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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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What an evening! The potter's table is surely a ni What an evening! The potter's table is surely a night I will remember fondly. When @alejandra.almuelle and I sent out invites for this event, we really didn't have any idea what to expect. The surreal feeling of a sold out event was followed by panic of getting the dinnerware ready in time. And then there was the cooking, cleaning and the presentation to work on. There were days we were excited and then days we were overwhelmed. We kept debating, do we want to do this again? As our guests took their seats at the table, their enthusiasm, excitement and genuine appreciation erased all doubts. Lovely people, great conversations, home cooked food, handmade pots, lots of love, friendship and laughter. That is how I will describe the potter's table. I feel inspired to do this again next year! #potterstable #diningexperience #dinnerinaustin #potterylove #homecooking #aneveningtoremember #dinnerware #handmadepottery
Glazing with rocks, part 2. Last week I posted a r Glazing with rocks, part 2. Last week I posted a reel of how I use rocks to glaze pots in order to create a rustic look in an oxidation kiln.( Check out my previous reel for process) Here is a follow up reel which shows how different rocks can create dramatically different surfaces even in electric firing. I am not really proficient in recognizing material so for the material I don't know the name of, I have mentioned the area where it comes from. #rockglaze #ceramics #glazeexperiments #natural #yunomi #wabisabi #japanesepottery #japaneseceramics #chawan #,teabowl #rustic #process #earthy #natureinspired #cone6oxidation #electricfiring #skuttkilns #oxidation
Here is a quick reel showing how I use rocks to cr Here is a quick reel showing how I use rocks to create a rustic surface in cone 6 oxidation. #rustic #cone6oxidation #electricfiring #skuttkilns #yunomi #teabowl #japaneseceramics #earthy #rock #rockglaze #potterytechniques
We, Shikha and  Alejandra, are excited to bring " We, Shikha and  Alejandra, are excited to bring "The Potter's Table" to you! For  details and tickets about this event check out "The Potter's Table" link in bio. So what is The Potter's Table? To put it simply it is a shared dream, a vision that encompasses our love for handmade pottery and home cooked food. Imagine a table decked out with handmade pottery expressly made for the occasion. Now visualize these dishes filled with sumptuous home cooked food. With the Potter's Table we would like to invite you to take a seat at our table and break bread with us. It is our belief that  home cooked food paired with handmade pottery can make for an unparalleled experience. You will be welcomed with a Peruvian appetizer that will prepare your taste buds for the Indian main courses culminating with a rich chocolate finale. And here is the story behind the idea:  The seeds of this concept, "The Potter's Table" were sown back in December 2019, while sitting in the truck of our minivan with my dear friend Alejandra before the word COVID was even coined. We had been working on some collaborative pieces for Companion Gallery and had met up half way in the parking lot to exchange work. Now whenever the two of us meet, we get so wrapped up in our conversations that the world around us literally disappears! On one occasion, a car had apparently crashed and broken the tail lights of the car next to us and despite sitting in the open trunk we had no idea of the incident until the owner of the car came over and talked to us🫣. The Potter's Table was a result of one such meetup. However, before we could explore the idea further, the pandemic hit, throwing a wrench in every plan and just like that those seeds went dormant. Now as we are coming to some semblance of normalcy Alejandra and I are excited to bring our idea to fruition. #potterstable #finedining #austintexas #food #potteryandfood #specialdinner #austinevents #speciality #diningexperience #handmadepottery #dinnerinaustin #indianfoodaustin #chocolatedessert
I think I am in love with redart slip. It creates I think I am in love with redart slip. It creates magical surfaces in cone 6 oxidation. #redart #cone6oxidation #electricfiring #yunomi #chawan #teabowl #japanesepottery #japaneseceramics #wavisabi #glazeexperiments #surface #skutt #skuttkiln
Summer ended yesterday and my monumental collabora Summer ended yesterday and my monumental collaborative project with @advait_woodcrafts is finally ready! This second iteration of "When a Potter and a Woodworker Decide to Play Chess" is 17" X 17". It is made with #aromaticcedar and #wenge woods and the #miniature pots are all #wheelthrown and #altered , brushed with #calcite , sprayed with multiple #glazes and ash and fired to #cone6oxidation . #teabowl #teapot #creamer #yunomi #sugarpot #teajar #matcha #yunomi #chess #chessset #tealover #gameofchess #woodworking #pottery #collaboration #gameon #checkmate
Sprinkling various dry clays to create a rustic te Sprinkling various dry clays to create a rustic texture in cone 6 oxidation. #rustic #organic #yunomi #wabisabi #japanesepottery #japaneseceramics #chawan #teabowl #potterytechniques #howto #cone6oxidation #electricfiring
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
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