The University of the Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo has a beautiful Ceramics department that we had the luck to be introduced to by fellow potter, Amrita Puniani. Its faculty members are sincere and genuine peoples who were extremely accommodating. Intrigued by our story, they immediately began to advise us on the pottery related … Read more
From Hatton we traveled north to Kandy with the old British locomotive route once more. It is a pleasant little hilly city but our agenda was to travel outside of the city to its local pottery community living in Molagoda. As we journeyed west on a local bus headed to Colombo we began to see, with … Read more
Our guesthouse owners gave us ride to Galle from where we caught a local bus to Tangalle. In fact we caught three local buses before we made it there, late in the evening. The following morning we felt the call of the ocean. We walked along the rocky coastal shore between two beaches and absorbed … Read more
We arrived in Hikkaduwa on a highway bus. Hikkaduwa is located directly on the sea and is a surfers beach where you are spoilt for choice with places to stay and eat at. We certainly felt grateful and thrilled to have both, our interest in clay and beach bumming, satisfied simultaneously. Who needs more? A … Read more
Red Clay Art Pottery, Pondicherry He trained and worked at Golden Bridge Pottery for numerous years before starting up a family run terracotta pottery. They make very pure terracotta for their earthenware range: the clay was a delight to touch and a relief to find in such purity. Wind Glaze Pottery, Auroville Puneet Brar … Read more
Terra Crafts is a small-scale terra-cotta production pottery based in Eroor, a suburb of Kochi in Ernakulam district. We were on a whimsical hunt for a famous Malayali potter named Jayan when we arrived at Terra Crafts. A short conversation later we had been accepted to spend one month learning at Terra Crafts. We knew … Read more
Anil is a large-hearted man, so as soon as he realised our curiosity and drive to learn all things pottery related he offered that we conduct our own “black firing” under his instruction. Anil has a small self-made raku type kiln. It is rectangular with an open top, has a grill between the firebox and … Read more
Our first experience in firing a wood kiln was at Mitraniketan’s pottery unit. It’s something we really wanted to do and hopefully do much more of because we intend to eventually build a kiln of our own and wood fire our own things. The kiln happens to be huge: with a chamber that can fit up … Read more
We barely took notice of a large coarse rubble like mound lying opposite the pottery unit until it was time to make more clay. To our surprise this heap was the raw source of clay. We were clueless about earthenware clay preparation and still do not understand certain aspects. Early one morning, Sumalet directed us … Read more