Pottery
Lois Hirshberg, M.A. has been working with clay since 1975. Her art training includes Mudflat Pottery, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, and the Parsons School of Design in Japan. Her work has been shown at galleries nationally and internationally for more than 35 years. Lois’ specialty is Alternative Firing (Western Raku, Horse Hair Raku, Saggar, and Obvara).
Raku horsehair pots are fired quickly to 1200F degrees and are then taken out of a Raku kiln and placed on a noncombustible surface. Hair from a horse’s tail or mane is then laid upon the hot pottery.
Saggar firing is a firing technique where a piece of pottery is placed into a container (saggar) surrounded by combustible materials. The containers are then placed in a kiln and slowly fired to about 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.
These vessels are handbuilt from slabs of clay and then fired in an old technique that resembles components of a style developed by Japan’s Raku family of potters in Kyoto.
While traveling to various countries including: South Africa, Alaska, Israel, Japan, I have become interested in ceremonial artifacts (altars, totems, masks and other items that would be used during rituals).