9. STONE-WARE POTTERY/SCULPTURES

This is a hobby which can be a little time consuming and costly if you want to own your own kiln. However, kiln space can be hired from pottery suppliers or art schools and colleges. That issue taken care of, it can be one of the most rewarding and satisfying of hobbies. Remember how you wanted to muck around in the dirt but were never allowed as a child, well, you can do it now. Mamta Rabha, whose creations are demonstrated here, was one such kid, always being pulled up for playing in the mud. She not only made sculpting her hobby, but has received great accolades for her work.

 There are three different classifications generally (viz., Earthernware, Stoneware and Porcelain) for this type of sculptures/pottery which requires hardening of clay by a heating process.

a)   Earthenware, after firing at high temperatures is hard but porous.

b)   Stone-ware is fired at temperatures which are higher than Earthernware, which results in making the end product extremely hard and non-porous.

c)   Porcelain, on the other hand is made of finer clays and crystalline minerals called feldspar and is fired at still higher temperatures than the other two groups and is normally hard, non-porous, fine-textured and translucent.

 (Most clays are easily shaped into various objects both as decorative pieces, as well as objects for daily use. Left in the Sun to bake, they will become somewhat hard, but most lose their shapes once water is poured in/on them. That is why, to make pottery water-resistant and tough, it is imperative to bake moulded clays in ovens or kilns).

 The sculptor has experimented with various classes of Pottery/sculptures and some of her works in stone-ware are given here. She has shared that all the under-noted images represent Stone-ware sculptures which were the end results, after firing the clay moulds at temperatures of over 1200 degree Centigrade in a closed oven/kiln which takes about two days to cool down. Even after the firing process, the Sculptor is “nervous” about whether the end-product/moulds have retained their shape during the firing process, as she had originally designed them.

Basic Pottery Tools

Potters Knife: useful for cutting and forming clay objects. A kitchen knife is a good enough alternative.

Jewel Cutter: like a pastry cutter, this is used is used for cutting out shapes in plastic or leather hard clay.

Calico: stiff cloth used for rolling out slabs of clay.

Rolling Pin: Every Indian household has one. Ideally you should invest in a separate one for the clay!

Fettling knife: a short, thin blade knife used for trimming casts in molds.

Wire cutter: used for cutting clay and removing wheel thrown pots. You can see your local potter use it.

Calipers/metal ruler: used for measuring.

Water spray: very useful for keeping clay workable.

The above sculpture has been titled “Mukhotoan ka Parivartan” (“The Changing Faces” representing the “two-timing/faced tendencies of Human Nature”). The Artist has depicted through this piece that people say one thing to your face and then say another thing behind your back/backstab. The real face/intention of the speaker remains hidden and it is difficult to scrutinize the real intentions of humans/colleagues/enemies etc. She has shown that the plaited hair falling on the face hides the real intention or meaning of what is said to one’s face.

 This sculpture is a continuation of the above depiction and is also titled “Mukhotoan ka Parivartan” The changing/two timing face has become so contorted and wrapped in its disguise of plaited hair that his/her real intentions/words have become so obscure that it has started showing on the person’s face. The Artist wonders, whether this person has got so wrapped up in his/her two timing /web of deceit, that it is not possible to let the others know the person’s true character, and everybody will shun such a person or be wary of him/her in one’s daily dealings leading to loss of credibility for such a person. Then, why this two timing attitude?

“Laya” (or Rhythm). This sculpture shows that two individuals of varying shape and sizes are, nevertheless working in tandem and perfect understanding of their objectives/goals as a perfect team. The moral here is that if one works together as part of the team, one can even realize seemingly impossible dreams/visions. The “mushrooms” growing on the sides of both the Stone-ware figures represents the culmination of their dreams, where mushrooms have been grown seemingly out of nowhere and even without the proper resources, by simply working in harmony.

“Potli” (or Bundle) is a sculpture representing human fate or destiny(ies). This is like the “Magician” card in a Tarot Card Deck (Major Arcana) in which the Magician lets the Protagonist “The Fool”(or the initiate) choose his own path or destiny and encourages him to experience life’s vagaries as per his own choosing and suffer the consequences or enjoy the fruits of his own selection. Here the Sculptor has presented several “Potlis or Bundles” (destinies) with their attendant merits or demerits (Karma). Some “Potlis” appear to be more attractive than the others, but whether it is the best path (destiny) for the individual, is left to the individual to choose and experience.

  

Here the sculptor has shown that as a Potter turns clay into various destinies for eg. an earthen cup, pitcher, sculpture etc., similarly, Fate or destiny shapes the fortunes of every individual. In this image, a woman or female form is depicted tied to the side of an earthen pitcher (or destiny) which Life has chosen for her and ruminates upon her fate with worry and anxiety. Even if she has everything, she is constantly worrying about her family, her children, the future, her security etc. Also, after her social responsibilities, she ponders on whether she will ever break free from life’s given destiny and follow her own aspirations and dreams?  The sculptor has, in her own imaginative way depicted the fate of numerous women across the World who are unable to follow their dreams because of their pre-decided fates largely due to social customs/practices.

Here again is another depiction of the above theme in different colours and shape. Another woman ruminates her pre-decided fate while wistfully pondering over her distant dreams and visions and whether she will ever achieve them after taking care of her social responsibilities.

The "Chakor" (Chukar Bird) waits patiently for the first drop of rain in the monsoons and is constantly looking upwards for the first sign of clouds/rain. The sculptor has depicted has depicted three Chakors waiting patiently for the event to happen. Also she has depicted life’s struggles through this depiction, where sometimes the person has to wait very long to achieve his life’s/personal ambitions /objectives, which come only after a hard struggle and prolonged wait.

A “Mangal Kalash” (Pot standing for prosperity and well-being) is depicted here with Lord Ganesha blessing everyone. Two elephants with raised trunks are showering petals (left to imagination) on Lord Ganesha. The sculptor here is praying for everyone’s well-being and prosperity through her depiction.

The above is a stone-ware sculpture moulded/baked on 24 tile-shaped depictions forming the whole portrait titled “Maa” in Bengali and depicts the goddess Durga who showers her blessings and prosperity and health on her devotees.

This is a depiction of a Bengali Art form in which representations of leaves of “Taarh” (Palm leaves) are used. The Palm leaves are generally used as fans and here the Sculptor has symbolically shown that everyone needs fresh air to breathe and to survive in a healthy way. She has used a profusion of Stoneware fans on pieces of wood indicating her symbolism that we need several fans everywhere to keep our environment fresh and healthy and also to symbolize wind –energy generated through wind-mills.

The above depiction is that of a woman who has tolerated injustices/social burdens to an extent that now she has reached the end of her patience. The work has been aptly titles “Jwala” (Flame) depicting the simmering discontent in the universally exploited woman which has reached an explosive point. The rays of the sun on this image depict/symbolize an enraged woman.

This depiction is an extension of the symbolism given above and shows an enraged woman who is now fighting against/speaking out boldly against the injustices meted out to her.

Here the sculptor has symbolized that a woman as a universal archetype is second to none. The horse represents the chauvinistic male’s thought processes and the figure of a woman on the horse’s back represents the woman’s victory/achievements by surmounting the male bias against a woman’s right to equal participation in every sphere of life. The work is titled “Raftaar” (Speed – meaning that the woman has now galvanized into fighting for her equal rights everywhere and achieving them in a hitherto male dominated World).

Through this four artifact depictions, the sculptor has portrayed, that to achieve one’s goals, one has to work very hard and with single-minded focus towards the targeted objectives/goals. The works here are titled “Manzil” (Goal or Destination).

In the first artifact, a bird has climbed up a very high rungs ladder and has reached the door of its target which is shut before it. Notice that the building or objective where the bird is climbing/entering/conquering with its single minded focus has a straw roof.

In the next artifact, the little bird has managed to prise open one portion of the door and is pushing it inside to make room for its own entry.

The third artifact shows that the bird has through its herculean efforts managed to open the other side of the door too and also managed to convert the straw-covered roof of the building into a nicely- tiled roof and,

In the fourth and last artifact the bird is comfortably inside the room, depicting that the hard work has been finally rewarded and the Bird (symbolizing a human being) has achieved its goals and is now reaping the benefits of its hard work/labour.

Here the sculptor has depicted a caravan of assorted animal pulled carts symbolizing life’s journey with each one of us carrying on within our various destinies, but moving towards the same ultimate destination – the passage into the history of time!

The sculptor through this depiction of ferry boats across the Ganges at Hubli in Kolkata has made a symbolism of life’s journey towards its ultimate goal. If the waters are calm, the journey will be without incident, therefore one must tackle all of life’s challenges with equanimity and fortitude.

 The sculptures/ stoneware art depicted here are the works of Mamta Rabha who is an MFA (Ceramics) from the College of Arts and Crafts, Lucknow University, and Lucknow. She has several exhibitions and murals to her credit. Some of her works have won State level Awards.

This Article has been compiled and written by Rajeev Prasad.