There’s more to artistic pottery than making pots!

There’s more to artistic pottery than making pots!

What distinguishes me from the rest here is that I don’t hanker after the wheel. To me, the wheel is just another tool which I use when I need to make miniature pots and the like. Or I use it to blend with my art work to get a better output with intricate hand building to go with it.  I advocate artistic pottery as that brings out the ‘real’ you in yourself. The potters’ wheel can only make the clay go round and round with your correct finger movements to assist the molding of the pot, and simply put, if you know to cope with clay in the first place with speed and dexterity by hand building exercises,  then mastering the wheel is just a cake walk. At the most, you can create different shapes of pots using the potters’ wheel, but there’s more to pottery than just making pots!

   

It is an understatement that clay means pot making, which actually is what in the public’s mind. They hardly know that there are concepts of Traditional art, Modern art , Contemporary and Abstract hand works involved, which are a gamut of activity with clay play.

It is the originality and creativity of artistic work involving hand building exercises which can take you a class apart from the others and also give you a sense of belonging.  The art created is a result of painstaking hand building work, which any onlooker is bound to appreciate.

Potters on the wheel hardly get creative and execute little else besides pots as they are conversant only with the wheel as it runs in their genes and the family of generations is content dishing out various sizes of pots. Which is precisely the reason why they have not made a mark to stay deep rooted to the same profession, considering they ought to change with the trend and keep in tune with business prospects in mind , when it comes to home décor and art related boundaries which they could as well delve into.  

Now the potter has his family members of the next generations are seeking jobs in IT and Commerce as they think it is not profitable to run the show. The grass is always greener on the other side.  If something is not profitable one needs to analyze the reasons and take the next step accordingly. The market for creativity is booming. Mixed media is also ruling the roost. Pottery has gained its foothold thanks to Media support and is not longer perceived with a step-motherly treatment.  It is gaining its rightful place in South India and locking horns with the yellow metal (gold) when it comes to traditional jewelry wear. This is not achievable without Media support especially when it comes to South India which is the biggest player for the yellow metal market. Excellent designs with Mother Earth have proved to be a winner to spell class in every way.

There is a need for more and more trainers in India as the demand for learning pottery is high compared to before. Pottery as a therapy and an art is gaining its rightful place. 

Abdomen clay packs have successfully been used for different age groups from my end to remove the toxic contents in the body and also to arrest diarrhoea/ loose motions and we have referrals from hospitals for the same on a regular basis. We also execute it for private practice at homes where a VIP client wishes to remain anonymous and yet wishes to avail the benefit in their own cozy comfort of homes.
There is a need to cleanse oneself with suitable clay packs after a test-dose on a regular basis as, periodically, toxic content raises its head without one’s knowledge. Mahatma Gandhi used to cleanse his stomach daily for 20 minutes by the administration of clay packs on his abdomen, so we can be sure that these safe practices existed for a long time. 

Artistic Pottery Training Academy ( APTA) focuses on hand building exercises at lower and intermediary levels and it is only in the advanced levels that we train our students into handling the potters’ wheel. Simple reason being, we are looking at the long term perspective of the individual and want our students to be outstanding at their work when it comes to pottery as an art. If they jump the gun and aim to shoot their fingers at the potters’ wheel in their initial stages, they can be depressed as that involves dexterity with hands to cope with enormous clay to bring out a big pot or a  large cylinder and  invariably it is the trainer, who as a potter helps and they realize when they are on their own , can’t venture to make a decent and artistic pot !  So short cuts are not for clay-play and real grounding with Mother Earth by hand building paves the way for more and more success.  It’s akin to learning your alphabets well first before attempting to write a paragraph. 

It is a misnomer that pottery investment is high. It is considered high if you opt for a big furnace (kiln) and wheel initially without knowing the nuances of pottery. Items which need not be baked are plenty. Those that are unbaked remain fine lifelong as master pieces, so long as you have executed the hand-building  exercise properly and have kept the art safe in a place which doesn’t involve daily handling.

I don’t see reason to place all my pieces in the kiln. I use my discretion. If I need to wear a clay bangle, I necessarily have to put it in the Kiln as it ought to be baked for me to  wear it , but for a  pen stand /desk top holder or paper weight ,  it is not mandatory as it can remain unbaked too and can be utilized.

Artistic work  by hand-building could mean texture work to go with the flow, or could be an inlay work too which is intricate or can be  through different tools which bring out the essence and effervescence  of that piece effectively to project uniqueness in its flavor. The design concept runs through intricately with the simultaneous dexterity of both hands and it is here that one makes a hallmark to establish one’s identity in the field.

Creativity transcends all barriers and boundaries. What you project in your art is a thought pattern or mood that has emerged in you at that point of time and hence thoughts, being different with each passing day, so is the case with your art too remaining refreshingly different in display. You revel in clay-play with your body, mind and soul connected with the earth element, so it is a great stress buster and grounds you to reality, as the earth/ Bhoomi which is one of the five Panchaboothas is primarily involved with grounding work.

There are fresh candidates with no experience of clay-play, who come saying they want only wheel work, to those I would simply say: “Sometimes you have to experience what you don’t want in life to come to a full understanding of what you want in life”.

#Therapy # Dexterity # Motivation #Artistic #Pottery #intricacy  #learning #MotherEarth # hand-building #clay-play

Pic: Malini with her dad 

MALINI KALYANAM alias USHA 

Founder Director of Artistic Pottery Training Academy                                                                         www.malinipottery.com

The Writer is a Holistic healer , Reiki Grand Master, blogger, Freelance writer, Green thumb columnist, conducts workshops  on soft skills, Inner Child, Yoga- dance -Mudra practitioner and trainer, Garden enthusiast and Environmentalist, Pottery artist and teacher, Tarot card reader , Angel therapist, Color and Switch Words therapist but not necessarily in the same order.