Kate Izett's Profile

Kate Izett's Profile | Gallery

KATE IZETTCOMING HOME POTTERY

As a lover of horses, and the creative process of making pottery along with my admiration and great enjoyment of the artwork of Native Americans, and the Asian cultures, I wanted to find a way to combine these together, and make meaningful pieces of art that could add a touch of warmth to a person’s home. This led me to making horsehair pottery, and a series of work that I am mostly creating right now that I call “East Meets West”.

I hand throw all my pieces on my potter’s wheel, and fire them in a raku kiln reaching temperatures near 1200 degrees. Because I do enjoy experiencing different looks to my work, I may fire to a slightly higher temperature to achieve a dark smokey effect when the horse’s hair is placed on the piece after it has been removed from the kiln. After it has cooled slightly, I will lay a strand of horsehair on it producing a unique carbon line, which is impossible to recreate, and then a group of the horse’s hair producing intricate gorgeous designs. The horse’s mane gives a finer more delicate appearance on the pottery while the tail hair is a bit thicker and bolder.

The work I do in my series of pottery “East meets West” is sometimes carved with an Asian symbol or symbols done at an earlier stage of the creation process before the piece has been fired. Any excess clay is trimmed off, and the piece is then hand carved with the Asian symbol. I will then lightly burnish the clay with polished stones to make it smoother and shiny. After the horsehair firing is completed and the piece has cooled, I can then fill in the carved symbol with a turquoise inlay. Other pieces in this series are adorned with abalone shell, beads, Asian coins, and strands or braids of un-fired horsehair. I will later spray the piece with a polyurethane sealant. This will make the piece water resistant, stronger and shiny.My horsehair pottery is a tribute to these beautiful, strong, and gentle animals and embraces forever apart of their magnificence. I do welcome commission work. I have also made pieces using the hair from people’s dogs, which turn out very nice. Urns are also available for horses or other animals that have passed away. I actually made a vase using my dog Michaela’s beautiful hair along with a few strands of my own. It definitely helped me with the grieving process having our pottery in my home where I can see apart of us together. I recently read a list of ways that might be helpful for those who are soon saying goodbye to their dear horses. Anoint your horse’s head with an essential oil, one that’s smell you especially love. Later on it will become his or hers special scent for you. Be with your horse as much as possible they do sense your love. Braid flowers into your horse’s mane it is a way of showing respect and giving them your attention. Cut a lock of your horse’s mane, tie it with a special ribbon, and place it in a special place. Later you may want to add some of your own hair to it. Most of all when the end comes talk to your horse pet him or her; let your horse know it was loved very much.

Thank you so much for viewing my work. Welcome are your inquires. -Kate Izett

Kate moved to Grand Junction Colorado in 1997, and has attended many pottery classes at Mesa State College along with other fine art classes. Her work is in a local downtown gallery, and she continues to have collectors of her work all over the United States.

Kate Izett
Grand Junction, CO
(970) 245-4010