Snap Crackle Pop! Raku Workshop at Gaya Ceramic

Oi. It’s been a week since I got back from Bali, almost, and finally, a chance to catch my breath I had the most amazing time at a raku workshop – for all of two weeks, it was non-stop making and learning and firing and smoke. All this was accomplished in the best of company – there were in total 6 of us at the workshop from far-out corners of the globe, with three of the most passionate and knowledgeable teachers ever – Marcello (throwing sensei), Michela (glaze sensei) and Hillary (all-around sensei and world-traveler) at GAYA Ceramic & Design. I am still reeling from the massive amount of information I’ve absorbed, and itching to get my hands in clay to practice what I’ve learnt All this workshopping was sustained with some excellent two-hour lunches at the GAYA restaurant, mostly Italian and some local fare, and delectable cookies accompanying coffee. We even got to see a bit of Bali on two days out, bouncing over narrow roads with views of ricefields and mountains to take your heart away.

What I will remember most fondly though, is the utter sincerity of the teachers in conveying their knowledge, and the inspiring space all of it took place in. The factory space downstairs was FILLED with beautiful work, all handmade by a troupe of the most cheerful Balinese boys to incredible finish and precision. The space we participants worked in was completely equipped, a bamboo plateau open on all sides to let in sun and wind. Bliss! No wonder I was so bummed out on coming home…

Hillary, Marcello & Michela talking glaze and rrrraku

Mixing glaze with a TOILET BRUSH effective

Learning about 'naked raku' with Michela. Many of us spent whole afternoons burnishing patiently away with a little bit of coconut shell or a black marble pebble to get the perfect surface for this effect.

Playing with fire and smoke: Marcello demos some of the combustible materials used for raku. You can see the kiln at back.

Like performers revealed on stage, the gleaming hot pieces are the centre of attention!

Making stuff to fire in the workspace... look at those shell bowls Hillary is making...

This is where I was throwing...

It wasn't all work... we saw some beautiful sights. HOWEVER this guy asked us to take a picture of him... and then asked for money -_- disgustos.

Some of the objects I made yayyy

Treasury Feature: LOVE Fall by munieca

Only until Friday Oct 23rd, click here to follow up any of these Etsy treasures.

School of Hard Knocks, Royal Selangor Visitor Centre

This Saturday, scientist sis and I attended the School of Hard Knocks. If you’ve never heard of it, this is the Royal Selangor visitor centre in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, where you can go on a tour of the history/facts on pewter, see how skilled craftspeople make pewter parts and baubles (fascinating stuff!), do some expensive shopping (optional) and for a small fee of RM50, bang out your very own pewter plate.

That’s my idea of a good weekend

We were greeted by a friendly tour guide at the base of the building. The guides come in multiple languages – I remember hearing some Korean and Japanese the last time I was at the factory. This one had memorised all the facts and figures and could tell us anything off the top of his head. And he talked very fast! Walking through the factory, we got to try our hand at hammering a design on a tumbler. You have to hit the same spot TWICE to make a nice indentation, and then move on to the next spot. Not as easy as it looks… our guide told us that most apprentices have to practice for 6 months before mastering this exercise.

There was also a station where you can see how pewter is cast… kind of like a slip mold, except that pewter solidifies in about 2 seconds, so you have to be very quick. It was gratifying to see each pewter handle drop out of its mold with a solid CLUNK. I think at some point of my life, I wouldn’t mind being a factory worker here…  except that the starting pay is something like RM800

So what happened at the School of Hard Knocks?

First things first, we were introduced to a hand-sized disc of pewter, still flat and untouched. This, it was explained to us, would become our plate after some amount of hammering.

Then we had to knock in our words/names on the discs with these:

Every workstation has a set of these neatly labeled alphabet stamps

Then the merciless malleting began!

We hammered to heart's content - almost! It was no place for a hangover.

Simple yet effective tools

Mayne's plate xoxo!

My plate. Next time I am bringing a nice long favourite passage from a book

Mayne and her 'certificate'

Our plates were hustled into tissue wrappers and cardboard boxes. Then we were hustled into the store downstairs! It was 5 mins away from closing time, so we were running around like chickens taking pictures here and there…

The largest beer tankard IN THE WORLD!

Sis tries to take a sip...

We'll be back!

I wish I could bang out a couple of these plates every day…

Furniture To Live With

It’s been a daydreamy drizzly day, and I’ve been dreaming of a cottage in the woods, with trees and a garden that goes on and on, and large windows and windy nights… and a potter’s wheel by a window with a view, and a kiln out back, and shelves and shelves of pots drying. A rocking chair next to a shelf of books. A kitchen with teapots and an espresso machine. A bench for friends. And with these, now I have found the furniture I would like to live with… at least in my imagination, I am sighing with content!

A lot of it looks like something a man handy with a bandsaw and hammer and ruler could make out of recycled wood. Which is probably part of the appeal

Touch of Clay in KLue

Mr. Cheah, my teacher, is featured in KLue! He says “Malaysia has the best clay in the world to me”. I say “Mr. Cheah is the best clay teacher ever”! Read the article here. Now you know where to take classes

Sake Vessels and Vases

Together

A new batch of sake vessels and vases. See if you can spot the one with the black Bali sand on its sides… it is quite special. It is so rough, it greets my hands with a definite presence. I can’t stop looking at them

Together

The Master’s Recipe

The Master’s former apprentice Soba was visiting. He said, “Master, would it be too much to ask if you would give me the recipe for that green glaze?”

“Of course not,” said the Master, and wrote it out for him.

Later, Soba came back. “You remember that green glaze? It looks entirely different when I use it.”

“When I gave you the glaze, it became yours. Why do you now complain because it looks like your green glaze instead of mine?”

— excerpt from Legends of Ahimsa, by Daniel Rhodes

***

This gave me a good mind bend and chuckle when I read it. We could say the same thing about any recipe passed on eh Take ownership of what you do, and don’t be blaming others!

You can read the entire piece here.

Goblets! Pre-fire.

One fine day on the way to Borders in the Gardens, Mid Valley, I nosed my way into the Hojo shop there… a little slice of shop that holds some great pieces of pottery. It is run by Mr. Hojo, who specialises in earth and clay. He personally goes to source clay for his teapots and cups, and generously showed me exactly how clay can influence the taste of tea. Through his demonstration, I learned that just a few seconds of sitting in a clay vessel can transform the same tea, from something aromatic but utterly flavorless, to a tea that is bold and flavorful, and one that is somewhere in between. It was magic!

In this spirit, I have made… wine goblets to test with wine!

I can’t wait to fire these. The suspense is digging a hole in me I tell ya.

The Finished Pots Shelf

One day, I’d really love to have a dedicated studio and display space/shop. Till then, there is this one shelf in the studio. It doesn’t fit all my stuff… I might need another soon, but first to figure out where the extra shelf will fit. It’s like pushing around one of those 9-square puzzles right now!!!

Photo Reshoot

Finally got around to reshooting some pieces which had an unflattering first photo-shoot! For the gold-black glaze, the colours are much truer. For the little leaf place, you can enjoy it’s shape better now that it’s not on that dirty concrete. And we have a turquoise bowl too!