Pulling delicate pieces of pottery from a 1000 degree Celsius kiln and hurling the glowing artwork into a trashcan that spews flames is not quite something people equate with science teachers, but for chemistry teacher Catherine Burchat, this exotic craft is her passion outside of the classroom.

Burchat has been indulging in the art of pottery for 25 years. She works in handbuilding and another form of pottery called Raku.

Recently, Burchat has begun taking Friday classes at the Worcester Center for Crafts where she has explored various methods of shaping.

“I have fallen in love with handbuilding, and that’s typically what I do now,” Burchat said.

In order to shape her pottery, Burchat searches second-hand stores to find molds for her potential pieces. One piece she made is a turquoise colored casserole dish with intricate floral designs on it.

“Basically, you take a big slab of clay and you lay it into the casserole dish and form it. Then you cut it out and you can design it however you want,” Burchat said, demonstrating the process.

Burchat goes to the annual Brimfield antique fair to buy antique wooden stamps which give her the designs seen in her pottery pieces. After accumulating over 120 stamps, she has become a regular to the Brimfield vendor.

“He’s awesome,” Burchat said. “I go crazy when I go and get these stamps. The guy sees me coming and he hands me the basket.”

In the last few years, Burchat has branched out and begun taking a class in an exotic mode of pottery.

“My favorite technique to do is called Raku,” Burchat said. “My teacher says [raku] means dancing with fire.”

Raku is when a glazed piece of pottery is pulled from a kiln when it’s burning hot and thrown into a trashcan where it smolders in newspaper. Raku is notable because the unique reaction that happens to the glazes causes beautiful designs and colors.

When art teacher Michelle Sheppard saw Burchat midst her craft, she witnessed the intensity of Burchat’s hobby.

“She looks like an awesome beast with an apron on,” Sheppard said. “There’s flames and smoke coming out of it and she was just there holding the trashcan like business.”

Surrounded by her many beautiful pieces of pottery and pictures of fiery kilns, Burchat was truly in her element.