Manufactory
Gundula Sommerer
About the object: Gundula Sommerer's round Raku vases are real eye-catchers and extremely striking in their appearance. The objects, which are handcrafted using a build-up technique, are unique and each of them is perfect on its own or in combination with other vases or vessels. The surface structure, created by carving a spiral across the entire surface of the side parts, gives the vase an additional dimension. Strong as a solitaire, the silky matt black of the Raku-fired vases harmonizes with strong, but also reduced colors and gives flowers, grasses or branches a grandiose stage. The Raku vase has a diameter of approx. 34 cm, a total height of 37 cm and is approx. 5 cm wide. Due to its heavy weight of approx. 5 kg, the vase is stable. It is waterproof and part of a small series and is also available in other sizes.
Manufacturing process: This ceramic vase made of clay is handmade using the slab technique. The vase is not glazed and is fired using the Raku process. In this process, the first firing of the vase takes place at 920°C in an electric kiln and the second firing at approx. 1040°C in a gas kiln. The vase is removed from the kiln while still red-hot and placed in a box with combustible material. It continues to burn in this box for hours in a reduced atmosphere. After cooling down, it is polished on the outside with antique wax and made watertight on the inside with a special sealant.
Gundula Sommerer has a special talent for finding formal languages for emotional states and inner worlds. In her art, she reflects on her own phases of life, resulting in a repertoire that is as diverse as life itself.
The objects obtain their coal-black coloring and fine cracked structures through the raku firing technique. In this process, the workpieces are removed from the kiln red-hot and then placed in sawdust, where they are blackened by the carbon released during the burning process. The resulting surfaces develop a unique, expressive aesthetic. The raku firing technique has its origins in Japan, where it originated in the 16th century in connection with the tea ceremony.
Gundula Sommerer was born in Stade in 1950. She trained as an art teacher from 1969 to 1975 and then studied ceramics and sculpture at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Bremen from 1975 to 1977. She then set up her own business as a ceramicist in Visselhövede. Study trips and her work took her to the USA and to France for several years before she returned to Germany in 2004. In 2011, she completed her training by qualifying as an art therapist. Gundula Sommerer is a member of the Berufsverband Angewandte Kunst Schleswig-Holstein and the FFKK (Flensborg Fjords Kunst & Kulturforeningen). From 2016 to 2020 she was a member of Danske Kunsthandvaerkere & Designere. Since 2017 she has been running the gallery TonArt in Flensburg together with Ueze Oldenburg. Her works are regularly represented in exhibitions at home and abroad, including in France, Denmark and Austria.
