Each artist evolves a style of his/her own with experience. The basic process becomes comfortable as we learn through our mistakes. And yet for a ceramic artist, there are never ending experiments.
I prepare my own clay body & glazes. I fire upto a temperature of 1080°C. I do a lot of glaze experiments, as a result of which I have a good range of pallete to choose from. I roll out thin slabs of clay & mould it into the desired form by hand. After drying, it is fired in an electric kiln at 1080°C. Then I apply the various glazes with a brush.
I never dip the piece in glaze. I use more than one glaze, so it is best done with a brush. The piece goes back to the kiln & again fired upto 1080°C.
The thrill of seeing the finished piece coming out of the kiln is incomparable. Glaze in its raw form never has the colour it actually is. When it melts & flows & blends with its companion glazes, the results are truly amazing.
Sometimes you can get pieces with special effects, which are difficult to repeat. This element of surprise, excitement & thrill cannot be found in any other art form. Fire has the final word & transforms the artist’s work, making him feel humble.
Since the whole process is hand made at each step, it gives each piece a unique quality.
The following poem describes how I feel about my work:
What is seen,
and absorbed,
is never lost.
This beauty found
descends on to my entire being.
Art… which filters down
from the clouds,
is an experience of joy -
the joy of creation
passes through me
again & again -
belonging to no one,
nor to me.
And - yet through me,
to be mine
only mine.
All is mine
beauty … or ugliness!