Duluth artist Dorian Beaulieu combines his love of ceramics, creativity & education for the benefit of students at Lake Superior College. He has a true passion for learning and sharing his gifts with all he encounters.
Wood Fired Raku
Dorian Beaulieu with the assistance of David Beaulieu put on a two day wood fired raku workshop in Deerwood, MN on the 8th and 9th of October.
The air was filled with excitement when we showed up with everyone bustling to get things ready for the first day of workshops. Dorian and I started unpacking the kiln from the van. The entire kiln fit easily into the mini-van and within a couple of hours we had the kiln all setup and ready to fire its first load of pots. The kiln is extremely simple and with little knowledge can be built just about anywhere. We hunted for dirt to level the ground and if you look at the last picture on the bottom you can see the area after we cleaned up on the third day. Not a trace was left!
The kiln heats up very fast and within a couple of hours we had the first batch of raku pots out and soaking up the carbon. After the first firing it only took about 45 minutes for each additional load to come out. Nothing like using free wood to produce heat! Pallet wood is easy to find and free which works very well with this kiln design. Contact us if you would like additional information or if you would like us to put on a workshop at your location.
Happy Firing!!!
-David Beaulieu
Dorian Beaulieu – Educator of the Year 2009
“The award is an honor bestowed upon Minnesota State Colleges & Universities faculty to acknowledge and reward exceptional individual professional accomplishment, and to encourage ongoing excellence, in teaching.” Taken from http://botaward.mnscu.edu/ please visit for more information.
