Bruce Girrell on mon 30 oct 00
In an earlier post I briefly mentioned that Lynne and I had done some
experimentation with human hair along with our horse hair over the weekend.
Since I've received inquiries about it, I'll expand a little.
First of all, let me say that the experiment was rather rudimentary: I
pulled some strands of hairs from my head and applied them to the next pot
that we got out of the kiln. What I found was interesting, though.
1) As you would expect, human hair, being much thinner than horse hair made
a thinner line. This could be nice. Having some control over line thickness
is a little like being able to use different typefaces, or at least a bold
and normal face of the same font.
2) Because of the thinner line, there was less smoking surrounding the hair
line. Sometimes the amount of smoke from the horse hair is so dense as to
obscure other effects, such as the ferric chloride coloring that we use.
3) The hair stayed where it was placed. It curled a little so that we didn't
get straight lines, but basically stayed were placed. Horse hair, for those
of you who haven't tried it, has a very nasty habit of curling so violently
when it contacts the hot pot that it just jumps right off the pot, sometimes
landing where you don't want it or simply refusing to adhere and make any
significant mark. This was the most exciting thing to me - it actually
stayed where I put it. I don't know if it is a function of hair type or just
the fact that it was human hair. Lynne gets to donate the next trial
strands. We'll see if blonde hair works the same as brown (OK, gray).
4) As the pot cooled, the line from the human hair grayed somewhat. My guess
is that it oxidized and that if we had applied the human hair when the pot
was a little cooler it would not have lost as much intensity. Even so, it
still represents an opportunity to add some variation to the technique
instead of having all lines of the same intense black.
Well, that's it. There's not a lot of information that you can glean from
half a dozen hairs. We'll have to try it again. If we find anything else of
interest, you folks will be the first to know.
Bruce and Lynne Girrell
in northern Michigan wondering where I first read that you shouldn't use
human hair. I never did listen all that well, anyway. I liked Tony C's
comment that your brain is your worst enemy. No question about it. I am at
my best, closest to my true self, when I don't think about what I'm doing
and just do it. Don't think! Act!
Millie Carpenter on tue 31 oct 00
Gary
do I have this right, you draw with the feather as you would with a pencil? or do
you drop small feathers on the pot. the reason that I as is that a friend bagged a
wild turkey and gifted me with a whole wing, in a box of borax of course. and some
of the really big ones are not in the best shape. so do I use these to draw with.
also when I live there are lots of Ducks, geese, seagulls, and I pick up feathers.
Millie in Md, on the banks of the Chesapeake bay.
>
> Feathers can be used to actually draw on pots. There is a fair variation
> between different kinds of feathers, which results in different line
> thickness and smoking. You can buy a few different types of feathers at
> places like Hobby Lobby.
>
Gary Elfring on tue 31 oct 00
>In an earlier post I briefly mentioned that Lynne and I had done some
>experimentation with human hair along with our horse hair over the weekend.
>Since I've received inquiries about it, I'll expand a little.
I do a *lot* of "horse hair" work. You can use any material that contains
the protein found in hair (whose name I forget at the moment). This
includes: hair, feathers, insect husks, finger nails, etc. I have tried all
of them, and the only things that are practical are hair and feathers. (Of
course if you had very long fingernails you could draw on the pots. )
Feathers can be used to actually draw on pots. There is a fair variation
between different kinds of feathers, which results in different line
thickness and smoking. You can buy a few different types of feathers at
places like Hobby Lobby.
Horse hair gives me the best results, but there are gigantic differences
between different kinds of horse hair. The hair from tails usually is
thicker than mane hair and easier to handle. Palamino tail hair tends to be
very long, thick, and easy to apply (it looks like very think blonde hair).
It doesn't curl much, if at all, so you can use it to make long straight
lines. The thinner dark horse hair tends to do the most curling.
When applying hair or feathers, remember that pots cool from the top to the
bottom. Once the pot reaches the right temperature, you need to concentrate
on the top of your piece first. When the top is too cool to work on, the
middle and bottom will still be workable.
I have also worked out a lot of different colorants for my pieces. I
usually line the inside of them with a glaze and use a mixture of oxides to
add color to the outside. I get reliable browns, reds, orange, green, blue,
and I'm currently working on a teal color.
I pull my pieces from the raku kiln and place them on a chunk of kiln shelf
that sits on a turntable, on a 4 foot table. This makes it easy to spin the
piece and decorate all sides. Finally, I always wear safety glasses and a
particle mask when decorating.
-gary elfring-
the horsehair and feather king
Larry Phillips on thu 2 nov 00
Millie Carpenter wrote:
>
> do I have this right, you draw with the feather as you would with a pencil?
You can... using the tip of the feather that was closest to the bird, it
acts much like a pencil.
> or do you drop small feathers on the pot.
I haven't tried that, but there's o reason it wouldn't work. Of course,
you have less control over the result.
Another way is to hold the tip, and use the feathery bits as a brush.
Depending on how you apply the feather, you can get quite a variety of
patterns, from little, thin lines, to wide swaths.
--
Hukt on fonix werkt fer me!
http://cr347197-a.surrey1.bc.wave.home.com/larry/
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