Take lessons in shaping clay with songs of summer

A little bit of enthusiasm and dedication is all it takes to perfect the art of pottery, says  potter Puja Rao.
Puja Rao (L) at a potter session
Puja Rao (L) at a potter session

BENGALURU: Pottery can be quite exciting, but a mild careless slip and your work is potentially ruined.
The origins of the art date back to the Neolithic era in India with the Indus Valley Civilization. Since then the art has evolved beyond pots and utensils thanks to pottery studios that keep redefining the art form.

Puja Rao is into something similar. Go to the website songsofsummer.com and you will find unique works by her. Called ‘A Little Chaos’, a plant potter is made in a conical shape. Puja says it is made using hand building technique. She has made flower chime, that looks like a wind chime using the same technique.

“The pieces that are not uniform and need some tweaking with are made with hand,” she says.

Another technique she uses is wheel flowing, which is a traditional way of making earthenware.

The self-taught artiste started learning the art in 2012 when she went to a hobby class in the city. She took to the practice professionally later. The motivation to start her own studio came from the need to have garden products in her landscaping business.

“I tried getting good quality products in India, but couldn’t find potters who could make things of a certain quality and I had fallen in love with the craft of creating things by hand, so I went ahead and set up my own studio.” she says.

While she managed to find a place to learn basics of pottery, she realised that there was no place which taught the art professionally.

“So I wanted to teach whatever I knew to other people. That’s what inspired me to teach,” she informs.
She takes one-on-one classes for pottery.

“Some people join the classes due to curiosity as to how it works. Some come to learn something specific like learning how to make a Bonsai planter and some come to experience the art. Most of them them take it as a hobby or learn just for the sake of it,” she says.

What does it take to learn pottery? “A little enthusiasm and dedication towards learning and exploring the craft can take you a long way,” she says.

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The New Indian Express
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