Raku is an ancient firing process of ceramic clay. The piece is glazed with specialty glazes and removed from a kiln at 1800 degrees and placed in a pit of combustable material - I use Oregon pine needles. This is an actual sunflower leaf from my Bend Oregon garden that was pressed into ceramic clay and bisque fired. It is then glazed and refired and pulled RED hot out of the kiln to put in the ground with pine needles. The color effect is the result of this very fast process!