Some Photos from the Horsehair Raku Firing

I really need to take some better photos of the 5 items from the horsehair raku firing, but here are a few for now.

My favourite for sure was this little polar bear, created from WSO sculptural clay :

I thought he would look good in horsehair, but he turned out better than I expected.  Especially how the horsehair followed his brow line.  The little dots are sugar.  I love the sugar.

There were suggestions that I make a tiger next time, or other animals.  I think I would like to, when I have a chance.  Although I don't know when we can realistically hope for another horsehair firing.  Perhaps in the Spring.

I would also like to make a mother polar bear with cubs.

I was also pleased with this sleeping kitty.  A few people asked whether it was a fox, and that was my other idea, to make a sleeping fox.  So perhaps next time.  It has tiny clay beads inside, so it is a rattle.  Fun, and a little unexpected.

I'm happy with how this little vase turned out also.  The brown is ferric chloride, which is toxic, but Linda graciously offered to spray our pieces if we wanted.  I do like the color.  I would also like to play with some colored terra sigillata another time, but really was in a rush just to get 5 pieces (we were allowed 6 or 7).   Afterward, I realized that I had a few eggs from the pit firing which were not too spectacular, which I could have used in the horsehair firing.  But I didn't think of this until after it was too late.

My other two pieces are an egg and a lidded jar which I think of as a ginger jar (even though I don't know what that means) but a couple of people suggested that it looked like an urn.  Anyhow, they also turned out well, so I'll post some more photos when I have a chance.