“I do Raku to satisfy my fascination with fire, to be an active participant in the attempt to harness the magic of smoke and fire. I love the drama, the excitement, pulling a pot from the kiln red-hot, watching the straw burst into flames, a moment flash-frozen in time.”
Hellertown native Deborah Slahta has worked with clay for nearly 30 years. Electing to enroll in a studio ceramics class to fulfill the liberal arts requirement while completing a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Moravian College, Bethlehem, Deb was transformed by the art and has spent her career dedicated to production of finely crafted clayware.
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Deb has taught privately, maintained a home studio in Center Valley and was accepted as a juried artist at the Banana Factory in May 2000. She teaches clay classes for adults, after-school programs and summer camps for kids. She has exhibited in galleries and juried shows throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio and Kentucky.
Deb likes to play with fire. Her current work includes Cone 6 electric stoneware and Raku. The Raku vessels are simple forms exploding with color, or the stark contrast of black and white. Carefully planned divisions of space are subjected to the uncertainty of the Raku firing process. The designs are strongly influenced by the part of Deb that majored in mathematics.
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