With studio pottery, have a jolly good time getting your hands dirty

Breaking away from the traditional village pottery, studio pottery is the new hobby of the working professionals

Instead of just owning handmade ceramic products, making such pottery is gaining popularity in urban cities. Until Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in Ghost were seen sitting at the wheel making pottery, throwing pot was considered not only messy, but also something that ought to be left to the experts. Breaking away from traditional village pottery, clay has taken a new path the past few years. Studio pottery, according to some experts, has emerged not just as a hobby, but also as an effective way of dealing with stress.

Experts believe the overall popularity of handmade pottery is increasing with more and more people moving from plastic to ceramic ware. “There is a huge trend in pottery and painting on pots these days,” says Aparna Choudhrie, founder of The Clay Company, which has studios in Delhi and Rishikesh. Studios like hers mostly teach you how to make ceramic ware such as plates, platters, dishes and bowls, using terracotta, stone and porcelain. There are different styles of pottery in India, such as the blue pottery of Delhi, Khurja and Jaipur, black pottery of Kangra and the north-east, and terracotta pottery of Bihar, Bengal and Gujarat. However, modern studio pottery/studio ceramics is quite diverse. Walking into many of these studios will give you a feeling akin to entering a quiet book café. So you have light music, and unlimited clay that you can use to have a jolly good time getting your hands dirty.

Studio Pottery

Delhi Blue Pottery Trust is noted for being one of India's largest and oldest pottery studios. Pottery studios in several cities have started offering both basic and professional pottery classes, so whether you are getting into this just for the thrill of creating something with your own hands or making a career out of the art, you will get the choice of your course. Generally, studio pottery starts with various hand-building methods to make basic forms such as plates, mugs, bowls and vases. It then moves on to the wheel, and introduces you to throwing and sculpturing. Some of these studios also teach decoration techniques on basic forms. If you want to take home a finished product, you can also opt to fire the article you've created, for an additional cost.

The Clay Company

TCC mostly caters to working adults and professionals. It has different classes for beginners and experts, with a combination of hand-building and throwing. The fee for nine sessions of the beginners' course is Rs 12,000. For throwing, which includes working on the wheel, 14 sessions will cost you Rs 18,200. For glaze and bisque firing, an additional Rs 450 is charged.

Studio Pottery

For people who already know a little bit about pottery, and who want to learn at their own pace, the fee ranges from Rs 9,000 to Rs 16,200. However, TCC does not have a batch system and you can just walk in whenever you want — just remember to inform them in advance. TCC gives you up to six months to complete any of the courses on offer. “Once, if not twice a week, is ideal to walk in, to ensure that you are able to remember what you've learnt and progress at an enjoyable pace,” adds Choudhrie.

Studio Pottery

Blue Turtle

Here's another Delhi-based studio where founder-cum-mentor Madhur Sen herself conducts most of the classes. One-on-one sessions twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays, are held between 11 am and 2 pm. Charges are Rs 6,000 a month for a twice-a-week course, where sculpture and wheel work are taught. There's an additional Rs 1,800 for bisque firing and Rs 2,800 for glaze firing.

Smug Mug

Apart from pottery, this Delhi studio also teaches you painting and Ikebana (Japanese art of arranging flowers). Weekday classes are held between 10 in the morning and 6 pm, along with regular weekend classes.

Maati Srijaan

Headed by Meenakshi Rajendra, this place in the national capital is not only popular for its pottery classes and training, but also for its pottery exhibitions and workshops at various times in a year. The timings are from 10:30 am to 6 pm. There is a one-time registration fee of Rs 500, and the monthly fee is Rs 4,000 for two classes of three hours each every week.

Clay Station

This Bengaluru studio offers pottery classes across age groups. It also has special programmes, such as jewellery design in terracotta and stoneware. The fees for five or six sessions of the special programmes range Rs 4,800-5,800. Charges for eight sessions of an introductory to pottery and glazing range from Rs 4,200 to Rs 5,900 (inclusive of firing and supplies). For eight sessions of wheel throwing, the fee is Rs 5,400, and for clay sculpture it is Rs 5,500. Weekday classes are held on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm, and weekend classes from 3 pm to 5:30 pm.