DARE - Because Entrepreneurs Do

Shubhra Krishan spent a warm afternoon with USHA GARODIA, who loves baking clay while the sun shines

USHA GARODIA

Clay meets glaze, chemistry happens, and a work of art is born. Usha Garodia’s eyes reflect the joy that the moment of creation brings.

B48, L 49…no, these are not house numbers, but the jars that line her studio racks—glazes of all hue, waiting to work their magic on clay.

Garodia makes exquisite lotus screens, clowns, indoor fountains, Ganeshas and decorative plates. Lately, she has been glazing perfume bottles, with great success. Garodia has held dozens of solo and group shows, as well as ceramic workshops.

Usha: Up Close
She was born and grew up in Hyderabad. Her father was an art collector. M.F. Husain was a family friend, and came often—he had a separate room to which he had the keys. His arrival was a thrilling event for Usha. She would watch fascinated, as he worked, and think, ‘He works so fast!”

She married a chemical engineer, so the couple enjoy exchanging ideas  on glazes and materials.

Garodia’s kids are grown up, so she is often in her studio from dawn to dusk, working to music, shaping each piece and then surrendering it to the fire to do the rest. “My work is my passion, and by its very nature, keeps me grounded and relaxed,” she says.

How the Fire Started
“I got my first taste of clay at Triveni Kala Sangam in Delhi,” says Garodia. “They had just started a ceramic department, and though I made many a creative mess, I learned one important thing: I was in love with clay.”

She went to The Delhi Blue Pottery, where Mansimran Singh taught her all the technical aspects of ceramics. Leading art critic Mr. Krishna Chaitanya gave her a very good review which was a big boost.

Her Work
Garodia works with Raku, Naked Raku & paper kiln firing. Raku is a specialised firing technique in which the art pieces are fired in a small kiln. While the glaze is melting, the piece is removed from the burning hot kiln and put in a bin full of combustibles. This produces brilliant metallic colours and the results can be seen immediately.

A cone-shaped chimney structure made out of rolls of newspaper or old paper and clay is placed around the pieces and on top of the fire. Garodia says she particularly loves working with paper kilns because they yield very subtle pinks, greens and shades ranging from grey to black, and the flat pieces can be viewed from both back and front.

The Money
There’s good money in pottery today. When I started, people were reluctant to pay even `100 for ‘mere clay’, but now a single piece can fetch you a lakh or more. If pottery is your solo profession, you should produce and supply to studios and stores in addition to your shows. Or become a teacher.

Best Learning Experience
It was my trip to Jingdezhen, in China - the Porcelain capital of the world. I worked there for 25 days and got back a small collection of works in porcelain. You don’t go there to learn the basics. You have to be sure what it is that you want to create, and then focus on honing that skill.

Usha’s Essentials for Setting

Up A Business • A teacher: for giving you your basic learning. • Resources: read books, ask the experts, surf the Net.  • Stamina: If you work on the wheel, you bend and sit a lot. At the slab, you need to stand to get the right perspective. I’ve spent full days standing, but that’s where passion comes in! • Good contacts: hire a good PR agency if you want people to come to your show. Create an invitation card that catches the journalist’s eye among a pile of others. Press connections help a lot. Resources Website: http://ceramicartsdaily.org • Book: Pottery Basics: Everything You Need to Know to Start Making Beautiful Ceramics [Hardcover] Jacqui Atkin • DVD: Create Your Own Ceramic Pottery: DVD (You can order the book and DVD from amazon.com) Curious to know more about how to get started? Write to Usha Garodia usha.ceramics@gmail.com. She’ll be happy to help you along.

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