Clay culture: Storytelling and Ceramics
One would find it rather interesting to note that storytelling and pottery, both are amongst one of the oldest traditions in human history, and the two own the power to create magic when brought together.
Stories can be lonesome or intertwined, short and crisp or rich and endless. We all have a story and as do pieces of art we make whilst playing different characters in these stories. An intimate story we write for ourselves here at Aura is one, of the pieces we craft – the brutal temperatures our piece goes through, their molding, shaping and shaving – with so much care, thought, love and commitment.
Cherry Red Mother-Daughter duo
Individually, writing a story and creating a ceramic piece are fairly plain sailing but when you conceptualize a tale and try to delineate it in clay, which then goes under extreme temperature, uncertain conditions and scrutiny; you create an artifact that inspires others in ways that can’t be described.
The mother-daughter duo after its first firing. The pots are at the bisque stage, all geared up to be glazed. The contrast in the colors of these pieces can be easily spotted.
These magnificent angular pots were fondly conceptualized by Anuja Lath as a mother-daughter duo. While the mini pot is cut out from the same slab of clay as the mother pot, she certainly has her own personality. One can unambiguously tell by just looking at the mini that she is her mother’s child. It’s amazing how well they complement each other.
Ceramic artist Anuja Lath, spray glazing her pot with a cherry red glaze. It is the only glaze that is not made at the Aura Pottery studio because reds are a little tricky to achieve.
The flowers you see adorning the surface of the pots were individually attached to the pots once they were shaped and crafted. They add to the femininity of these pots, don’t you think? The flowers on the mother pot were carefully painted with cobalt oxide slip, compared to the daughter pot, who was painted all over except for on the flowers. This play on the colors too was a conscious attempt to make this duo similar but not identical. That being said, we do know that these two will always be a pair, no matter where they might get shipped to in the world!
The angular pots carefully being repaired with the ancient japanese technique of ‘Kintsugi’.
The golden cracks you see, delicately filled with gold leaf, are a lot like battle scars. The battle that was fought in the kiln behind closed doors, by this brave duo, withstanding sky high temperatures and from which they emerged victorious. The artist was mindful, tending to these cracks, not viewing them as flaws but honoring them by filling them up and dusting them off with gold luster.
Every piece has a story, waiting for you to discover it. Stories are what make us feel alive.
Let’s share some more…
We’d love to hear your story and see it in our inbox: hello@aurapottery.com
