As a brief and introductory synopsis of American Raku history, I would like to focus on the most major influence in my life as a Raku Artist. Those readers seeking detailed coverage of American Raku history again will find a wealth of information on the internet.
While the roots of Raku ware are in Japan, here in America Paul Soldner (1921-2011) earned the title “Father of American Raku“. Paul gives credit to a list of artists also experimenting with Raku and giving rise to its popularity in the 1950s in his essay “American Style Raku“.