Portraits in Clay

Working in Raku, Barbara Harnack creates magical, one of a kind sculptures that bring to life the character of people. She also makes Raku vases with her husband, Michael Lancaster. Raku, meaning spontaneous dance, is a tea ceremony name dating to the sixteenth century. The works are pulled from the kiln when red hot and placed in a barrel of straw. Then, working with the fire, Barbara and her husband continue moving the piece in the fire until completed.
"My work has been a dialogue between a sense of humor and our own divinity as human beings. When I was a girl I studied with a wonderful puppet maker from Paris named Madame Sorrell. I never got over the experience of creating 'living beings' from nothing. As a result my figurative artwork has been a study of characters from dark to light. Influences are Marc Chagall, Beatrice Wood, William Steig, antique toys, folk art, and all the many moments I have delighted in children's artwork."