Karen Card Ceramic Artist

Raku means "pleasure", and what could be more pleasurable than combining a beautiful process with the human form? I prefer to accentuate the beauty of the human form rather reinterpret it. I develop the form directly from live models, using plaster-covered gaze (common casting material, the type doctors used to use to set breaks).

The designs emerge spontaneously, sometimes including other natural materials such as fern and bamboo leaves. Each piece is unique and can't be exactly duplicated. It takes about an hour to cast someone. That's three good coats, to make it durable. Once it dries, it lifts right off, and then I reinforce it with plaster. I cover both the inside and outside paint it with plaster to eliminate the texture of the gauze.

Important Note: Because of the randomness inherent in the Raku firing process, no two pieces ever come out quite the same. Consequently, the exact pieces you see here may have already been sold, and are therefore no longer available. You should consider this gallery a collection of body styles and finishes. So, if a piece shown here is no longer available, the price quoted with each close-up reflects the cost of creating another piece with the same body style and finish.

I do a lot of sponging and sanding to get a completely smooth surface. The complete reworking of the mold takes a couple of weeks. The finished piece will be about 90% of actual body size." A private sitting for a mold of your body is $450. Please ad this to the cost of a piece. Shipping to be paid for by the client, or may be picked up directly from the artist.

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