A potter’s journey of discovery

malaysian naturalist, march 2015

Text and images by Khor Hui Min

I HAVE always been drawn to the creative and artistic. Of course, both my parents went to art school, while my father was a designer and watercolour artist his whole life, which had to have had some influence on his children, right? Indeed, it did. Growing up immersed in the artistic world has left an indelible mark on me. I liked that it had the quality of old-world charm and an endearing purity.
      To me, life is a journey, an adventure and an opportunity to learn through orthodox and unorthodox means. I had wanted to try pottery for a long time, perhaps from curiosity, if not anything else: I wanted to see if I could actually do well in it. In addition, I like making practical and useful things, and with pottery, I can make things such as cups, mugs, plates, bowls, vases and pots. These are some useful items.
      I asked an artist and potter friend to recommend a place offering pottery classes, and she gave me the contact details of Clay Expression in Subang. However, I did not immediately follow it up – after a while, other things came into the picture and the idea was relegated to the back-burner. Then, in 2014, another friend took up pottery, and it turned out that she went to this same place recommended by my friend. So, I took the plunge and finally signed up for pottery classes.

      We started off with hand-building techniques, such as pinching, coiling and slabs – literally building something just with your hands and simple tools. In my first class, I attempted to make a small vase, and by the second, I was starting to get the hang of it. I had a fun time making a jug – a big, fat puffer fish sitting on swirly waves. I thought it was a cute fellow. To date, the puffer fish piece still remains as my favourite creation.
      Then, when I finally started wheel throwing, which involves the potter’s wheel, it was a dream come true, a truly awesome experience. It does take focus to work on a spinning platform – speed of the wheel, pressure on the material and flicks of the hand play a part in making a symmetrically shaped object. The first time I did it, though, I got it right, and that was enough of a reason to celebrate.

Cool, soft to the touch
Smooth, yielding and flexible
You can create much
– Haiku on clay, by Khor Hui Min

      All the items I produced are inspired by nature. Besides making the items into particular shapes, I also love to carve, stamp or draw flowers, leaves and fish. I like to paint the pieces in colours such as white, green, blue and pink.
      I love being able to nurture my love of the environment in this way, and after that take home a part of nature and put it to good use. I cannot wait to further explore this art form and develop my skills to create more pieces of art inspired by nature.