Horsehair Raku In Action

I’ve been really been enjoying making these horsehair raku pots.

It’s such an exciting and dynamic technique. After making the coil pots I use smooth beach pebbles to burnish the surface. This is such a meditative process and the smoother the better for this technique as there will be no glaze on the pot at all.

After the pot is bisque fired I place it in the raku kiln and heat it until around 7 -800 degrees centigrade. I lift the pot out of the kiln and lay strands of horsehair onto the hot surface of the pot. The thick and oily horsehair sizzles and crackles and creates gorgeous dynamic patterns. No two pieces are ever the same.

The final stage is to polish the finished pot with a special wax polish and there you have it a Horsehair Raku Pot.

Take a look at the video below and make sure to sign up to my Studio Notes email list to be the first to hear about latest designs and behind the scenes in my studio as well as the occasional secret seconds sale.