Within the last 25 years, a method of staining pit fired or
raku fired ware through the application of horse hair
has
appeared. Thie decorating method utilizes
burnishing
techniques developed by Pueblo Indian
tribes of the
Southwest where a thin clay slip known
as terra-siglilatta is
applied to the greenware
(unfired) pottery before using
pieces of polished
agate to burnish the pottery surface to a
shine. Pots
are then fired but removed from the kiln while
still
extremely hot. Strands of horse hair laid across hot
pieces leave a linear design carbon-trapped into the
still
vulnerable slip surface. The low firing
temperatures result
in a fairly porous body. These
pieces are not considered
functional pottery, but
decorative art.
These pieces are made utilizing alpaca
fiber which lends
itself to a beautiful crinkly design
across the pottery
