Horsehair Raku

I finally fired the horsehair raku pieces for a custom order. This type of firing involves heating pieces in a smaller portable type kiln until they are red hot, then removing them from the kiln and draping horse hair over them. The hair burns and curls leaving charred patterns on the white clay.

It's so fun to do because each piece turns out so different from the next. You never know exactly how it will turn out. One of the pieces cracked during the decoration part so it's fortunate I made a couple extras just in case. I'm especially excited that one of these pieces will be going to a Twin Cities celeb (more on that later).

Here's a close up of the effect the burned hair makes on the pot after it's cleaned up. I love turning each piece as I clean it to see which spots I like best on the piece.

The kiln is cooling, the pieces are drying after I cleaned the soot off and I smell like a combination of burned hair and manure. Time for a shower.

Be well.