SPIN IT WITH STUDIO POTTERS
Indian pottery from centuries has occupied the humblest position among craftsmen, deep rooted in traditions and heritage of India. The master traditional potters have practiced the art of pottery from generations in their family. Without an extensive understanding about firing or techniques, they have mastered the craft in their own style. But now the wheel has turned, a new breed of non-traditional urban studio potters have emerged creating Unique “Art pottery” in their modern pottery Studio space. The pioneer potter Sardar Gurucharan Singh set up the Delhi Blue Potteries in 1952. He was responsible for the revival of the old Mughal/Persian glaze technology of the Delhi blue and was perhaps the first studio potter in the country. Today, The Blue Pottery trust focuses on Stoneware as their main forte and disfavor practicing blue pottery since it is porous in nature and involves toxic colours as said by Mr. Rajesh, a ceramic artist in the studio. What has led to the growth of Studio potters in India? As the spending power of the Indian middle class increases the demand for one of a kind Studio pots is on the rise, hence studio poters are finding buyers for their art. Even the emergence of new technology in kilns and electronic wheel steered a rise. Studio potters are creating all manner of attractive pottery pieces, every ware being unique to their style. They are not mass produced products and just one of a kind art article. ‘What lacks in traditional potters is the creative quotient, they follow the age old traditional form of pottery and dont explore it in the form of art. Whereas Studio pottery gives space to the creative flow of ideas. Hence each product created by Studio potters is unique, and does not pose as a repetitive art.’ quoted during an interview with Mr. Rajesh Srivastav, a ceramic artist and instructor at Blue Pottery Trust. In Studio pottery, the fuctional traditional form breaks off to a free form of abstract art which is wild in imagination but bound by function.
