ELIZABETH RAEBURN

Having worked in music and book publishing and then as a teacher, Elizabeth Raeburn trained as a potter at Harrow School of Art from 1973 to 1975.

During that time, she spent an inspiring summer as a production student in David Leach’s pottery.

In 1975, she moved to Somerset, establishing a pottery with Rodney Lawrence.

Since 1981 she has concentrated on handbuilt Raku. She has had solo and group exhibitions in England and abroad, and her work is represented in private and public collections internationally, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, the Aichi Prefectoral Ceramic Museum in Japan and the Museo de Ceramica in Barcelona.

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QUOTES ABOUT ELIZABETH'S WORK

"Elizabeth Raeburn's views, vessels, and plaques of Venice are magical creations. She has achieved a liquid intensity which evokes Venice and its many light effects in a way that I have never seen before."

William Wilkins - Artist, Chairman of Artes Mundi, Trustee of the Derek Williams Trust

"What seems perennial in her work is the feeling of upward growth, of lift-off, imminent flight."

Michael Casson OBE - Potter

"Elizabeth Raeburn's collection is inspirational and superb. I love the simplicity, character, and colours of the individual pieces. In particular I was amazed by the small plaques. I had no idea that raku firing could produce such results. Remarkable!"

Arda Lacey - Writer

"Raeburn has a considerable and virtuoso command of the raku process. Her best pieces are often her simplest, for example her winged or ‘diamond’ forms or her small anthropomorphic bottles, full of life, vigour and personality, and a particular pleasure to handle."

David Whiting - Art critic, writer, and curator

"Liz Raeburn's a dab at raku;
Her shapes are Cycladic, but new.
Who'd imagine they've just been
Cooked up in a dustbin?
I certainly wouldn't - would you?"

George Engle - Friend

Elizabeth's work was frequently shown at Galerie Besson. An archive of the Galerie's website, including images from many of the exhibitions, is available here.

RAKU

Raku is an old Japanese technique of firing which was originally associated with Zen Buddhism and the Tea Ceremony. It differs from other methods of firing, in which the pots remain in the kiln while it cools slowly. Raku pieces are instead removed with tongs when the glaze is in melt. They are then either allowed to cool naturally outside the kiln, or can be placed in combustible materials, such as wood shavings or newspaper, to give a variety of effects.

Raku anchor