Under the series of skill development programme, two-months-long Terracotta Glaze Pottery workshop is being organised by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal from November 01, 2019 till December 31, 2019 at IGRMS campus. In this workshop, about 20 registered participants are being trained regarding different phases of terracotta glaze pottery by artist Dulal Chandra Manna.
On this occasion, Rashmi Shukla (Programme Coordinator) said that in the first phase of this workshop, participants are being made aware of the methods of trimming and finishing of pottery. They were made aware about the most common techniques of making pottery of various shapes and other materials by hand with specially prepared terracotta clay, such as pinch, koel, slab technique and chalk, and taught about the use of simple wooden tools.
Over 300 shapes were produced by the participants within a month. After drying of these materials, biscuit firing was done in 8,000 Fahrenheit heat.
The final phase is being taught to the participants that the glaze making of pottery and firing in the kiln at 10,500– 11,000 Fahrenheit temperature.
Manna said about the method that the Pinch in terracotta means clay pottery-pressing the ball of clay with the thumb-hand out of such ball of clay with the help of finger and by shaping the pottery. Pinching a ball of solid clay in to a hollow form with the thumbs especially fingers and without tools, can be gained from holding a ball of clay in the palm of one hand, making a hole in it with the thumb of the other hand and then, rotating in the form and pinching the wall up and out with the thumb and fingers. It is ideal method for developing that absolutely vital sense of the clay wall thickness.
Coil method: Coils placed one top of the other will cause the vessels to grow tall and straight, a coil edge placed outside the previous one will expand the vessel outwardly, a coil edge placed inside the previous one will move the shape inward.
Thus, a shape is easily controlled whether straight up or out and in. We take clay, roll them until it form a long roll. Then by piling one coil on top of another, by which different shapes can be formed.
Slab: The slab building technique involves rolling out clay to an even thickness – usually 1 cm then cutting shapes, folding, bending, manipulating and joining together to form a finished object i.e. slab object. One left to dray evenly, before bisque firing for at last 7 days turning regularly.
