Hudson Mackenzie on tue 1 may 01
from Ty Brunson (tybrunson@hotmail.com) via hudson@potters.org
Does anyone out there know when, where or how the process of firing with horse hair originated? I've read a few lines posted at individual websites that attribute this firing process to various Indian tribes of the southwest. Is this true or just a sales pitch? Any help would be appreciated and noted in my research on this process.
Tim Skeen on fri 4 may 01
>Yours, Kelly in Ohio
>(wondering if some early potter with long, thick hair leaned too close t=
o a
hot pot and discovered the squiggly lines of >carbon, inspiring
horsehair raku...)
I first saw Horse Hair Pottery when I lived in New Mexico.(about 5 years
ago) I'm ashamed to say I don't remember the name of the Potter who star=
ted
this type of firing, but it was started as far as I know at the Acoma
Pueblo. The potter's wife was standing over their pit fire and a few
strands of her hair fell on a pot and burned into the surface leaving a
curly, carbon marking. He knew he'd be in trouble cutting his wife's hai=
r
so the next best thing was to use hair from a horse's tail. This story wa=
s
told to me by a friend of the family. I had the pleasure of holding one o=
f
his pots and it truly was a beauty!!! Whether or not he was the original
Horse Hair Potter, it's a great story to travel with his pots. I like to
tell my customers the story when they ask about the process. I've
experimented with different techniques but no matter how you burn horse h=
air
it still smells.
Off to the studio to horse hair a few pots, the smell is like incense for=
me
now.
Audrey Skeen
mailto:taskeen@mtdpottery.com
http://mtdpottery.com
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