Kamal Prasad is a potter working from a small studio on the outskirts of Varanasi. His family has made earthenware for three generations — utilitarian pieces for cooking, storage and ritual use. Kamal continues this tradition but has expanded into decorative pottery and sculptural work. He uses a kick wheel, shapes each piece by hand, and fires in a wood-fuelled kiln. His glazes are simple — earth tones, ash glazes, occasional copper oxide greens — and his forms tend toward the solid and grounded. Nothing he makes is rushed; the pace of the wheel sets the pace of the work.
Clay is sourced locally, cleaned and wedged by hand. Pieces are thrown on a kick wheel, dried slowly in shade, then bisque-fired. Glazes are mixed in the studio from ash, feldspar and metal oxides. A second firing sets the glaze. The entire process from clay to finished piece takes about two weeks.
By Kamal Prasad · Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
By Kamal Prasad · Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
By Kamal Prasad · Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
