Delight of Pottery Artists and Collectors
Pottery as a vocation had been there for ages. Pottery as an art had been recognized a little later. Only the artists and the pottery collectors can tell what they feel about this art. Among many techniques of making pottery, one that is much popular among the art connoisseurs is that of Blue Pottery. With the increasing demand, the Blue Pottery manufacturers produce it commercially though the importance of craftsmen remains. They regularly experiment with it to create new colors and items that can well adjust with the modern urban lifestyles all over the world. And thus, Blue Pottery nowadays, are not only blue but comes in a wide range of colors. In fact, going by prescribed definition of pottery, blue pottery can not even be called pottery as the basic raw material used in its making is not clay!
How Blue Pottery is Made
Though considered Turko-Persian in origin, Blue Pottery is widely recognized as a traditional craft of Jaipur, the pink city of India. For making a Blue Pottery, quartz, green glass, a variety of salty powders, borax gum and a form of soil known as Fuller’s earth are grounded and sieved through a wire mesh. It is then mixed with water to make a dough-like paste which is pressed on to molds. The paste may or may not be put on the potter’s wheel for making it smooth. The items, thus given shape, are hand painted with metallic oxides then dipped into a glaze of glass, borax, and lead oxide. Most of the artists prefer conventional floral or arabesque patterns to be painted on Blue Pottery. These items are then baked in fire in which process, glass melts, but the quartz remains. After baking, the metallic oxides turn into bright colors- Cobalt oxide becomes a deep blue, Chromium oxide becomes green and so on. The interesting fact here is that the artist doesn’t know if the finished product will have the exact intended shade. The sad part is that after putting so much efforts, if the finished product doesn’t turn out to be satisfactory, it has to be disposed off. A blue pottery can never be reworked.
Caring For Blue Pottery
A range of items, mainly decorative such as ashtrays, vases, coasters, small bowls and boxes for trinkets and even jewelery are made through blue pottery. Blue Pottery items are not water tight and so they are very fragile. As such care has to be taken while collecting or using them. They are prone to cracks and splits with slightest stroke. If using blue pottery vases for decorating fresh flowers then insert plastic in them to prevent any damage. Blue Pottery should always be cleaned with damp cloth. Commercial cleaners should never be used for the purpose.
About the Author
I am working in crafts industry for about five years now. During this considerably long period, I came across various people interested in crafts either as hobby, business or passion. With the intention of sharing my experience about crafts industry, I have started writing through various media- journals, newspapers, online forums and craft blogs etc.
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