, owing to the temperamental nature of the firing process.

*RAKU is derived from a 16th century Japanese method of firing pottery. The clay pieces are fired very quickly in a small kiln until the glaze is molten. Each piece is then removed red hot with a pair of tongs, placed in a bed of leaves, hay, sawdust or some other combustible material and allowed to cool. The unusual colours, patterns and metallic finish come from the interplay between the smoky atmosphere and rapid cooling. Raku pieces are not watertight and hence are not meant to be functional. The word raku means enjoyment and pleasure. The finished work should reflect the qualities of unpredictability and spontenaity associated with flames, smoke and water.