The Making of Masks

A visual study of raku firing, this series traces Evan Oberholster’s ceramic masks from kiln to cooling, revealing the dramatic transformation that gives rise to their distinctive crackled and smoke-marked surfaces.

Kiln Ready

The raku kiln carefully filled with ceramic ware moments before firing. Each piece will react differently to the firing process, depending on glaze composition, placement, and temperature exposure.

Red-hot Retrieval

The crucial moment of raku firing — at peak temperature, the masks are removed from the kiln using metal tongs and are buried in sawdust. This rapid transfer exposes them to air, initiating cooling and oxidation that begin to define the characteristic raku surface effects.

Revealing the Surface

After firing, soot and ash are scrubbed from the surface, revealing the fine craquelé pattern created as the glaze contracted and fractured under thermal shock.

Emerging Forms

Still damp and partially cleaned, the luminous crackled glaze of this mask is visible underneath the soot-covered surface.

Transformation Complete

Finally, the mask is fully cleaned to reveal the fine craquelé and subtle surface sheen of the finished piece — embodying the full alchemy of raku.

Evan Oberholster’s Raku-Fired Ceramic Masks

Evan Oberholster’s raku-fired ceramic masks are formed in flame and smoke. Each mask is hand-shaped and placed into an open-air raku kiln, then removed while red-hot and buried in a bed of sawdust for reduction — a moment when smoke, heat, and carbon stain and sear the surface. The result is a richly tactile finish marked by craquelé (fine crackle) and dark, carbon-drawn lines that lend each piece a sense of aged depth and intricate surface patterning.

Raku (楽焼), meaning “enjoyment” or “ease,” originated in 16th-century Kyoto as a pottery tradition for the Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu 茶の湯,) where makers prized spontaneity, modesty, and the intimate, hand-made presence of each bowl. In the 20th century, Western ceramists reinterpreted this tradition, introducing post-firing reduction with combustible materials and transforming raku into a sculptural process rather than one confined to functional wares. This evolution allows for the dramatic metallic tones, fractured glazes, and smoky surfaces seen in contemporary interpretations.

For Oberholster, the making is as vital as the image itself: pulling incandescent masks from the kiln, burying them in sawdust or letting them smoulder in open air, then washing and revealing the cooled forms. It is a ritual of heat, smoke, and water — each mask carrying the visible language of its own creation. The process concludes with careful refinements: cleaning, accenting, and occasionally combining the fired masks with mixed-media elements.

See a selection of Evan Oberholster's masks at Ceramic Masks

Raku mask with plastic-crafted headdress, giving it a contemporary look.

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