Andrew Osborne

We Purchased this brightly coloured Raku Ocean Liner in Brighton, at a little gallery on East Street, named The Hugo Barclay Gallery. This Gallery has long since gone, they retired about 2001. We visited The Hugo Barclay Gallery on a regular basis and purchased quite a few pieces from them. We have certainly enjoyed Andrew’s Ocean Liner over the years. It’s a large piece about 55cm high by 45cm wide. Andrew Osborne, slab built the Ocean Liner, He then Raku fired the piece. We remember him producing other large works, such as various Terraced houses and Large Cars.

I remember producing some Raku (Raku means “enjoyment”) pots myself at an evening class in Cosham, Hampshire. They never ever turned out quite like these pieces that Andrew produced. I do not know how he achieved such a pristine finish using Raku firing. Andrew Osborne went on to other adventures (Landscape Gardening) and does not produce the wonderful pottery any more.

Jennie Hale (Andrew’s partner) Still produces lovely pieces of pottery. They set up a pottery together on a Farmstead in Cornwall. Jennie produces Raku-fired animals and tableware, her work features in many galleries around Cornwall and the country.

Raku Firing

Raku is an exciting ceramics firing technique. Making Raku involves a rapid firing to about 1000C. Then followed placing the red hotware/pottery into a metal drum/box filled with combustibles. Such as sawdust, newspapers or grass cuttings. The pottery is taken from the Kiln and plunged into cold water. This creates a thermal shock, that crackles and crazes the glaze further and sets the effects.