Horsehair urn 345Horse hair pottery is a unique technique combining an ancient Japanese firing method with the application of a horse's tail hair. There is no glaze on the surface of the piece. It is said that the inspiration for these vessels originated with Native Americans. Each piece of pottery is handmade by me on the pottery wheel using white stoneware or porcelain clay body. After throwing, smoothing, trimming, burnishing, and bisque firing, the pot is ready to fire. The bisque pots are loaded into the Raku kiln and the temperature is brought up to approximately 1200 degrees. The pots are then carefully removed, one at a time and the horsehair is applied to the extremely hot pot. Instantly the hair starts to vaporize on the surface of the pot, squiggling and dancing around the surface of the piece. one of a kind. 3 cubic inches.
http://www.ronmellostudioart.com/index.html