Amadio Smith Racu Art Pottery Vase. Mosaic Confetti on Crackle Glaze...Laguna Calif.

Beautiful Art Pottery Vase from Amadio Smith of Laguna Calif.
Vase measures 9 high by 8 wide.......Amadio Smith is well known for many of his "Disney Theme Racu Vases" that he has masterfully presented over the years.......

Raku means "enjoyment", "comfort" or "ease" and is derived from Jurakudai, the name of a palace, in Kyoto, that was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598), who was the leading warrior statesman of the time.

Raku became popular with American potters in the late 1950s with the help of Paul Soldner. Americans kept the general firing process, that is, heating the pottery quickly to high temperatures and cooling it quickly, but continued to form their own unique style of raku.

It is raku’s unpredictable results and intense color that attract modern potters. These patterns and color result from the harsh cooling process and the amount of oxygen that is allowed to reach the pottery. Depending on what effect the artist wants, the pottery is either instantly cooled in water, cooled slowly in the open air, or placed in a barrel filled with combustible material, such as newspaper, covered, and allowed to smoke.[6] Water immediately cools the pottery, stopping the chemical reactions of the glaze and fixing the colors. The combustible material results in smoke, which stains the unglazed portions of the pottery black. The amount of oxygen that is allowed during the firing and cooling process affects the resulting color of the glaze and the amount of crackle.

Unlike traditional Japanese raku, which is mainly hand built bowls of modest design, western raku tends to be vibrant in color, and comes in many shapes and sizes. On YouTube it is possible to see a short movie when Raku Kichizaemon XV in young age is making a chawan; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsV0YFe6Ca0. Western raku can be anything from an elegant vase, to an eccentric abstract sculpture. Although some do hand build, most western potters use throwing wheels while creating their raku piece. Western culture has even created a new sub branch of raku called horse hair raku. These pieces are often white with squiggly black lines and smoke-like smudges. These effects are created by placing horse hair, feathers, or even sugar on the pottery as it is removed from the kiln and still extremely hot.

Question ?? Would anyone know what the #'s stand for ?? I would think
#17 for Pattern. 2-not sure, maybe second firing. 3-L for large ?? Anyone who could share.....