Verlocal Diaries: Clay-Street.com
Each week, “Verlocal Diaries” records the Verlocal team’s adventures to various classes conducted by our hosts. From the narration of our hosts’ stories to the thoughts of our fellow participants, we piece together everything we have experienced to create a long lasting memory in the form of a diary entry — that is both personal and shareable.
Before going over to one of Clay-Street.com’s pottery classes, we didn’t know what to expect out of the session. That was probably because among the team, we all had differing notions about what pottery is.
Some of us thought of traditional Chinese ceramics and porcelain while others envisioned something totally different — the pottery scene from the 1990 movie Ghost.
But no matter how different our ideas of pottery are, we knew one thing about pottery — it is a form of art and is also used to make functional items like pots, plates and mugs.
In fact, while we were researching more about pottery, ceramic first appeared 8,000 years ago in the Middle East. Back then, it was a great achievement to turn clay into a resistant pot. Another interesting thing that we found out was that people used pottery as a way of constructing their social identity, to show how they were different from other people.
So that’s why Chinese pottery is so different from Western pottery which contrasts itself from Egyptian pottery as well. In fact, we can identify people’s culture and heritage just from the types of pots people had.
This new piece of information made us really pumped and we were excited to see if we could create any pieces that bore our signature and were uniquely ours.
So on Monday (21 May 2018), we headed over to Clay-Street.com’s humble studio located at Commonwealth Drive.
Upon arrival, we were greeted with shelves and shelves of completed works ranging from practical items such as bowls and plates to decorative sculptures.
Stepping into the studio, Mr Chew Seow Phuang, the clay master, welcomed us into his homely work space. Together with a lady, he was setting up all the necessary clay and machinery that were needed for us. We initially thought she was one of the instructors because we could tell how cosy she felt in the studio, but we found out later on that she was actually a student like us! However, she is a regular student who goes there every week.
It was really heartening to see them talking to each other in such a friendly manner, breaking down the barrier between student and teacher. The homely and cosy aura that surrounded the studio was also evident among the people present in the space.
When we met Alvin, the founder of Clay-Street.com, he too said that the students were more like their friends whom they go out for dinners and parties with. Interestingly, we found out that it was because of Alvin’s close friendship with Mr Chew that Clay-Street.com’s pottery classes took shape.
Alvin first started Clay-Street.com as an online platform to sell his own creations, 15 years ago. He later collaborated with Mr Chew, who is his own pottery teacher, to transform Clay-Street.com as a marketplace for pottery and clay enthusiasts.
For a business that was founded on friendship, it was no wonder that everyone in the studio was so close to one another!
Alvin and Mr Chew had even worked on a new form of mosaic, known as stone mosaic, to create a portrait of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew and his wife, Mdm Kwa Geok Choo.
In Singapore where most of us lead fast-paced and hectic lifestyles, finding time for recreational activities may be difficult. Hence, Alvin decided to offer classes in small intervals every week for those interested to come down and work on various creations. It could be something functional like a bowl, cup or teapot. It could also be like an abstract art form.
“Our idea and concept is to bring pottery, which is the art of clay, modelling, and sculpture to a wider spectrum of people in Singapore. We hope to share pottery, which is normally perceived as an artistic expression that is complicated and takes a long time to master, to more people so that they can experience it in a simplified format. Instead of going for 20 sessions, our participants can now experience in bite-size, 2–3 quick sessions to create something that they can be proud of. ” — Alvin
During our session, we first started on the basic step where we centred a piece of clay on the pottery wheel. Mr Chew showed us a demonstration first and he made it look so easy! But when we tried it for ourselves, we sure did struggle a lot. It was difficult to make sure that each layer of clay is centred and have the sides evened out.
But we just kept going on and trying to perfect our craft. It felt really relaxing to be in that environment and with Mr Chew helping us out whenever we get stuck at any step.
While working on our clay creations, we struck conversations with our fellow classmates and were surprised to find out that all of them had attended Clay Street’s classes before. None of them were first timers like us!
As they were sharing their stories, we could see the pure passion they had for pottery as they recalled how they ventured into the art.
We met Mona from India, an Angel at Clay-Street.com.
Before she embarked on her journey as a full-time clay professional, Mona Malhotra has a career background as a textile designer back in India. Apart from investing herself into pottery as a career, Mona is keen in utilising her time in something more productive and she wanted to impart her knowledge of pottery to others as well.
“I believe sharing the knowledge increases it as well. It’s not only that you keep it to yourself. If you are able to give back to people who can get something in return with your knowledge, it is very satisfying.” — Mona
Her desire to look for an opportunity to learn and share pottery brought her to the SEE-no-CLAY project, a non-profit arm of Clay-Street.com aimed to empower the people who are visually impaired to be financially self-sufficient through the sale of their artworks.
Mona then took on the role of an Angel, who assists and guides the people who are visually impaired, through her teaching and mentoring. Together, they co-create beautiful and intricate pieces of art.
The moment when she saw that the visually-impaired potter’s happiness upon receiving his paycheck, she felt like that what she is doing is worth it and she has been hooked ever since.
To Mona, pottery is the constant effort to transform whatever is in her head to reality on the potter’s wheel and this gives her the motivation to persist in improving her skills. Her art pieces are all manifestations of her Indian culture and tradition as well as her extensive travel experiences.
“The world is never short of inspirations.” — Mona
We chatted with Michele from Ireland.
Michele Ni Laitheasa has been coming down to Clay Street’s studio three times a week to work on her various creations. On the day that we went down, she was glazing some mugs that she has been working on over the past few weeks.
Unlike Mona, who looks to pottery for her artistic expression, Michele is drawn to the functional aspect of pottery. Her pottery currently revolves around kitchenware such as cylinders, bowls and chunky mugs. To her, she wishes to make pieces that are aesthetic but functional more than purely decorative pieces. She sees pottery as a way to spend the spare time she has when her children are in a school.
“I have made six bowls and they are currently at home. It’s great because my family now eats from them!” — Michele
When asked what makes her come back to Clay-Street.com on a regular basis, she says that she loves the relaxed atmosphere and found Mr Chew to be a very helpful instructor. She is currently learning the whole process from beginning to end: from kneading the clay, the preparation, to wedging the clay, and right up to the glazing.
“Mr Chew is always ready to answer questions and demonstrate but he is never intrusive. He is always very calm. He is extremely patient and knowledgeable. He is also very skilled and if anything goes wrong, he will try to rescue it and get it back on track. That’s great!” — Michele
Michele shared that Clay-Street.com has a structure to it but there is no strict regimen — and it shouldn’t be with clay because it is meant to be an organic process. The learning process here is also very organic and there is a lot to learn about being creative and being patient with yourself.
“Be prepared to make mistakes and have some ugly pieces and go back to square one again!” — Michele
When we asked her for an advice to those who are new to pottery and Clay-Street.com, she shares her thoughts on the importance of everyone exploring their creativity and describes Clay-Street.com as the place to be if you want to get messy and not get worried about making mistakes.
“If you are the type of person who wants to try and make something and is particularly interested in clay. If you are interested in plasticine or Play-Doh as a kid, come here and try something more challenging!” — Michele
Final Thoughts
Having taken the first step into pottery, we were definitely enticed to go back and work on the next step of our creation. If you ask us, we would say that pottery is a skill that takes time to master. You need patience, tons and tons of patience. There is no manual or guide book for pottery — it’s all about learning from scratch and working your way to perfecting your creation. It takes time, effort, sweat (and maybe some blood even but hopefully not too much) to learn.
If you are interested in taking the challenge and testing your potential, sign up to Clay-Street.com’s classes right away!
