Who am I?

My name is April Stockwell. I am a modern-day renaissance woman. While pottery is my passion, I can also be found playing piano, organic gardening, writing short stories, bicycling with a group of outrageous women, swimming, working on my website, dancing around the house and even fixing up my house. I live in Austin, TX. Originally from Dallas, I moved to Austin to go to the University of Texas where I pursued a degree in psychology. While in school I realized that Austin was where my heart is and found my husband along the way. Pottery is a hobby, unfortunately not a full-time gig yet. Maybe someday... I enjoy trying new restaurants in town and snuggling on the couch with my husband and my pug, Rocco.

What is Raku?

I like to call Raku, pottery with pyrotechnics. Basically as the piece is in its final firing with the proper glaze applied, I pull it out and place it into combustible materials. As it flames up, I then take a container and cover it, trapping the air in a small space. As the oxygen burns away, beautiful colors appear showing the flame pattern before the fire died out. This is definitely a 2 person job and my husband is a great help! Raku is not meant for use other than display. I would never recommend putting water in a pot as it will leak out due to the porous nature of the clay once it has been through this vicious procedure. If you really want to put flowers in a pot, find a glass cylinder that fits into the pot and put water in that. It is very demanding on the clay and often pieces are broken due to the intense temperature changes. Most pieces you see here have been fired multiple times.