The painterly process of Horsehair Raku is tedious and fragile. The pieces are made of a low fire white clay with no sand or grog so they crack easily even with a light breeze, so air movement must be controlled as much as possible. I paint 22k gold on the pieces, mimicking the way the hair behaves when it touches the hot ware, and then fire it at cone 018. The subsequent firings are done in the Raku kiln and the hair is laid on when the temperature reaches 1150 Degrees Fahrenheit, around cone 022. Making these pieces raises great inner spiritual power; I lose myself in the process and feel a good connection to the work. Thru observation and understanding the subtle nuances of the color of the heat and how the heat is distributed in the ware, I determine when the piece is hot enough to receive the horsehair. The thicker hair is applied first proceeding to the thinner strands as the piece cools down. At the end a little sugar is sprinkled on to give the final touch of texture (all horses enjoy a little sugar). All of the horsehair I have collected is from horses I know. Each of the pieces will have the hair of multiple horses and each horse has their unique hair that adds aesthetic difference to the pieces. I ask horse owners to save the hair from the mane and tail and I will build a vessel attesting to their horses’ legacy. The horsehair pieces have been in the Pennsylvania State Museum, “ State of Art” 2013, Westmorland Museum Biannual 2012 and the Associated Artist 100th and 99th annual at The Carnegie Museum of Art. The work has received the Friends of Art Collection Award and Craft Awards. I am a member of The Craftsman’s Guild of Pittsburgh, The Silver Eye Center for Photography, The Associated Artist of Pittsburgh and The Pittsburgh Society of Artists. My work can be viewed in permanent collections, The Pittsburgh Public Schools, The Neighborhood Academy and private collections including Jack Warner the great American Art collector. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, The Pittsburgh Center for Art, and Panza Gallery represents my work.
