Last November, despite a short notice, I was privileged to be invited to attend a series of ceramic workshops at UPFA featuring guest speakers Alvin Tan Teck Heng, Pablo Capati III and Mark Valenzuela.

The first day started with a set of lecture and demonstration by the Singapore-based potter, Alvin. He has been doing pottery for 18 years! I haven't seen a potter as passionate as him and I was really inspired by the things he shared with us. I wish I've written this post sooner as to describe the feeling I felt when I met them, my heart was like bursting with joy and happiness and I was trying hard to hold back all my feels! It felt like doing pottery again for the first time and it made me remember why I wanted to pursue pottery in the first place. These guys are good and I am fully blessed to have met them.

I wasn't able to take pictures on the first day but Alvin did a wheel demo of a big vessel and did an intricate carving on it. It was beautiful. Pablo and Mark also shared their experience as artists in Australia and their works are equally as beautiful too! If you can find their works on the net, go look for it. They are absolutely nice.

Second day demo

Most of the students lined up for the wheel throwing session. 

We were with Mark doing the handbuilding techniques. My sculpting skills needs a lot of improvement so I was happy to be here! He taught us how to combine slabs and coils to form figures.

And some blowtorch action! Yay

Ma'am Rita also invited us to Pablo Capati's studio in Batangas

and I can say it is one of the best spontaneous decisions I've ever made. 

His space is perfect!

He fires most of his work in an Anagama kiln. It's a wood kiln that takes 2-3 days to fire. 

We were lucky to witness a firing day when we were there

The other potters are also staying in his home (they take shifts in the wood firing)

so while we were there, we had a free demo!

Alvin with Jezzel on the wheel

Bathma Kaew-Ngok from Thailand apprenticed in Japan for over a year and he's a very good potter. 

He taught us how to do the "chrysanthemum" wedge. 

If I'm right, I think the Japanese term is kikumomi. Bathma also did a demo for us on the Japanese way of throwing on the wheel. We both kick the wheel from the left. He said something about it following the flow of the Universe.

More practice. Hi Val!

We watched the kiln firing afterwards. Pablo Capati shared some things about the Anagama kiln and how it is fired.

Had our hands on some stoking action afterwards :)

And a bonus! Bathma's partner, Naomi Daimaru is an ikebana instructor from the Ohara School and she did a demonstration/mini workshop for us before lunch time. All the flowers were from the backyard and the arrangements are all so beautiful! 

I just can't believe how generous these people are in sharing their life and their knowledge to beginners like us! I have great respect for these guys. I learned a great deal in the small span of time we were together and my heart is just singing with joy and contentment. And that feeling of how beautiful life is!

I'm really thankful to have been able to experience all of this.

Definitely one for the memories~

XOXO