Pot/Vase paintings

 When I was in college, I had a fetish for pots and vases. I used to collect containers of various sizes, shapes and materials and turn them into vases.

Here's a collection of a few vases I had made during those years.

 Marbling has always been one of my favourite techniques of painting terracotta pots. This technique is so called because the final effect reminds us of the patterns on marble stones. I use oil paints while painting terracotta pots as it adheres well to the surface. In the above picture there are two pots that have been painted with this technique. The first one from the left has been painted in blue on a base coat of white, giving it a porcelain effect. The second one from right has been painted brown on a base of yellow, giving it a more earthy feel. For this technique, paint a terracotta pot with more than one coat of paint for the base color. Leave a time gap of a few hours between the coats. Leave to dry, Once the pot is completely dry, fill a container big enough for the pot to submerge in it. Add a few drops of contrasting oil paint to the water. Swirl the water , submerge the pot in the water and swirl it in the direction of the water. An elegant yet abstract pattern is formed on the water.

 The second technique that I have used is embossing using dough/clay. On the second basket from left and the third pot from right, this technique has been used. Here I have used epoxy putty to make various fruits: I mix both the pastes in the epoxy putty kit and mould it into strawberries. These strawberries have been stuck on to the middle of the basket . A few grooves have been made in the mould to represent the seeds of the strawberries. Similarly bananas and cherries have been made for the pot. This has to be done very quickly as epoxy putty dries at room temperature. Once this dries paint the basket/ pot with a base color and pain the fruits as well.

Another favourite vase of mine has been bamboo. I used to cut bamboo poles to 12-10 inch pieces.  These bamboos can be painted with various techniques.

One more technique is the flow technique. I mix a little glue to a color contrasting to the base coat. I drip a little color on the pot and and turn it in various directions so that the paint flows in the direction that the pot is bent in. This creates and abstract design.