Let's Talk About Art: Creating horsehair raku
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Artist Sandra Moore uses real horse hair and Japanese firing methods to create her pottery. She teaches children about the process and the "magic of the fires."
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To mark its 100th year, Associated Artists of Pittsburgh is presenting bimonthly pieces spotlighting emerging and established artists and AAP programs. The organization promotes the visual arts in the region and is celebrating an ARTrageous year of art with more than 70 exhibitions in museums, galleries and institutions.
Sandra Moore always considered herself an artist.
Her first experiences with art came to her as a young child living in Indonesia, where she recalls being surrounded by beautiful creative works.
"Panels of historic scenes ornately carved in relief sculpture, furniture decoration and public art were everywhere," she says.
Images that made distinct impressions on her included "ceremonial costumes and headdresses ornate in detail and color, and tropical environments with ancient temples, jungles, monkeys, huge snakes, villages on stilts and monsoon rains."
Today, as a professional artist living in Glenshaw, Ms. Moore enjoys working with different media. She is particularly drawn toward horsehair raku -- a type of pottery that combines an ancient Japanese firing method with horse's tail hair.
Ms. Moore also teaches children this method of artwork. "They enjoy the magic of the fires we use to create the pieces," she says.
Her favorite art project is one she worked on with students of the Neighborhood Academy in Garfield for the 250th anniversary of Pittsburgh.
"Five students and I canvassed Penn Avenue corridor's businesses and galleries asking questions about stories they could share with us. We also asked if they would donate an artifact to place in the mosaic murals we were assembling," she says.
The murals were an unqualified success and hung on the walls of the students' school.
Ms. Moore, 56, is a member of the Craftsman's Guild of Pittsburgh and the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. She was recently awarded a Friends of Art purchase award for her pottery.
Middle school student art ambassadors, working with Friends of Art, selected "Horsehair No. 1" for future display in one of the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The work is part of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh's 100th Annual at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
You can see "Horsehair No. 1" and all the AAP works at the Carnegie Museum of Art through Sept. 19.
First Published August 3, 2010 12:00 am
