Golden Bridge Pottery – Pondicherry, India

Greetings from South India!
Along way from home, but now happily ensconced in a home away from home.

I have been working here on a Ganesh sculpture. It is heaven! I think Ganesh put the obstacle of my computer breakdown in my path so I would go analogue and pay attention to his creation. Though Ganesh is suppose to be the remover of obstacles. His obstacles not mine?

Golden Bridge Pottery was founded by my wonderful hosts Ray Meeker & Deborah Smith in 1971. They have trained and taught many Indian nationals the skill, craft and art of production pottery and artistry of ceramics. If this were Japan, they would be considered national treasures. 

For about 40 years Ray taught a 7 month course to mostly young woman the skill and practice of working with clay. They were probably (but not necessarily) artistically minded, it was something to do while waiting to get married or go to graduate school, etc. He has created a generation of formidable artists. I mean kick ass! The few that I've met, they're passion for the medium and dedication is impressive. Also they're appreciation for Deb & Ray. 

They are taught (6 days a week, all day) from the making of clay to wheel throwing to glaze making and wood firing. The 7 months is a distillation of a 4 year BFA. Distilled to the coursework for a ceramic major. IMHO anyway.

More to come but wanted to set the scene. I am doing this with my thumbs in an iPhone, so time to rest the digits.

Morning Bounty

Today I cracked open my saggar box and looked inside. Was it like Christmas? Sort of....
I got lots of presents, but not exactly what I imagined....some better and a lot of broken fingers. That part, the broken fingers happened going into the box. What can I say? I'm a bit rough with my own stuff.

But I will say, it was fascinating to see what happened. The color, scaring and oxidation was far out! I will do this again, and I will work with something other than hands with delicate fingers....(oh the fun I will have in gluing them back on *sigh*)
I do love the SURPRISE element to this.
Talk to the hand, indeed.

Saggar who? what?

These pictures are of objects I made from porcelain, white stoneware and terra cotta or earthenware dabbed with different chemical mixes, root kill, sulfates, iron oxides, etc., and put in a clay box called a saggar. The whole point of this is the opposite of what it was devised for. Originally it was to protect the fine white of the chinese porcelain from the flames and not mar the finish. In this case you are putting it in a box in order to change the surface. Along with the ceramic things that I made I wrapped wire, masking tape, added sawdust, seaweed and shells with the great hope that these things will cause a reaction to the clay surface. All done in the hopes of a 'happy accident'. Hopefully more happy than accidental. We'll see....

I am working on a Buddha figure, Avalokiteśvara – the Buddha of infinite compassion, or Boddhisatva, literally, the lord who looks down, who is often depicted with '1000 arms and hands, and eyes to show his compassion of always watching and  reaching out to everyone and everything. He gets this reputation because he refused to go on to Nirvana until everyone was able to and he stayed incarnated so he could help everyone. What a guy, huh? Anyway, I saw a couple of statues at the Guimet museum in Paris awhile back and there was a Korean one that really moved me deeply. So I thought I'd make like 50 hands (it's not number, but effect, right?) out of different clay bodies done in this saggar firing method to represent all the different 'hands' Avalokiteśvara 'gives'. Again, we'll see...

Also, I have this idea about ladders and hands holding them....not like Jacob's ladder, different, but not sure what it is, except reaching or climbing. Enuf said...