Creative with clay: Pottery by Charan Sachar

Creative Gaga: The Enthusiastic Creative Journal

2012-01-26T15:27:00.000-08:00

I am absolutely thrilled to be published in the Creative Gaga Magazine and more importantly making an appreance on the Front Cover! This is a quality magazine circulated mostly in India.

It is very well put together with great images of my work in a four page layout. Here is the writeup.

Handmade Solutions:

There is a love and attachment that passes on from the creator to the consumer when something is handmade. Moreover, when these pieces come as design solutions to everyday affairs, design gets a new meaning. Charan Sachar comes out to be an artist with an endeavour to add this design-dimension to his creations.

Clay transcends the distance between art and design. From all the mediums I have worked with, clay gives me an opportunity to make three dimensional art which can serve the purpose of function as well. The whole transformation going from a lump of soft clay to a form that is created from one's imagination, resulting in a solid piece of solution, is an experience in iteself.

Culture is an accidental mentor. India's amazing treasure of art and culture has been me since childhood. Without a conscious effort, the colors, patterns, motifs etc. seeped in me as I grew up to be a visual artist. It is magical how all the small things that I was exposed to now find a way into everything I create.

Every problem either has a solution or a beautiful solution. At the core, pottery is all about creating functionality. But if you want the user to go beyond usage to experience, aesthetics will have to fit effortlessly into the larger design scheme. The shape of the form or its beautification can, for instance, make a huge difference to the way even a mug can transcend the shelf space to acquire an emotional space. It is the ultimate aim of any creator to create an attachment. Experimentation with ways to solve a problem is the only way out.

Stylish Home: Home Makeover Addition

2012-01-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

Thrilled to have my teapot featured in StylishHome Home Makeover Catalog. some really cool Vintage and Handmade goods in. Do check them out in this online version

Here is my teapot on page 19!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T08:38:00.000-08:00

A very happy, properous and healthy New Year to all my blog readers!! Thanks for reading simce I haven't been writing many blog posts. I will try to keep up this year. Not a resolution, but will try to do it. :)
Got some great news yesterday, that my ceramic shoes and clutch bag were selected for Nordstrom's exhibition in Seattle downtown March 1st-31st 2012. So if you are at NCECA in Seattle, make sure to drop by the Nordstrom's display window. These are inspired by Indian footwear called "Mojari" or "Jutti". And I just had to make a clutch bag to match the pair.

A BIG THANKS to my wife for letting me rip off her wedding shoes to figure out how to make these in clay.

The shoes were built from slabs and decorated with colored slips and underglazes. Check out the details below.

A glimpse in the Nate Berkus Show

2011-12-06T13:21:00.001-08:00

Who would have thought? Well I always wanted my work to make it to the Nate Berkus show. And to my surprise I get a note from facebook friend "Scott Reed", saying he saw my work on the show. What??? Really???
Do I dug up Nate's website, and did find the clipping of Nate talking about Etsy. Check out the video and one third of the way when she says "1 billion", you see my work flash for a fraction of a second. Really.. don't blink or you will miss it.
Even though just for a fraction, I am amazed that someone saw that and recognized my work.
The two pieces pictured are still available in my store. Go get the stars of the show. LOL!

Cyber Monday Etsy Sale + Free Gift

2011-11-27T23:01:00.001-08:00

This year has gone fast. I am going to complete my one year anniversary being a full time potter and I thank you all for the support.
As a special gift from me, from November 26th - December 20th, every purchase in my store gets one of my Favorite things!! Take advantage of shopping early and get a FREE gift with every order placed on my online shop.
Yes, I said FREE gift with every order. If Oprah can give away her favorite things for free, so can I. LOL!

What is the FREE gift? A reusable foldable waterproof Tote bag. Great for your trip to the farmers market or to your local art show. Be Green, Reuse and Save the environment! Available in different bright colored prints, every order gets a FREE bag.

I have added several NEW items in my shop for this holiday season. Browse through and you are sure to find something special.

Lidded Mugs

Perfect for brewing your tea

Sugar Jars

Small Teapot

For the Tea Lover

Thank you and have a great Holiday Season!
Charan

Potters Council 2012 Calendar

2011-11-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled to learn that my platter has been accepted to be part of the Potters Council Calendar (Form and Function) Among 750 submissions it is great to be part of this calendar. Click on the link that says View Calendar Pages and check out the month of August!

So begin next year with one these calendars in your studio!

Packing pottery for wholesale

2011-10-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Making pottery is an art and I beleive packing pottery is an art as well. Packing individual pots is not that hard. You can bubble wrap it and put it in a box full of peanuts. But for wholesdale orders, multiple pots need to be packed together. You want to pack efficiently so you can fit several pots in one box and at the same time make sure it is not so tightly packed that the pots hit against each other and break.

Also keep in mind that you can get bigger and bigger boxes to pack more and more pots. I don't recommend that, because if the box is large and awkward, the likeness of it being dropped is higher. I usually use two sizes 17"x13"x13" and occasionally a 18"x18"x16" box. Of course this depends on your size of pieces and the number of pieces you need to ship in every order.

First the tools of the trade.

A good heavy duty packaging tape

Fragile Labels or tape. I sell these rolls of tape at great wholesale prices here.

Stretch wrap. This is my life saver. I couldn't live without this stuff.

A good blade

Bubble wrap (Use recycled only if it is in good condition)

Scrap cardboard

Packing peanuts (I use recycled clean peanuts that I get from a local electronic store)

I wrap each piece (in this case my mugs) in bubble wrap. Then using stretch wrap I wrap pieces together with cardboard in between them. This way the pieces don't touch and have a cardboqrd buffer in between. The stretch wrap is wrapped tightly to make sure the pieces don't move.

With 2 inches of peanuts in the bottom layer of the box, the mugs are placed with enough room on the sides and between the two packs of mugs. Then pack peanuts around the corners and edges with another layer of peanuts and more mugs.

Finally it is topped with more peanuts, invoices, business card and info about my work.

Try not to overfill the boxes and tape them securely with tape. I also label the boxes with my pottery labels.

I am sure every potter/artist packs their work in their own way. I would love to hear of more ideas you have and what works for you. Do comment and share with your social networks.

Corner Booth Design

2011-10-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

It is time to make changes to my booth design again. Nothing significant but just something for a corner booth. I had got great suggestions on my blog for booth designs and shelves, so I hope to get more recommendations for a corner booth. The picture above is of my in-line booth with shelves on one side, wall panels at the back and pedestals to the other side.

Here is a computer sketch of my current in-line booth design.

For the corner I am thinking of two options. The one above which is similar to my in-line design and would encourage people to walk in and give more open space.

One thing I have noticed is when people just stand at the edge of the booth and fear coming in... As though I will hold them at gun point till they buy something. LOL! So to give them an opportunity to browse without commiting to come in my booth, I thought of this design with shelves along the open sides of the booth. Advantage is that I get lots of storage space, but I think it will be hard for to talk to my customers, or tell them about my work or point to something or pull something off the wall.

For an outdoor show I know this design can be bad with bad weather. No way for anyone to look at your work while it rains on them.

Do you have any recommendations? I will have a corner booth at the upcoming Best of the Northwest show Nov 18th-20th. So any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

New Butter Trays

2011-10-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

Many of you have seen and purchased my lidded butter dishes which are still my best sellers. With a suggestion from the Luna Sea Gallery in Pascadero, CA, I am introducing my new butter trays. They are still charming and colorful with a different design and a great price point.

They can also be used as spoon rests or serving.

Check them out in my Etsy shop.

Potters Council Show NCECA 2012

2011-10-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to find out that my Pillow Bowl has been accepted for the Potters Council Show, "The Chormatic Edge" at NCECA 2012 which is in my hometown Seattle!!

If you have been following my blog, you must have read about the learning experience I had with these pillow bowls. I had titled the blog entry "Try Try Try till you succeed". Being accepted for this show does show a measure of success. So if you have an itch to try something new, keep at it and you will achieve it.

Handbuilt Lidded jars/ mugs

2011-10-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have been experimenting with a new idea of decorating my surfaces which is a conbination of my slip decoration and adding color in a different way.

These are my initial pieces with which I made the surface of the mugs by rolling on to a textured surface that I slip slip decorated. And then I ran a brayer on the raised surface to add the black color to the raised surfaces. Don't know how this will look when finished but I like the look so far. What do you think?

Since I am still experimenting, I think these can make cool lidded cups or even sugar jars. Do you prefer sugar jars with the lid cut out for a spoon to go in?

Charan Sachar in The New York Times

2011-08-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to share that I have been featured on the Front Page of The New York Times (SundayStyles Section) today (August 14th 2011). Grab your copy today!

Here is a clipping from the article with some great pictures taken by Stuart Isett
"Charan Sachar, 37, a former software engineer who lives near Seattle, used to spend his downtime perusing Etsy, the D.I.Y. crafts site. He daydreamed of an unfettered life at his kiln, creating Bollywood-inspired teapots and butter dishes.

In January, after 12 years in software, he quit to devote himself full time to his online store, Creative With Clay, which sells stoneware he designs and makes. (Last May, he told his story on Etsy’s “Quit Your Day Job” blog.)

Now, instead of spending his free time absorbed in visions of clay, he spends as much as 70 percent of his day on administration. He is not only his own boss, he is his own accountant, sales director, marketing manager and shipping clerk."

I have listed several new items in my Etsy shop. Thank you all for your support through out these years. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you.

New Booth Setup

2011-08-09T11:21:00.001-07:00

Almost every year, I make changes to my booth. This time the change is big and it costed big too $$$. After a lot thinking, the Caravan Canopy was just not working for me. It has been very strong and stable for the shows I have done over the last few years. The thing that annoyed me most about it was the cross bars at the top. They blocked the view of platters and dancing Divas which were hung on my back wall. Very distracting. So after a lot of research, I purchased the Light Dome Canopy. I like the open high ceiling and bright light in the booth. This gave me the oppurtunity to add some color to the top as well.

They are a little time consuming to setup, but I bet it gets better with time. The most annoying this has to be putting the top on. With two people it is a breeze but with a short guy like me, it is a challenge.

Would love to hear about the canopies and setups other artists have. Feel free to tweet and leave your comments.

New techniques and New work

2011-06-13T04:56:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about this new way I am decorating my work. Of course it is a lot more intricate and lot more time consuming and I wish I had warned myself what I was getting into. :)

I am liking the slip decoration in black and then filing in all the colors. I feel like a kid again, painting in my coloring book with my mom asking me to stay within the lines.

As you can see the designs are a lot more intricate and detailed. Very inspired from henna tattoos. I like the tightness of the designs and how I can give it multiple colors in the small tight spaces. Takes me forever to decorate these. I will probably use this technique on my larger high end pieces like my platters and dancing divas. See pictures of some finished work below.

I will have all the new work at the upcoming Edmonds Arts Festival (June 17th-19th)

Quit my Day Job

2011-05-24T07:22:00.001-07:00

I am glad to annouce that I finally quit my day job and I am now a full time potter. It is going to be interesting to see what unfolds.
Etsy did a feature on me last week with my story and here is the interview.
http://www.etsy.com/storque/seller-handbook/quit-your-day-job-creative-with-clay-12750/
Thank you all for your support!

Pantry Storage

2011-05-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled that we finally have pantry storage in our kitchen!!
Ever since we moved into our house (few years back), we have been struggling with storage. The kitchen is big, but the cabinets dated pre-Costco, so all shelves are fixed and nothing fit in. So we were storing stuff in our garage. Have gone back and forth several times thinking about remodeling the kitchen, but the expense always is a shock!
I found this pinkish brown corner armoire on craiglist and which would need some work but would be a perfect addition to our kitchen. It is all solid wood and was in excellent condition. And for $40, a steal!
It had some missing hardware and the color was weird. Instead of repainting it another shade of brown to match our existing boring cabinets, I wanted to go wild on this one. Went with a soft lime green with chocolate brown accents which goes very well with the backyard and brings the outside colors in.
What do you think?

Added new hardware and shelves and finally have storage in the kitchen!!

Extruded and Pulled Handles

2011-04-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

As potters know, a comfortable and aesthetically balanced handle is a goal we all strive for. And for many it is a dreading part of the whole process. It is a constant learning process and now I actually enjoy pulling handles. I have kept experimenting and changing my handles to get them consistent and the shape that I want.

Since I love my extruder so much, potters at shows and online always ask me if I pull or extrude my handles. Well.. I do both. I extrude mostly for getting a consistent shape for all my handles and also it is a lot faster. But plain extrusions and result in a very lifeless handles. So then I go ahead and pull my handle.

I cut my oval shape extrusions to 5" in length. To make this a more pleasurable experience, you clean warm water for pulling. My left hand is always dry to hold the handle. Dip the handle in water and taper it with your right hand.

After tapering, I run my thumb in the center a few times to create a curve. When finished, this slight curve makes a good place for the thumb to rest.

Check the video below to see the whole process. When attaching the handle to the mug, I cut with a cookie cutter as this lets me join the mug to the curved surface of the mug without distorting it. I got that tip from Ginger Steele on one of our clay play dates.

And here is the finished result.

Below are pictures of pots from Ginger Steele and Kristen Kieffer whose handles I really admire.

Feel free to add your tips on handles in the comments.

Mother's Day Sale

2011-04-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

The one thing that my mom loves is a good deal! And I am sure there are many like her.

So if you haven't shopped for your mom yet, this is a great opportunity to make her proud with a good discount.

Purchase any item in my shop and get 25% OFF shipping.
Any two items and you get 50% OFF shipping
Any three items and get 75% OFF shipping
Any four or more items and absolutely FREE shipping.

Just mention "Mother's Day discount" in Message to Seller when you purchase.

Discounts will be given as refunds via paypal as soon as payments are made.
Items will be shipped via USPS Priority Mail or Fedex ground.

Act fast as this deal only lasts till May 2nd, to ensure that your gifts reach in time for Mother's Day!

Soap Dishes with New Recycled / Upcycled Glaze

2011-02-17T07:32:00.000-08:00

I have been making soap dishes for a long time now and I love their simple design and at the same time they are very practical.
The deep grooves help keep the soap high so it drains and dries the soap well. They have very smooth glossy glazes which makes them very easy to clean. And if you love automation, just stick them in the dishwasher to clean them. :)
And the feedback I have got for these is just amazing. Custmers love them and keep coming back for more.. either for their other bathroom, kitchen or as gifts. Read through some of the feedback I have gotten with pictures sent by my happy customers.

"Well made, sturdy, great design and functionality. I love the two tone veriation that looks great with the tub and am so glad I got two for my master bathroom!"
"Wonderful product!!! So well made and generously-sized, these soap dishes are more like beautiful piece of art. Seller was great to work with - attentive and responded quickly to my request. Highly recommend!"
"Love my soap dish! I used it today for the first time. Awesome quality! Quick shipping. Arrived safe, all in one piece.I will definitely be purchasing more from this artist!"

The main reason of writing this post is that I am introducing a new glaze color for my soap dishes. And it is just not a new glaze recipe.. it is very special. While working in the studio and clean up glazes, I always saved up the glaze which came from spraying glazes or cleaning pots. To this I also added glazes that I wasn't using any more. Rather than just dumping this in the environment, I tested and tweeked it. Low and behold, I have this beautiful deep blue grey glaze which has some specks of brown. I looks beautiful over the white glaze and also has some white specks in it if you look closely.

I cannot replicate this glaze ever, but I have 5 gallons of it. So I should be able to make several soap dishes.

So don't waste your glazes. Mix them up and see what you get.

I would love to hear what waste material artists recycle in their studio and upcycle it to create truely unique work.

Pushing the limits

2011-02-14T08:02:00.001-08:00

If you have been following my blog and my work, you would have noticed that I have a big fascination for patterns and textures. The patterns on my work can get detailed but I felt I could push my slip decorating skills further. I always wanted to try the hanna patterns applied to the hands of the Indian bride.

I started with this platter for which I made a floral pattern inspired by Arabic henna designs. I love the flow of the pattern with the shape of the platter.

I got great feedback on facebook with that platter and wondered, "Can I push myself further?"
So, I took a slab of clay (16x12 inches), put some lines on it as general placement of my pattern and went to town with it. I spent my entire Sunday doing this, so it did take me forever.
I will make a textured mat with this, so I can redo this pattern on other pieces of my work. I still have to figure out how that is going to work.
This might be moving my work in a new direction and hope it is a good one.

Sponges Sponges Sponges

2011-02-09T08:47:00.001-08:00

As a potter, I have to admit, I have weird relationship with sponges. Still trying to find the perfect one and it is just never satisfactory. Here are the pictures of some that I use and some that were rejected at first use. Would love to hear your insights.

Firstly, the standard yellow sponge. They come round, but are too big and hold a lot of water. So I cut them. Inexpensive but especially after cutting them I need to watch out for the yellow bits in my clay while throwing. Though this does make a good cleaning sponge for wiping off glaze from the bottom of pots while galzing.

The elephant ear sponge. These I like. Can hold a lot or little water depending on how much you squeeze out. They are on the expensive side. They do last longer though. But $5 for sponge.. I don't think so...

This is some sort of elephant sponge which I used once and never used again. It is flat and doesn't absorb any water. Nothing good to say about this one other than its shape and size.

Then there is the mudtools sponge. It is cut in half and has been used quite a bit. Holds decent amount of water but I find it very textured. Pricey too.. $6 I think.

One of my favorites... from the Dollar store. I get four big rectangle sponges for a Dollar. And I make 5 sponges from each of them. So that is 20 sponges for a dollar. They don't feel great on first use, but after that they become flat (picture on the right) and hold just the right amount of water. Surprisingly they last longer too.

This is my recent find. Cosmetic sponges. They are cut to the perfect size and shape that I need. Hold perfect amount of water. I think I paid $3 for 20 sponges in a bag. They are great for cleaning up glazes in tight corners too like lid galleries. Let's see how long this affair lasts.

I would love to hear about your tools and what works for you. Post away!

When Potters Play Together

2011-01-30T20:29:00.000-08:00

... we sure can have fun.

It is always a joy meeting other potters and chatting about pottery. We all lead pretty busy lives but it is great to hang out in the studio with another potter. I have been fortunate to hang out in Ginger Steele's studio from time to time. After the Christmas season was over, I made a trip to her studio in Oregon and we experimented with making sculptures constructed with coils.

Check out Ginger's cookie jar with the dog head. I am too embarrased to show what I made. It was a pretty saucy diva sculpture which unfortunately cracked on my trip back home. In any case it was fun and a good exercise.

A week back, Ginger visited our home and our goal was just to play in clay. We extruded some of my pillow shapes and this what Ginger made out of one of them.

I wanted to make some rectangular trays and she helped me make a plaster mold for that and I love the way the tray came out. Look out for these in my shop in the near future.

Ginger liked my extruder dies and had a design in mind for oval casseroles. We went through the process of designing it and I made the die for her which worked like a charm. Here is the casserole I made with that die. I am waiting to see what Ginger makes with that die in her studio.

It was time to spice up Ginger's Etsy shop. So we took pictures of her pots. I showed her how to edit them using picassa for Etsy and we listed her pots. Check out her shop. Really lovely work.

We had a great time and are looking forward to the next time we can play together.

A Great Wedding Gift!

2011-01-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

It always thrills me more when people buy my work as gifts. One can always spend money on themselves, but when they spend it for someone else, it shows they have confidence in their purchase and the the receiver is going to love them.

And of course it is great when people combine different items as gifts. This last order was just the perfect gift for a wedding. Sugar creamer set, a butter dish and salt pepper shakers.

Wouldn't this be just great for a wedding gift? Other popular items in my shop for gift are my Oil vinegar bottles, teapots, set of mugs.

Best wishes to everyone receving these gifts!

Try Try Try.. till you succeed

2011-01-09T23:13:00.000-08:00

So I woke up Christmas eve with this idea in my head... pillow shape bowls. I did make some wall clocks with my pillow shape extruder die and they sold well over the Christmas holidays. Now I wanted to make something else. The basic idea was make a long pillow form, cut out a hole and slump in a slab and attach the edges. Done!

I wish it was as simple as that. :) I spent all of Christmas Eve and Christmas day trying to figure out how to make these bowls. I went through 30+ pounds of clay and made 7 or 8 of these. The difficult part was making a clean piece with the bowl portion having a clean edge.

In the picture below you can see the progression of the last five from left to right. For the first piece, I cut the hole in the pillow shape and took a bigger slab of clay to slump it in. The edges of the pillow collapsed and after a lot of fussing finished it but I wasn't happy. The next one I tried a different shape cut out to make it easier to slump the clay in and that was not as clean as I wanted.
In the third I used the cut out itself, flipped it over and atached it. It attached fairly cleanly but had no volume. It would be a bowl that held nothing. Which made me think that the piece of clay being slumped needs to be a perfect match in dimension.
So that is what I did. I took precise measurement of the cut out. Increased it by 1/2 inch all around and it slumped and fit in a lot better.

Making anything new is a process, but it is a process I enjoy. Never fear to experiment and see what direction it can take you. In the picture below you can see how the edges got cleaner with every piece.

I did toss out the first three pieces too and decorated just the final two with my signature slip decoration. That just gave them the WOW factor!
Here are pictures of another one I completed. Would make a great serving bowl for nuts and candy.

Wish everyone a very Happy New Year! And with the New Year make a lot of New work!

Color Feature of the Week: Christmas Red and Green

2010-12-13T07:57:00.000-08:00

Last week we had 500+ views and 1 SALE!!
This week the color is Christmas Red and Green and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

Color feature will resume again next year! Happy Holidays everyone!

Gift Certificates! Now Available

2010-12-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

Still wondering what to buy for Christmas and just cannot decide with time running out? Here is an opportunity to purchase a Gift Certificate from my shop Creative with Clay and give the gift of unique hancrafted pottery to someone you care for.

These certificates are redeemable towards any item in my shop and shipping. I have certificates of different amounts listed in my shop under gift certificates.
Feel free to contact me if you would like a different amount and I will be glad to make a special listing.

And if you do see something you like in my shop, there still is time. Order before December 20th to get your order before Christmas.

Best wishes and have a great Holiday Season!

Color Feature of the Week : PURPLE

2010-12-05T22:20:00.000-08:00

Last week we had 500+ views!!
This week the color is PURPLE and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog, you have to do the following TWO steps,

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature
AND
2. Post your item matching next week's color, "Christmas Red & Green" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

Color Feature of the Week : Brown

2010-11-29T00:04:00.000-08:00

Last week we had 500+ views!!
This week the color is PURPLE and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

Color Feature of the Week : Teal

2010-11-21T22:45:00.000-08:00

Last week we had 600+ views!!
This week the color is BROWN and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

Color Feature of the Week : YELLOW

2010-11-14T23:04:00.000-08:00

Last week we had 600+ views and ONE SALE!!
Congratulations to artsyclay for the sale!!
This week the color is TEAL and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

Color Feature of the Week : BLACK/WHITE

2010-11-07T23:25:00.001-08:00

Last week we had 700+ views!!
This week the color is YELLOW and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

New Form and New Item

2010-11-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

As an artist, I always find it challenging and fun to create new forms. I had been thinking of some sort of wall art decoration with tiles for a long time. In my head I had thought of countless ways of making them. Square, round, paisley shapes etc... I wanted a three dimensions look and every process I went through was very tedious and not really getting to the look I wanted. Handbuilding with slabs required a lot of scoring/slipping and making sure the slabs didn't loose form and split. Thought of working with molds, but then I didn't want everything to look exactly the same.
Then just sitting on the couch one day (day dreaming my clay ideas), I made the connection between pillows and the beautiful farbics they are covered in. Aha! I will make them like pillows and decorate them as though they were covered in embroidered fabric.
Then of course started the process of how to make the pillow shapes. Thought of slabs of clay first, but then went back to one of my favorite eqiupment in the studio, my extruder. I made a die shaped in the form of a leaf and there I had my form. Of course there was a struggle with closing up the ends and cleaning them up, but I think I have the process down.
As a functional potter, I sometimes crave for everything to have a function. I know that even wall art has a function, i.e. to decorate a wall. So I decided to turn these into wall clocks. I absolutely love the way they turn out. I also like the fact that the hardware all gets hidden inside the pillow shape.

Interesting thing was when I posted the picture below on facebook, I asked people to guess what they were. I was amazed by the creative ideas everyone had like salt pepper shakers, vases, pencil holder, bread warmer, etc.. Someone finaly did guess them to be wall clocks. But this got me thinking that I could really make so many different items from this same basic shape and different sizes. So keep looking out for some new work coming to my shop as pillow shapes.

The original idea for wall decor is still something I am working on. For starters, I made several smaller size pillows as seen in the picture below. Can't wait till they are fired and installed on a wall.

Color Feature of the Week : HALLOWEEN ORANGE

2010-10-31T22:52:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 700+ views!!
This week the color is BLACK/WHITE and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog, you have to do the following TWO steps,

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature
AND
2. Post your item matching next week's color, "Black/White" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

Color Feature of the Week : PINK

2010-10-24T17:57:00.001-07:00

Last week we had 800+ views and TWO SALES!!
Congratulations to tmeddie04 and FlowersForRealJewelr for their respective sales!
This week the color is PINK and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog, you have to do the following TWO steps,

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature
AND
2. Post your item matching next week's color, "Halloween Orange" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

Handbuilt Tumbler Video

2010-10-24T10:57:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, my video on making Handbuilt Tumblers/Vases was featured on Ceramic Arts Daily and it was great to get the responses from so many potters and artists. Looking at google analytics, I got hits from all around the world, majority from the United States. I had hits from every State except from North Dakota. Wonder if there are no potters there? And you can see the most are from California.

I enjoy sharing my techniques and it is always fun to see another artist's take on the same technique. If you try this technique or do handbuilding feel free to share pictures of your work in the comments section.

I got more confidence in handbuilding with slabs after taking a workshop from Ginger Steele, a potter from Oregon. I also saw a few videos on Yixing teapots from which I picked up other techniques.

Here are the steps for the process and the video

Cut template for your tumbler or cylinder from a thin slab (1/8 inch) of compressed clay. The clay needs to be a little stiffer than fresh out of the bag.
Roll the top rim with a brayer to round it making it comfortable for drinking. Roll the side of the slab to bevel it later for joining. The brayer can be purchased at a clay supply store.
Roll patterns or use stamps to decorate. This is where you can let your creativity show through. I make some stamps and some I purchase at thrift stores.
Apply slip to the sides and roll over a rolling pin to form your tumbler. To true up the roundness, use a round object like a Styrofoam ball which won’t stick to the clay.
Score and slip to add the bottom. The bottom is finished by running a profile tool (made from a popsicle stick) along the edge.
My tumblers are embellished with buttons to capture the look of embroidered fabric wrapped around and held together with buttons.
These tumblers are further decorated with slip to give more texture.

Bollywood Influence

2010-10-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, my work is influenced a lot by Bollywood and Indian fabrics and costumes seen in the movies. It is amazing to me when these influences penetrate your brain.

I came across this video of a Bollywood song shot in 1970 (Shot before I was born). There is a striking resemblance to how I even take pictures of my work compared to this video.

You can see the main actress (who appears a little later in the video) in red dancing in the center and the other dancers in colorful costumes dancing in the background. Now look at the picture below of my Dancing Bottles. I took this picture several months back without intentionally matching it to this song. Can you see what I see?

FREE Gift with every Purchase

2010-10-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

It is never too early to shop for the Holidays! Take advantage of shopping early and get a FREE gift with every order placed on my online shop.
Yes, I said FREE gift with every order.
I am not "Oprah", so I can't give everyone a FREE car or a trip to Australia! LOL!

Every order receives a FREE Magnet! These cute little magnets will surely brighten up your fridge.

And for every order more than $40 (excluding shipping) you get upgraded to one of my "Everything and Anything" square dishes.
Why "Everything and Anything"? These 3.5" square dishes can be used for anything, for teabags, spoon rests, paper clips etc. These retail for $12 each and are yours for a purchase of $40 or more.

This offer ends in two weeks (October 31st)!

Do check out my shop for newly added items and make good use of this opportunity!
Thank you and have a great Holiday Season!

Color Feature of the Week : LIME GREEN

2010-10-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 700+ views and one SALE!!
This week the color is LIME GREEN and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

Color Feature of the Month : BLUE

2010-10-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 600+ views!!
This week the color is BLUE and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog, you have to do the following TWO steps,

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature
AND
2. Post your item matching next week's color, "LIME GREEN" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

New Sugar Creamer Set

2010-10-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

My mind is always cooking with new ideas and I am sure many artists go through the same thing.

Here is a glimpse of my new sugar creamer set in the making and the final product.

These are handbuilt from extrusions of clay, altered with slab additions. I really liked the way they came out.

The tray is made from a thin slab of clay made to look like embroidered fabric.

These would be great for wedding gifts and for Christmas. They are now available on my Etsy shop.

Testing to get a Color

2010-10-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

As many of you know my pottery does have a lot of color. But getting those bright colors at mid fire range is not always easy. I struggled for the longest time to get red and after getting that 2 years back, I started on my mission to get maroon. I don't know why I do this to myself. :)

My inspiration was again from Indian fabrics. And the color maroon (a very deep red) was stuck in my head since my wedding actually (almost 8 years back). It was the color of my wife's dress she wore on the engagement night. You can see the clipping below. At that time I didn't know I wanted it on my pots but I knew I liked the color.

So after 20 -30 tests and failing at every one of them, I finally get my maroon. Most of the time the color just faded when I fired and lost its deep look. But now I finally like what I have. Check out these pots with the maroon accent.

In a way, it was time that my testing came to a conclusion. The color feature maroon was done this week on my blog and my mom sent me this beautiful bed spread in raw silk which is again rich dark maroon with gold, yellow and orange embroidery done all over.

Color Feature of the Week : MAROON

2010-10-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 500+ views!!
This week the color is MAROON and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

Color Feature of the Week : LILAC

2010-09-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 600+ views!!
This week the color is Lilac and thank you all for submitting your work.
I have selected 8 talented Etsy artists here. Do check out their amazing shops.

Color Feature of the Week : Fall Colors

2010-09-20T15:35:00.000-07:00

Color Feature of the Week is back by popular demand!!
This week fall colors have been featured and 8 talented sellers have been chosen. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.
You can find other selections at this treasury as well :
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c97eb4caf9a8eef04ab0b35/color-feature-of-the-week-fall-colors

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog

You have to do the TWO steps to be considered

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature

AND

2. Post your item matching next week's color, "LILAC" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

Potter's Guage

2010-09-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

A simple tool which can save you a lot of time and frustration when trying to throw similar sized items on the potters wheel.

Previously I used a chopstick that is fixed on the splash pan with a wad of clay. It is efficient and super cheap and quick to set up. Several potters use this technique and they will agree that they have knocked the chopstick off its position once in a while.

Of course there are wonderful guages you can purchase but it just a lot more fun making your own. I spent 10 minutes in my garage and found a a few items which worked perfectly for this. The base is a heavy weight steel which came in the packaging of something I purchased earlier.. can't remember. It is really stable and all I did was attached a scale with a bolt (a scale not for measurement.. but that is the only thing I found with an already drilled hole) And then just attached a light weight iron rod with a clamp and I am done.

Just finished throwing these tealight candle holders with this guage and they came out great.

They make perfect diyas for Diwali.

I would love to hear about tools that crafters in all media have made themselves.

Winner of Business Card Design

2010-08-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

Firstly I would like to thank each and everyone of you who provided input on my business card designs. I wouldn't have been able to look into all the aspects of it just by myself.

The votes for the vertical and horizontal were really 50/50, each with its pros and cons, so it was a tough decision for me.

Even though I liked the vertical more when I posted the two designs, I have gotten convinced to go with the horizontal design with the input I have got from all of you.

The vertical had many challenges.

Firstly the font of my information gets reduced and if the purpose of a business card is to communicate your contact info, it should be clearly visible.

Several mentioned about it not having a conventional convinient way to store and look up.

Even though the detail of my work was very visible, I have noticed that several people don't recognize the picture of my butter dishes. It is eye catching, but several ask me.."What is that?" And with the sculpture picture behind, my functional work is not showcased very well.

To remedy that I tried including a few more pictures of my work in the vertical design, but the orientation just didn't work. Everything got too tiny when I looked at a printout.

I tried front horizontal and back vertical, and that felt like there is an error in printing the cards.

So I am going with the horizontal design.

I moved around my addresses and website, so the info side looks more balanced.

Made changes in the images.

Removed the Black background and went with a gradient instead.

Here is the final design.

(Blurred area is where my physical address goes)

The winners picked at random for the business card design are
Jim Bob Howard
Cara Zavisho and Ben Trask

Business Card Design

2010-08-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

I need your help again! I am designing my new business card and need your opinion.

The ones which I have are not that great and this time I wanted them printed both front and back.

Another thing I wanted to try was doing a vertical orientation.

And there is something for you to gain in this too. Please comment in whether you would like Vertical or Horizontal design and also tell me why. And if you would change something what would it be.

Two random people will be chosen to receive my heart shaped pendant (See picture below). So this is a Win-Win situation!

Winner will be announced on Tuesday August 17th, so start posting your comments!

I really appreciate your inputs!

PS: Blurred area is where my address will appear.

Vertical Option:

Horizontal Option:

Coconut Cake

2010-08-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I get into baking/cooking mode. It had been a while since I baked a cake, so decided to make a simple coconut and cherry cake.

Here is the recipe

6oz butter
3/4 cup sugar (I have reduced this from 1 cup, because I don't like extra sweet cakes)

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs (beaten)

1/2 cup dessicated cocunut

1/4 cup cherries chopped

1/2 tsp vanilla essense (opt)

3-4 tbsp milk

Cream the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy.

Graudually beat in the eggs + vanilla essense.

Fold in the sifted flour+bk pwder

Fold in the cocunut with teh cherries.

Add milk to get to dropping consistency

Bake at 350 for 1/2 hour our till a tooth pick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Making pedestals for art shows

2010-07-11T08:50:00.001-07:00

If you are an artist and have been doing art shows, I am sure the thought of displays is always in your head.
I have been working on my booth displays and always changing something. Sometimes with the introduction of new items, things need to be rearranged and I need to change the way I set up my shelves.
Pedestals is something I always struggled with for my sculptures and for my few featured items. There are several designs out there. There are expensive options which do look really nice. Some can be bulky, some can be flimsy, some don't last long at all and some take forever to assemble.
One method that worked well for indoor shows was painted cardboard. It looked clean and sturdy but it really wasn't very stable. I took them to one outdoor show where it rained like crazy and that was the end of them. You can see them in the picture below.

I then came across potter Kathleen LeSueur and she does amazing work. She mentioned about her pedestals made from 1/8" luan and outdoor carpeting which she had been using since 1994. So using her design and adding a few more additions, I made my pedestals and love the way they came out. They were not very expensive to make either. Hope the following steps help. Thanks Kathy for pointing me to the right direction.

First cut four pieces from 1/8" luan for the four sides of the pedestals (eg. four pieces of 8"x 25"). I got this cut at the big box store itself, as I don't have a table saw and their cuts were very accuarte. I think I paid $2.00 for cutting up sides for all the 3 pedestals I made. Worth it!

Then you cut the outdoor carpeting to dimentions slightly larger than what you would need for the pedestal (For the 8"x25" sides, cut the carpeting to 36"x 28")

Glue the luan with carpet glue to the back side of the carpeting leaving a 1/4" gap between each side. Once the glue is set, cut off the remaining from the top and bottom, but leave 3-4" exra on the side.

Between the middle two panels I added a strap of carpeting with staples to serve as a handle for carrying them.

To set it up, just set it upright and use velcro strips which grip on very well to the carpet. I then added two 2" square styrofoam pieces to help square the top and bottom.

Another piece of laun covered in outdoor carpeting and you are done. I have used these for 3 shows so far and they are really holding up very well. I am sure they will last a long time. You can see them in action at my next show. Gig Harbor Summer Art Festival

If you have any more ideas, feel free to comment.

Color Feature of the Week: Peach

2010-06-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 900+ views!!
This week the featured color is Peach and Thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented sellers have been chosen. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

Color Feature of the Week: Black

2010-06-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 900+ views!!

This week the featured color is Black and Thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented sellers have been chosen. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

Travel Entry: Chatuchak Market in Bangkok

2010-06-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

Another place we visited during our vacation was Bangkok. We spent 10 days there and it was just amazing. It is sad to see the current conditions of Bangkok. Everything was so different a few months back.
Anwyays, one of my favorite places we visited in Bangkok was the Chatuchak Market. It is kind of a flea market but with a lot of beautiful handcrafted work. The celdon glazed work below just blew my mind away. I wish I had purcahsed something, but the logistics of travelling with pottery didn't work out. I love the balance of the tan carving with the soft green celedon glaze.

These metal decorative vessels caught my attention. They were extremely thin with beautiful intrictae carvings. The insides were lined with gold paint and with tealight candles floating, they made a stunning impression.

I have always admired the wood carvings at Thai resturants here in the US. It was a delight to see such a huge collection of these at this Market. The details are hard to describe. Evey leaf can be admired by itself.

Wonder what to do with those large plastic soda bottles? Check out the lamps below. The work is so clean and it took me a while to figure out they were soda bottles.

And the following picture had us laughing for a long time. What you see below are toilet paper dispensers. It is a fine line between being repulsive and funny. LOL!

The dance of pulled coffee drinks. This was just a joy to watch. The coffee drink was mixed by transfering from one cup to the next with the guy swirling around, turning and doing all kinds of stunts. All to mix coffee.

And there is nothing like having fresh coconut icecream on a hot day and that too served in cocunut shells.

Color of the Week: Chartreuse

2010-06-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 900+ views!!

This week the featured color is Chartreuse and Thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented sellers have been chosen. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

Color Feature of the Week: Turquoise

2010-05-31T07:36:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 800+ views!!

This week the featured color is Turquoise and Thank you all for submitting your work. There was so much beautiful work that I had tochoose 10 artists. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

Travel Entry: Rock Garden

2010-05-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most unique gardens I have seen. Rock Garden is located in Chandigarh, Punjab and is made of mostly recycled/upcycled material and also uses a lot of concrete that is used in the most creative way.

Here you will see stunning landscapes of mountains and waterfalls. If seen closely they are jute bags that filled with concrete to make the structure and of course a lot of rebar.

Almost every surface is covered with broken tiles, broken sinks, cups, plates, glass. There was this array of abstract concrete forms and I spotted my early teapot forms here. Can you see the resemblance?

Then there was this huge area set up like an outdoor auditorium. the mosaic work done on the walls was one of the best I have seen. This place would be a mosaic artist's paradise. The picture below is of a small section of the 300ft+ wall. Just square measures about 6 feet. So imagin 50 of these in amazing colors.

Other than covering the walls with tile, there are surfaces covered with electric sockets. Like in the wall behind my wife in the picture below. You can see the detail.

The walls below are made with pebbles stacked in different ways making lovely patterns.

And the wall below was one of my favorites. From far it just looked like an orange wall. But in close up you can see it is small terra cotta pots that are stacked to make this wall.

The highlight of the garden are the doll scultures below that are made of broken glass bangles. I had visited this place when I was 8 and I have a feeling my current dancing diva sculptures made their first entrance in my brain at that time looking at these beauties.

Color Feature of the Week: Magenta

2010-05-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 650+ views!!

This week the featured color is Magenta and Thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented Etsy artists have been selected here. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

Color Feature of the Week: Rustic Brown

2010-05-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 650+ views!!

This week the featured color is Rustic Brown and Thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented Etsy artists have been selected here. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog

You have to do the TWO steps to be considered

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature

AND

2. Post your item matching next week's color, "MAGENTA" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

Travel Entry: Langar (Meal at the Gurudwara)

2010-05-12T16:25:00.001-07:00

If you are familiar with Sikhism, you must have heard of the langar, the meal that is served at a Sikh Temple. Below is a very nice clipping of an upcoming documentary talking about the langar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eRAEilK_n4

It is amazing that so many people regardless of caste creed or religion have this free meal as a blessing. In the Golden temple, around 1000 people are seated, fed and then the room is cleared up in 10-15 minutes... and then the next 1000 people come in. Here is a picture of a small section of the crowd and the quick cleaning that follows before the next crowd walks in.

Now you must be thinking... how is it possible to feed so many people, so quickly and prepare food in such quantities. All the work of cooking is done by volunteers and it is a great honor to serve in the langar. Check out the huge cooking vessels and the vegetables being prepped for cooking.

Garlic being peeledOnions chopped.Carrots chopped and potatoes peeled.Potatoes and peas.
And then of course is the cleaning of the utencils. No dishwasher here.

If you haven't been to a Sikh Temple and had the Langar, you are really missing something. The food is delicious and prepared with so much love and kindness. Almost all gurudwaras in the US too offer Langar (If not everyday, then at least on weekends)

Color Feature of the Week: Teal

2010-05-09T21:31:00.001-07:00

Last week we had 800+ views!!

This week the featured color is Teal and Thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented Etsy artists have been selected here. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

I have two new great news to share this morning.
Firstly,... wishing my Mother a very Happy Mother's Day. And what better way to wish her, than to have her featured on Etsy's "This Handmade Blog"!! This is a picture of me with her when I was only 10 months old.

Charan of creativewithclay: "When I was a kid my mom ran a boutique store in India specializing in clothes for brides and bridesmaids. She dragged me along whenever she needed help. I never really enjoyed doing the billing or taking orders for dyeing fabric, etc., but she told me to just do it and there will be something I will gain from it. What fascinated me was the color in fabric and helping people choose matching or contrasting colors for their outfits. I enjoyed helping them decide what embroidery designs to pick and working with tailors to give them new ideas and patterns."

Secondly,... I am the winner of the teapot challenge on the Etsy Mud Team

It is such an honor to be part of such a great group of talented potters online. Lots of beautiful teapots, so do check them out. Also when shopping on Etsy for pottery, search for "emt etsymudteam" and you will see beautiful collection of pots by talented potters on Etsy.

Travel Entry: Homemade Tandoori Paranthas

2010-05-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is not exactly a travel entry, but it is something I learnt on my trip to India. After eating the tandoori breads, naans, kulchas, paranthas (also kind of bread) in India, I really wanted to get a tandoor for home. The problem is that they are big and bulky and are not favored to be transported all the way to the US. There are some available in the US but the costs are very high.
In this trip my Mom taught me how I can make the naans and paranthas at home in my pressure cooker. I tried this out at home and you can see they came out very good.
Below are the step my step instructions with lots of pictures.
Basic ingredients are wheat flour dough made from two parts flour and a little less than one part water. It shouldn't be on the very soft side and refrigerating for an hour helps. Also we need some ghee (clarified butter), but I use margarine instead. And some dry flour to assist in rolling.

Apply a little butter on hands and roll the dough in small 2 inch flat balls. I can fit four of these in the pressure cooker, but here Iam showing three.

After dusting with some flour, roll these into approximately 5 inch round with the rolling pin and smear a tablespoon of the clarified butter and sprinkle with a tablespoon of flour. Sprinkle some salt as well. You can put in minced garlic or herbs at this stage too if you want to add more flavor.

Then fold this in pleats till you get a long narrowstrip of folded dough and butter

Then roll this from one end and you will get the following ball of dough.

Again with some flour roll it into a 5 inch round. You can see the layers and these will crisp up similar to puff pastry.

Now for the tandoor, I use my big aluminum pressure cooker. The main thing about tandoors is that they need to get really hot and retain that heat. This has thick walls which help in retaining the heat and the aluminum helps in getting it real hot. So place it on the big burner on high and let it heat real good.

Now place the pressure cooker on the side and slap the bread on the side. To make it stick first apply a little water on the back side of the bread before slapping it on. Turn the pressure cooker and apply all the breads.

Now we invert the pressure cooker over the heat and keep the heat on medium now. If the bread close to flame is browning first then you need to reduce the flame.

This takes approximately 2 minutes for the bread to cook and there you have it. Remove it with tongs. It comes off very easily if the pressure cook was very hot to start with and if it is cooked all the way. Serve hot with butter. :)

I am so grateful to my Mom for teaching me this. Happy Mother's Day! Now I just need to watch my waist line. :)

Do give this a shot and let me know how it works out. If you have more suggestions or ideas for tandoors, feel free to comment.

Color Feature of the Week: Mustard Yellow

2010-05-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 650+ views!!

This week the featured color is Mustard Yellow and Thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented Etsy artists have been selected here. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

Travel Entry: Punjabi Food

2010-04-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

I had to dedicate one entry regarding my trip to India just for the food we ate in Punjab. Mostly vegetarian and very very delicious. The flavor of the vegetables in the North of India is really not found anywhere else in India.

First, breakfast! Nothing like stuffed Kulchas in the morning. These are made of wheat dough and stuffed with cauliflower or tangy potatoes or panner (cottage cheese) and then cooked in a tandoor oven slapped against the walls of the hot tandoor. Served with spicy cholas (garbanzo beans) and pickle. Oh and how can I forget.. That IS a big chuck of butter! Have two of these in the morning and you are all set!

The best thing that goes after the kulchas is a hot cup of tea. And yes, the young couple next to me are my Mom and Dad. :)

For snaking during the day, nothing like hot pakoras (vegetable fritters) with chutney. To get them extra crisp these are fried twice! Sinful!
After mentioning Pakoras, talking about samosas is the right thing to do. Check out these busy bees stuffing dough with a spicy potato mixture for samosas and see the picture following it. Do you blame me for overeating?

Another favorite snack.. Pani Puri. These are hollow and crisp, filled with a small quantity of potato and then filled with a spicy chilled beverage. They are hard to resist, but due to the unknown source of water used, I would recommened having these only in reputable resturants and not on the streets.

Not an uncommon site to see people cooking on the street in the early mornings. Here puris are being made. Puris are made from wheat flour and then deep fried. Check out the size of the wok!

And it is almost impossible to go to Punjab and not try some tandoori chicken. This is where you can eat "real" tandoori chicken and this is how it looks like. I am so tired of trying every Indian resturant in the US trying to find a decent place that serves tandoori chicken with isn't floroscent pink.

Next week, I hope to share some techniques of how I make tandoori naan at home.

Color Feature of the Week: Forest Green

2010-04-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 700+ views and ONE SALE!! Congrats to BottleHood

This week the featured color is Forest Green and Thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented Etsy artists have been selected here. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

Travel Entry: Golden Temple, Amritsar

2010-04-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

The Golden Temple in Amritsar is considered the holiest place by the Sikhs. Being a Sikh, we were very glad to get this oppurtunity to visit. There is undescribable sense of peace one experiences the minute you are in the vicinity of the Golden Temple. It sits in the middle of man made sroovar (lake) and is just mesmorizing to watch. There is a lot about the history of the Golden Temple which you can read here. Here are some pictures I took during the day and night time.

The picture below shows the close up of the Golden Temple. The gold on the Golden Temple is Real Gold.. not paint. The bottom part is decorated with beautiful marble inlay work.

The floor around the lake is all marble with gorgeous floral marble inlay patterns. One can spend hours here admoring the art work surrounding the temple.

The first day we were here (on a Thursday) we got to visit the gurudwara (Sikh Temple) and attended the evening prayers. On the subsequent days being a long weekend, the crowd grew exponentially. There was a 3+ hour wait to get in. My advise to anyone who wishes to visit the Golden temple is to go middle of the week and avoid any major holidays. If you don't believe me check out the pictures of the crowd trying to get in. :) We were glad we got to visit the first day. We spent the rest of the days in Amritsar visiting other gurudwaras each of which had amazing stories. I will share some in my next entry.

Color Feature of the Week: Bright Red

2010-04-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 700+ views!!

This week the featured color is Bright Red and Thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented Etsy artists have been selected here. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog

You have to do the TWO steps to be considered

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature

AND

2. Post your item matching next week's color, "FOREST GREEN" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

New Tumblers and Oval Trinket boxes on Etsy

2010-04-16T08:34:00.001-07:00

As shown in one of my earlier posts, I was working on handbuilt tumblers and some handbuilt oval trinket boxes and casseroles. I am also working on a video on how I make them and will post it as soon as I can.
The tumblers and trinket boxes are ready and posted on Etsy. I am glad to already have the tumblers along with my other work in a beautiful gallery in Edmonds, WA. Manya Vee Selects. A really colorful gallery where I think my work goes well.

Travel Blog: Mumbai to Delhi to Amritsar

2010-04-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

After staying a few days in Mumbai and meeting up with friends ad family we fly to New Delhi to start our journey to the North of India.
Our first stop is Delhi, just for the night. Traffic undoubtadely is again painful, but the Metro Light rail system is already up and running here.
One thing I couldn't get over in Delhi was their obsession with toilets... and that too weird ones.
Look at the two pictures below... The big grey building has sign on it "Toilet Complex". I was so curious to see what it was about, but took the picture from our taxi.
The next one was a very ugly bad toilet at the train station going from Delhi to Amritsar. It is titled "Deluxe Toilet".. nothing deluxe about it!

Amritsar is a sacred city for Sikhs where there are beautiful temples. It falls in the Punjab state, which is huge agricultural land.
The train journey from Delhi to Amritsar was around 7 hours. It does start early, so you can see my mom doozed off and my Dad hoping to fall asleep. :) Tried some color effects in my camera too.

I couldn't fall asleep as the journey was so scenic. The train goes through endless acres of lush green fields. They extend all the way to the horizon.
I believe the picture below is of a rice field. Needless to say the food in the Northern region of India tastes so much better. There is a lot of flavor in the vegatables which is not found at other places.

But then the other factor that makes everything tastes so good in Punjab is the deep frying. Check out these fritters (potato, cauliflower, onion etc..) not fried once but "twice" to perfection. Well known as "Pakoras"
It has to taste good. :)

Color of the Week: Baby Blue

2010-04-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

Last week we had 800+ views!!

This week the featured color is Baby Blue and Thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented Etsy artists have been selected here. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

Travel Entry: Kala Ghoda Exhibition

2010-04-07T22:44:00.000-07:00

Here is my next entry regarding my trip. Few days in Mumbai and I found out about the Kala Ghoda exhibition (Black horse exhibition). It had handicrafters from all over the country and it was such a pleasure going through the booths.

I met some great potters there and had a good time chatting with them, one of whom was Rekha Bajpae.

The pottery there was very different than what is typically seen at shows in the US. I saw more emphasis on decorative pottery than functional. The tiny pots in the picture below were just adorable. (selling for less than a dollar)

The picture below is of some of the functional pottery. The jars are usually used for pickles or yoghurt.
As many of you know, I am very fascinated by color. India sure is a land of colors and I beleive that is the reason color is embeeded in my brain. The next two pictures below show the use of color. Majority of the booths were filled with color like this. Especially the fabric ones. Bright saturated colors just all over the place.

Here are some clutch purses decorated with bright colored and embroidered fabric.

Check for more updates next week on Thursday!

Color of the Week: Tangerine Orange

2010-04-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for submitting your work last year for the Color Feature every week. I was on vacation and I am resumming "Color Feature of the Week". This week I have made selected 8 talented artists. Click on the pictures and check out their amazing shops.

Travel entry: Home town Mumbai

2010-04-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my 2 month sabbatical and had a great vacation travelling to India and Bangkok Thailand. Result of such a long vacation is jetlag and 1000+ pictures. After a lot thinking, I guess the best way to share my pictures is with my blog. So here is my first entry. I hope to make an entry every Thursday.

So first stop is Mumbai, my home town. One thing I noticed when I entered was this wall sculpture of a horse I had made when I had just started in clay. It was just air dried and spray painted and is still standing good. (Family in India calls me Vicky and hence the sign)

It was great to meet family and friends and remember old times. Talking about old times, I found my journal which had torn pieces of crafty ideas, pictures of sculptures, pottery, newspaper clippings of recipes etc.. Among all that I found the page above, which was a recipe for making home made air drying clay from bread. I wouldn't suggest anyone trying this out. :)
I was just desperate as a kid to work with clay and I used to try anything.

Every time we visit we feel the traffic has gotten worse and this trip wasn't any different. There are Metro light rail lines being constructed everywhere which are supposed to ease the traffic. But while the construction is going on it is impossible to travel anywhere.

And in every tiny space available there is a multistory building coming up. Attached is the picture from my bedroom which had a nice view and also great ventilation. Now there are two buildings right in front and all I can hear is construction noise.

I am going to pace myself about my trip in every entry and try not to throw it all out there. Next week look for pictures of an exhibition I attended in Mumbai.

Upcoming in 2010!

2010-01-21T09:17:00.000-08:00

I have been busy from the start of the year making some new work for 2010.
Here are some pictures of them in their unfired stage.
I made some handbuilt tumblers and beer steins from slabs of clay which are really light weight and a delight to hold.

I also made a new extrusion die with which I can extrude walls for a container with a gallery inside for the lid. It is quite a versatile die as I can make containers of any shape and size with just this one die. You can see the first picture of the small ones that I made first and then some really big casseroles I made. I wanted to emmulate the look of fabric wrapped around and held together by buttons and that look really comes through.

Another challenging thing has been making oval lids from slabs to fit these pieces and these have comes out great.

These items will be available for purchase in April in my etsy shop.

Color Feature of the Week: Black

2009-12-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

Last week we had 500+ views and 1 SALE!!

Black is the Color of the Week and thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented Etsy artists have been selected this time. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

This is the last color feature of the year and we will resume in April of 2010 again. Thank you to all artists for their submissions.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Color of the Week: Christmas Red and Green

2009-12-21T11:44:00.000-08:00

Last week we had 1000+ views!!

Christmas Red and Green is the Color of the Week and thank you all for submitting your work. To celebrate the holidays 10 talented Etsy artists have been selected this time. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog

You have to do the TWO steps to be considered

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature

AND

2. Post your item matching next week's color, "BLACK" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

Color Feature of the Week: Magenta

2009-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Last week we had 900+ views!!

Magenta is the Color of the Week and thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented Etsy artists have been selected here. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

To celebrate the wonderful Holiday season, Next week color is a double whammy!

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog
You have to do the TWO steps to be considered

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature

AND

2. Post your item matching next week's color, "Christmas Red and Green" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

Secret Santa..... Shhhhhh

2009-12-14T05:07:00.000-08:00

This time of the year it is the time of gift giving. It sure is very thrilling to receive a gift... isn't it?
I see so many of my customers purchasing gifts for their loved ones these days from my shop and from other places. What fills my heart is that sometimes they are willing to spend that money for a gift someone rather than purchase something for themselves. It is the season for gift giving.

So I have decided to gift something to my customers too. All my customers shopping till the end of this year (Dec31st 2009) will recieve a Secret Santa number in their packages. On New Years Day (Jan 1st 2010), you will receive an email with instructions to redeem your gift. What is it? Well.... it is a secret. And the gifts are different... OK here is a hint, it ranges from a discount all the way to a free piece of my pottery. I have said enough. :)

Just hold on to your Seceret Santa number when you receive your packages and wait for my email on January 1st 2010.

On a different note, here are some pictures of my new Dancing Divas I have listed in my etsy shop.

NEW items added to my Etsy Shop

2009-12-10T09:14:00.001-08:00

I am finally done with my last show this year. The shows sure are a lot of work, but I do enjoy meeting all the wonderful people there. Love the new ideas which people have and surely love the feedback.
With the last show done, I am posting some of my show inventory in my etsy shop. It is not late for Christmas shopping yet.

Color Feature of the week: Peach

2009-12-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

Last week we had 800+ views and TWO SALES!!

Peach is the Color of the Week and thank you all for submitting your work. 8 talented Etsy artists have been selected here. Click on the pictures and do check out their amazing shops.

If you would like to enter for a Color Feature on my blog

You have to do the TWO steps to be considered

1. Leave a comment on this blog with your favorite items from this week's feature

AND

2. Post your item matching next week's color, "MAGENTA" (Color swatch below) in this ETSY FORUM

Creative with clay: Pottery by Charan Sachar

Creative Gaga: The Enthusiastic Creative Journal

Stylish Home: Home Makeover Addition

Happy New Year!

A glimpse in the Nate Berkus Show

Cyber Monday Etsy Sale + Free Gift

Season Greetings and a FREE Gift with every purchase!

What is the FREE gift? A reusable foldable waterproof Tote bag. Great for your trip to the farmers market or to your local art show. Be Green, Reuse and Save the environment! Available in different bright colored prints, every order gets a FREE bag.

I have added several NEW items in my shop for this holiday season. Browse through and you are sure to find something special.

Lidded Mugs

Perfect for brewing your tea

Sugar Jars

Small Teapot

For the Tea Lover

Act Fast before your favorite item from my shop is gone!

Potters Council 2012 Calendar

Packing pottery for wholesale

Corner Booth Design

New Butter Trays

Potters Council Show NCECA 2012

Handbuilt Lidded jars/ mugs

Charan Sachar in The New York Times

New Booth Setup

New techniques and New work

Quit my Day Job

Pantry Storage

Extruded and Pulled Handles

Mother's Day Sale

Soap Dishes with New Recycled / Upcycled Glaze

Pushing the limits

Sponges Sponges Sponges

When Potters Play Together

A Great Wedding Gift!

Try Try Try.. till you succeed

Color Feature of the Week: Christmas Red and Green

Gift Certificates! Now Available

Color Feature of the Week : PURPLE

Color Feature of the Week : Brown

Color Feature of the Week : Teal

Color Feature of the Week : YELLOW

Color Feature of the Week : BLACK/WHITE

New Form and New Item

Color Feature of the Week : HALLOWEEN ORANGE

Color Feature of the Week : PINK

Handbuilt Tumbler Video

Bollywood Influence

FREE Gift with every Purchase

Color Feature of the Week : LIME GREEN

Color Feature of the Month : BLUE

New Sugar Creamer Set

Testing to get a Color

Color Feature of the Week : MAROON

Color Feature of the Week : LILAC

Color Feature of the Week : Fall Colors

Potter's Guage

Winner of Business Card Design

Business Card Design

Coconut Cake

Making pedestals for art shows

Color Feature of the Week: Peach

Color Feature of the Week: Black

Travel Entry: Chatuchak Market in Bangkok

Color of the Week: Chartreuse

Color Feature of the Week: Turquoise

Travel Entry: Rock Garden

Color Feature of the Week: Magenta

Color Feature of the Week: Rustic Brown

Travel Entry: Langar (Meal at the Gurudwara)

Color Feature of the Week: Teal

Happy Mother's Day!

Travel Entry: Homemade Tandoori Paranthas

Color Feature of the Week: Mustard Yellow

Travel Entry: Punjabi Food

Color Feature of the Week: Forest Green

Travel Entry: Golden Temple, Amritsar

Color Feature of the Week: Bright Red

New Tumblers and Oval Trinket boxes on Etsy

Travel Blog: Mumbai to Delhi to Amritsar

Color of the Week: Baby Blue

Travel Entry: Kala Ghoda Exhibition