Richard Aerni on wed 7 aug 02
----- Original Message -----
Subject: original of horsehair?
> Michael Morier is claimed by the "Ortega's Gifts" site to be originator of
> "Horsehair" technique...
> A couple of searches turned up no other images than the two on the above
link.
>
> Helen
Well, I don't know whether Michael originated the horsehair technique or
not. The website Helen cited actually just mentioned that Michael's pots
were the original horsehair made in New Mexico...or words of that sort.
But speaking of Michael Morier, I wanted to say that I met him several years
ago and possess one of his pieces, of the horsehair type. It is indeed very
beautiful, and I cherish it. He is a most interesting man, and we had a
number of pleasant conversations about pots, life, etc. I want to excerpt
several sections from his handout, which may be of interest:
"In 1970 Michael found himself living in a sort of communal living situation
with about eight other people who were artists or entertainers. Included in
the group were Lacy J. Dalton the country and western singer, and Cheech
Marin the comedian.
Strangely enough it was Cheech Marin, an accomplished potter, who introduced
Michael to wheel thrown pottery. Michael thought at the time that if Cheech
could learn to throw pottery, perhaps he could as well.
snippety snip snip...
In 1978 Michael moved to New Mexico with the hope of finding greater
inspiration and artistic stimulation. While teaching at an Indian
Reservation, the artist began studying the burnished black pottery of the
Southwest Pueblo Indians. After years of experimentation he finally arrived
at his present plateau.
Michael's burnished earthenware borrows some of the techniques from the
Pueblo Indians and combines them with some of his own innovations. The pots
are wheel thrown, burnished, then decorated with various combustable
materials while the work is still red hot. The result is a beautiful satin
smooth marble like appearance.
End of promotional announcement.
Best,
Richard Aerni
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