Young artistes at the pottery workshop in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 14: A pottery workshop organised at the regional centre of Lalit Kala Akademi in the city concluded yesterday.

Under the aegis of popular ceramic artiste Prithviraj Singh Deo, the workshop aimed at encouraging potters to enhance use of natural colours instead of chemicals for polishing the earthenware.

Deo said traditional potters were gradually doing away with natural glazing techniques because it’s time-consuming and did not yield a proper finish. “The potters of our state prefer using enamel paint on terracotta items which is unhygienic and hazardous. I am trying to encourage them to use natural colours for glazing,” said Deo.

Glazing refers to application of coating to ceramics before firing that forms a glass-like surface.

“A lot of potters apply non-glaze techniques such as enamel or metals. They are not aware of the concept of natural glazing,” said Deo.

“Glazing ensures an anti-fade finish and is quite resistant. It is free from harmful chemicals. Hence, it is definitely a better option for applying polish on terracotta surfaces,” Deo said.

Deo has been working with potters of Gujarat for the past two years. “Potters there realise that glazing adds value to the terracotta items. Their items are popular in domestic and international markets,” he added.

Deo says that with proper promotion of the technique, better results can be obtained here as well.

Around 10 potters from the city outskirts, took part in the workshop. They made a number of traditional utility items such as tulasi choura, chuli, mathia, kalash and handi among others.

It was a great experience for the participants. “We came to know about new techniques to use clay-based paints. Besides, after a long time, we got an opportunity to make items that are no more popular these days,” said Subas Chandra Rana, a potter from Nuagaon.

Plans are on to organise more such workshops in the city. “We will invite potters from the rural parts of the state and train them under eminent ceramic artistes. To broaden the visibility of our terracotta items, it is important that they employ the right methods,” said Ramahari Jena, secretary of Lalit Kala Akademi.

A slideshow was conducted yesterday showing Deo’s presentation on the pottery tradition in India. Potters also displayed their works.