From Tangalle we took a bus to Ella. We could have continued from Tangalle straight on to Kandy where we’d heard of local pottery but we wanted to journey across Sri Lanka’s hill country on the quaint locomotive we’d heard so much about. On the bus drive up to Ella we spotted a tree standing … 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
The simple truth is that we needed to extend our Indian visas and so we went to Sri Lanka. We spent 3 nights in Gampaha District with a couchsurfer. Our energetic host insisted we see Colombo, helped us map out a generic travel plan based largely on famous Sri Lankan sights and most importantly provided … Read more
From the lush green scenery of Kerala we rode into the drier but equally populated by coconut palms landscape of Tamil Nadu. We were traveling with Jayan, our pottery teacher from Terra Crafts. True to Indian style he had a whirlwind agenda of places to see from Chennai through to our final destination, Auroville. Auto … 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
We spent one month in Eroor, working at a small-scale production pottery and living in the basement room of the company’s owner. Eroor is an inland island in the east of Ernakulam district. It has become a small pottery village and the revival of terra-cotta clay work can be accredited to our teacher Jayan who … Read more
Most people we met in Kerala told us to visit Fort Kochi and the Biennale so when we finished at Mitraniketan it seemed only natural to head that way. Besides Anil, the potter, had also given us a greater purpose: the name of a famous potter we needed to find who lives in the Ernakulam … Read more