Crazing, pinholes and seconds: what counts as a flaw
Which marks are part of handmade pottery and which ones mean a piece is sold as a second, explained plainly.
A potter’s day out from White Town to Villianur
Terracotta workshops, a temple chariot and a quiet lake: a half-day route around Puducherry for anyone who loves clay.
Puducherry has a much older clay tradition than our small studio. Within half an hour of White Town, families still make terracotta horses, lamps and water pots the way their grandparents did. If you are visiting us, this half-day route makes a good companion to a wheel class.
Leave White Town by 8 am and head west on the Villianur road, about 12 km. Villianur and the villages around it are known for terracotta. In the lanes behind the main road, you will find potters working at kick wheels and open-air kilns, and shops selling clay lamps, planters and the large votive horses that guard village temples. Most workshops are happy for visitors to watch for a few minutes if you ask; buying a small lamp or two is a kind way to say thank you.
The Thirukameswarar temple at Villianur is worth a stop, especially its large temple car, which is pulled through the streets during the annual festival. On the way back, take a detour to Ousteri lake, where the early morning light over the water is lovely and migratory birds gather in winter.
Return to White Town for lunch and spend the afternoon walking the quieter streets near the promenade. Then come to the studio after 3 pm, when the potters are trimming the morning’s work. Compare the fast, low-fired terracotta you saw in the morning with our high-fired stoneware: the same earth, used in two quite different ways. Wear comfortable shoes and carry water; the village lanes have little shade.
