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Pottery by Shikha
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Upcoming Workshops

  • Workshop at Companion Gallery: Jun 25th to 26th 2022

Surface Variation in an Electric Kiln

  • Workshop at Arrowmont: Oct 30th to Nov 4th 2022

Altering Wheel-Thrown Forms: From Simple To Complex

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potterybyshikha
It was such an honor to be interviewed by @pdblais It was such an honor to be interviewed by @pdblais for the Potter's Cast, a podcast for potters. Link in bio. For Paul, this might have been another good conversation with a potter but for me it was truly life-changing because during this chat, it was he who suggested the idea of installing a split AC in the garage. Up until now we had decided against air-conditioning because we thought the only option was a portable AC which would have required cutting a hole in the facade. When after the podcast I mentioned Paul's suggestion to my husband, it was like a light bulb was turned on in his head. And just like that, within a week I had a.split AC in my studio after nearly 20 years of working in the heat. Thank you Paul for this wonderful tip and an amazing conversation. #pottery #podcast #talkaboutclay #mystory #ceramics #yunomi #wabisabi #japaneseceramics #japanesepottery #chawan #rustic #organic #wheelthrown #altered #cup #surface #cone6oxidation #electricfiring
I am so delighted to learn that this teabowl has b I am so delighted to learn that this teabowl has been included in the Strictly Functional Pottery National 2022. I am deeply grateful to the jurors, Jack Troy and @carolannecurrier for the honor🙏🏽 Yes, it is always exciting to be included in a juried show, but when that show happens to be one of your absolute favorite shows since you got serious about making functional pottery, and when you have been applying for 14 years with straight out rejections, the joy of finally  getting a piece accepted is just indescribable.  Strictly Functional Pottery National was the most talked about show when I was a student in the early 2000s, the epitome of achievement  for functional potters. ( at least in my eyes) So in 2007 I decided it was time to apply for it. When I now see the pots I had entered to the show back then, I cringe with horror! Of course I got rejected. Then I did it again and again and again, getting rejected every time. I remember in the 2010 to 2015 phase I would feel a pang of sadness every time I received my rejection email. However in the second half of the decade, I started to feel more or less unfazed by the rejection.  Interestingly this show, by it's unattainability, had begun to serve as a source of motivation! It made me want to continually improve,   to create better work, worthy of the honor of inclusion. So when a few days back I got an email from the show with the words "congratulations" it took me a few days to truly process the news. I am beyond delighted to get into the show but I am also deeply thankful for all the years of rejections because the failures have given me important life lessons that would have been lost if I had gotten into the show early in my career. I have developed perseverance and resilience and a "never give up" attitude for which I am and will be forever grateful to Strictly Functional🙏🏽 #strictlyfunctionalpotterynational #functionalpottery #teabowl #chawan #mesquite #wavisabi #earthy #organic #japaneseceramics mics #japanesepottery #teaceremony #cone6oxidation #electricfiring #perseverance #resilience #nevergiveup
Kurinuki vase and teabowl fired multiple times to Kurinuki vase and teabowl fired multiple times to cone 6 oxidation. I often get asked if I refire my work. The answer is, while for the most part I don't, on some pieces where I am trying to create a rustic look and texture, I do resort to multiple firings. This vase and tea bowl are good examples of that. After the first firing both these pieces came out looking rather bland.withi little to no surface variation. However with multiple glaze applications and firings the pieces developed a complex surface that is difficult to achieve with one glaze firing in the oxidation kiln. To get the glaze to stick to an already fired piece, I microwave the piece for a minute to heat it up as the hot piece absorbs the glaze better. #kurinuki #vase #teabowl #chawan #refire #japanesepottery #japaneseceramics #shino #rustic #earthy #organic #handbuilt #cone6oxidation #electricfiring #texture #shikhajoshi
This condiment set is a latest collaboration with This condiment set is a latest collaboration with @advait_woodcrafts which is now available at @companiongallery . Link in bio. For those of you who like to read... Texas summer means studio temperatures hovering around 90 F ( 32 Celsius). What could be greater proof of my love for clay than the fact that despite the temperatures, I am in my studio all day. To keep up the motivation in the heat, summers have been a time to play with new materials and experiment. However, since the pandemic, summers have brought with them an additional incentive, an opportunity to work on collaborative projects with Advait. Though we spend most of our time working in our personal spaces on our own projects( I in my garage and he in the backyard under the shade of a tree) every now and then we come together to collaborate. We discuss, brainstorm and challenge each other out of our comfort zones. We learn to appreciate the beauty and limitations of each other's medium and the effort it takes to bring a vision to fruition. It has been such a beautiful experience for me as a parent and as an artist to have this connection with my teenager through a shared love for working with our hands. We were talking about what we would serve in this set. Advait said he would use it for salsa, creamy jalapeno and pico de gallo while serving tacos. If I was going the taco route I would prefer guacamole, pico de gallo and queso fresco. However as a diehard ice cream lover I would most likely use it to serve hot fudge/ salted caramel sauce, roasted pecans and chocolate chips/pralines. what would you serve in this set? #collaboration #wenge #condiments #servingset #functionalart #diningtabledecor #servingtray #serving #soloshow #tacobar #icecreambar
My solo show is now live @companiongallery Link in My solo show is now live @companiongallery Link in bio. #soloshow #ramenbowls #cone6oxidation #electricfiring
Ramen bowls for my solo show @companiongallery thi Ramen bowls for my solo show @companiongallery this weekend! My Kdrama addiction introduced me to the world of.ramen and kpop 😊. #ramen #ramenbowls #ahikhajoshi
* SURFACE VARIATION IN AN ELECTRIC KILN* If you ar * SURFACE VARIATION IN AN ELECTRIC KILN* If you aren't able to make it to the in-person workshop this weekend @companiongallery, join me on Zoom, live on Monday, June 27th at 4:00 PM EST. Link in bio. The zoom workshop is recorded and will be available for viewing later if you are unable to attend the live session. Who would have thought pre-pandemic that ceramic workshops could be taught online and be made accessible across the world! #newnormal #covidreality #yunomi #chawan #teabowl #zoomworkshop #japanesepottery #japaneseceramics #wabisabi #wabi #wabisabipottery #rustic #cone6oxidation #electricfiring #surface #organic #earthy #onlineclass #workshop
Here is a sampling of some of the salt and pepper Here is a sampling of some of the salt and pepper shaker sets that I made for my first solo show @companiongallery which opens this weekend!  Thank you @ericbotbyl for the opportunity. I am truly honored! #saltandpepper #saltandpeppershakers #ceramics #soloshow #tabla #djembe #icecream #mushroom #creamandsugar #teaset #acorns #whimsicalart #handmadepottery #knitting #knittingyarn #lemonchilli #diningtabledecor #funart
@advait_woodcrafts finished a beautiful piece of l @advait_woodcrafts finished a beautiful piece of live edge mesquite and invited me to make work that would complement it. I made a few tea sets ranging from rustic to very polished along with a series of yunomis. Pictured here are some that I liked. However, I realize that if asked to choose one, I am unable to decide which set complements the wood best. Does the rustic aesthetic tie in better with the organic wooden base or does the refined set with its contrasting aesthetic work better. I am curious to hear your thoughts. Which one would you pick and why? #japanesepottery #japaneseceramics #yunomi #chawan #teabowl #teapot #teaset #mesquite #liveedge #collab #collaboration #cone6oxidation #electricfiring
Surface Variation in an Electric Kiln Workshop Jun Surface Variation in an Electric Kiln Workshop June 25th and 26th @companiongallery. Link in bio Every summer, after I am done with my spring commitments, I try to set aside some time to experiment and explore ideas for new surfaces. The inspiration behind these experiments is a simple phrase: "what if"? “What if I crushed this rock and applied it to a pot?” “What if I then put a layer of glaze and ash on that crushed rock?”... And so on and so forth until I find myself deep inside a rabbit hole. Typically, I make a series of test pieces for this purpose. These tests involve meticulous planning and are accompanied by detailed notes. So when I started working on tea bowls for the Teabowl National show I wasn't prepared to be derailed by these “what ifs.” It began as a niggling feeling creeping up in my head which soon completely overwhelmed me and I found myself imprudently committing a whole month’s worth of work to these “what ifs”! As I closed the lid of my kiln and started the program I kept saying to myself, "what were you thinking?!" That twenty four hour wait period for the kiln to fire and cool was a hard one, so much so that even baking my favorite chocolate cake couldn't distract me. When I finally got to open it, the fact that I wasn't seeing a complete disaster made me breathe a sigh of relief. As I examined the pieces closely, I realized that there were some really interesting surfaces in the kiln, some real winners. It was exhilarating to see the results but before I could gloat over my success, I was struck down by the reality that if I wanted to recreate any of these surfaces I really didn't know how, as I had played with too many variables in my unfettered fit of experimentation. So while I am enjoying these pieces and I want to share these with you all, I am going back to testing the “what ifs” step by step, changing one variable at a time so that my next round of surface work is more educated and replicable. I guess the lesson is that there are no shortcuts in life. #teabowl #chawan #matcha #japaneseceramics #japanesepottery #teaceremony #wabisabi #rustic #surface #workshop #earthy #cone6oxidation #electricfiring
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