Furney’s Mystical Raku at Santa Fe Shop in Fish creek

Raku piece by Joyce Furney

At the age of nine, Joyce Furney knew that one day she would be an artist. Today, her masterful Raku pieces can be seen at the Santa Fe Shop in Fish Creek.

Furney earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture from Kansas State University in 1975. After 13 years in the commercial art world and 31 hours of post-graduate work in clay, she made the commitment to pottery in 1983.

In her work, Furney strives to harmonize the divergent elements of self and materials to converge at that mystical point where all is at rest yet all is in motion. She works in Raku, which is attributed to Zen Buddhist Monks of 16th Century Japan where Raku was much more than a method of making and firing pottery – it was a philosophy. Raku is now generally accepted to mean a method of rapid firing and cooling of ceramic ware.

One intent of Furney’s work in Raku is to capture the flow of the universe. Balance and harmony are the essence of that flow for her, a place where tension and repose find oneness.

Santa Fe Shop is located at 4147 Main Street in Fish Creek. For more information call 920.868.4300.