Kate Johnson on sat 29 dec 01
Just wanted to thank all of you who took time to answer my query on
horsehair pots...I need to get back with the fellow who asked me to make one
for him, I think! I specifically asked him if it was the raku process,
since I'd just seen a gorgeous pot done that way, and he swore it wasn't.
So either he didn't know what he was talking about...a possibility since he
is not a potter--or there's something else out there.
In an case I am anxious to experiment with horsehair, feathers, my own
nearly 3-foot-long hair... Which, yes, has indeed gotten caught up in
the centrifugal force of the spinning clay on the wheel, OUCH. I try to
remember to take a nice big clip with me to school, or just put my braid
inside my turtleneck!
Best--
Kate
Kathryn Whitaker on sun 30 mar 03
I saw that there were many questions about Horsehair pottery on the archive.
I think I can take out some of the mystery
The true originator of horsehair pottery was Michael Morier of Belen, New
Mexico.
Michael taught on a Navajo reservation and learned to burnish and continued
pit firing and raku style pottery with the burnishing technique. He
experimented over time with various different combustibles and soon
discovered that hair made a remarkable burn.
Michael's pottery is unique from many of his imitators because:
He throws them on the wheel, not molds (see finger marks inside pot)
He actually burnishes them with polished stone to a high shine, not using a
polymer spray
He has fine speckles he adds with another secret ingredient
And others. At one point he was in over 50 galleries in the United States.
Before he had as many imitators that called it a Native American process
(some do, some just are native american and copy him, but don't claim
origin) he did much better.
To be fair, I should tell you that I am Michael's daughter.
One of the points made that horsehair pottery is not ancient Anasazi (as
some actually claim) is that horses were not here then!!
It needs to be noted that it is not the tribes that are claiming the
creation of the pottery but the individual "artists"
Michael's wife, Beverly, makes animals. The animals are made from molds but
are hand burnished, not sprayed. You will also note that he has more
planning in his placement of hair and in the direction of the swoop of the
design. I have some of his earlier stuff. The pots were thicker and he was
more random. I am noticing that he is heading back into the random
direction.
I hope this has been of assistance to you.
By the way, My dad's pottery is signed as well.
At one point, he paired up with artist Robert Redbird. He would give him 4
pots. R.R. Painted on all four and he would give two back to my dad. Only a
few of these exist, but they went for 1,600 each. I wish I had one!
He has been in many invitational art fairs, including Ann Arbor art fair
invitational section.
He also was chosen as one of four artists to participate in a March of Dimes
charity auction. He threw a very large pot in two pieces.
Kathryn (Morier) Whitaker
| |
|
