Handcrafted with Love
At Studio Asobi, we believe that there is a place in this world for beautiful creations crafted by hand – slowly, lovingly and uniquely.
Our clay vessels each bear a name and a little haiku, and just as we have enjoyed making them, we hope that they bring the same joy to whoever holds and uses them.
The pictures below are a glimpse of our pottery works and creative process. Larger sculptures and installations can be found here.
We welcome you to join our pottery journey too, with our individual workshops, corporate sessions, regular classes, or volunteering.
These few weeks, we have had a flurry of workshops...
Jan 15
These few weeks, we have had a flurry of workshops which have given us much to be grateful for even amidst all the exhaustion.
Grateful for the sustenance of our daily needs, grateful for the opportunity to share what we love, grateful for everyone who has come through our doors, bringing with them joy and creativity.
Grateful too for the moments where we could create, for the glaze tests we could squeeze in, for the fun that we can still have as a family.
And, with some reluctance, grateful for the exercise we get each time we sweat it out wedging these big lumps of clay!
#studioasobi #handmade #madeinsingapore #ceramics #ceramiclife #sgceramics #sgpottery #pottery #wedging #kikumomi #chrysanthemum #nautilus
"Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices." - Prayer by St. Teresa of Avila
Liking these swirling vases that remind me you don't have to be perfect to be beautiful. Or at least to be interesting :) #studioasobi #handmade #madeinsingapore #ceramiclife #ceramics #sgceramics #sgpottery #pottery #wheelthrown #altered #imperfect
This must be the first New Year's Eve we spent working, but it was so wonderful to host a big family for our last workshop of the year. 13 people altogether, comprising grandparents, god-siblings, cousins.
Seeing this big family having fun together made me feel so warm and energised that I decided to make two wobbly vases out of the remaining clay from our electric wheel trial session!
#studioasobi #handmade #madeinsingapore #ceramics #ceramiclife #pottery #sgpottery #artisan #vases #altered
呼吸
The Nomads' Silk Road theme inspired our minds to wander across old and forgotten routes; sparkling oases; and striated hills that stand witness to the colourful adventures of ancient traders and pilgrims.
Loving this beautiful illustration of our little fragment plate and its delicious morsel by moon_malek
aiiinmalek dannelk thenomadssg
#handmade #pottery #ceramics #sgrestaurant #studioasobi #madeinsg
#Repost saltandlight.sg (with report.for.insta)
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In the unfolding drama of our lives, it may often appear so. But as studioasobi's Kenneth Lau sits at his pottery wheel, he's come to realise otherwise. He reflects:
I have been a potter for just five years and I make mistakes at the wheel all the time. Years of practice reduce the number of mistakes, but even the most skilful potter will, at times, gaze at a vessel spinning on the wheel, marred by an accidental push or sagging under its own weight, and decide that it is not going to be fired.
Its damaged part would be trimmed off with a sharp tool and what was on the way to becoming a tall vase might eventually become a large planting pot.
As God’s handmade clay vessel, I often find myself crying out to Him: “I’m happy like this, don’t change me!” or “Why this shape? I don’t like it.” Yet God quietly continues His moulding and, sometimes, if I am attentive, I get to look back and understand why He has shaped me in a certain way. (Romans 9:20-21)
I may have my own ideas of what I ought to be, but while I am still on this Earth, God is not done with me yet.
Dare we live our lives truly embracing the belief that we are indeed God’s beloved workmanship?
Dare we journey through each day full of wonder, allowing for His glorious plan to unfold in our lives, even as we struggle through trials, sins and disappointments? (Ephesians 2:10)
The longer I journey as a potter, the more I can imagine that we are indeed jars of clay, each possessing a treasure, each fearfully and wonderfully made.
We only know in part, but not yet in full, what God has in store for those who trust and love Him. How wonderful it is, then, that we each hold in our bodily vessels a treasure of immeasurable worth! (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)
May this treasure inside us never be kept hidden away, but always flow out as streams of living water – cleansing dirt, quenching thirst, giving life.
You have opened up a way
To enter into
The mystery of Thy Grace
Holy communion chalice & paten lovingly made by our pastor for her husband's ordination:) .
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#holycommunion #meansofgrace #byhand #ordination
Interior spaces are intimately tied to how we experience a place. Personally we love natural materials, as the touch of raw wood and clay brings about a different tonality to the atmosphere.
Grateful to our friends at rogerandsons for their beautiful space to display our handmade creations!
#localmakers #pottery #ceramics #carpentry #interiordesign #sgdesign #studiosobi #roger&sons #singapore
Beautiful plates, bowls and vases made by our migrant brothers and sisters at HealthServe yesterday night.
It was Thanksgiving Day, and we encouraged them to make something for someone they were grateful for. As I cleaned and trimmed their lovely creations this afternoon, I cannot help but give thanks for the very fact that I live in Singapore, in a comfortable and sturdy home built by a responsible government, and that I am able to make a living doing what I love.
These people all have to deal with injuries, joblessness, huge debts, and family crises back home, yet last night they smiled, sang, and encouraged one another, regardless of nationality and race.
If you would like to join us in blessing this neglected community with love and dignity, let us know here or drop us a note!
Finally some satisfying results from our tests, ...
Nov 25
Finally some satisfying results from our tests, roughly a fifth of the tiles in this happy little swirl. Our glossy glazes need just a little more testing but we finally appear to have some working mattes!
Lots of credit to glazyorg , as well as Glaze Simulator, for being invaluable resources as I tried to figure out my formulas. There's still so much to explore!
37 glaze test tiles, in the hope that a few of ...
Nov 24
37 glaze test tiles, in the hope that a few of them will turn out nice!
Recently we refilled a bunch of our raw materials and suddenly half our glazes turned out terrible. Not sure which of those powders was the culprit, or if there was more than one. Also, not sure if replacing them would do any good as well, cos the thing about raw minerals is that every batch can have different levels of purity, and different types of impurities.
Or is it the kiln?!?! Anyway, because raw materials are not cheap either, we decided to work with what we have now, and tweak our formulas to suit the current materials on our shelves. This means several new rounds of testing, each taking 2-3 days, and no guarantee that we will be able to replicate our nice glazes in the past. But who knows, maybe there will be new and beautiful surprises?
Little lesson here. When the unexpected happens, how do we respond? This episode teaches me that the more lightly we hold on to our desires and comforts, the more agile our ship can be, the easier we can navigate the new circumstances that greet us each day. Amidst any failures or unfortunate events, there are always opportunities for discovery and growth!
#studioasobi #handmade #madeinsingapore #ceramics #ceramiclife #sgc#sgpottery #artisan #kiln #glaze #glazetest #keeptrying #failure
Really cool to see how these different clays change colour and shrink after firing!
#studioasobi #handmade #madeinsingapore #potter #pottery #sgpottery #sgceramics #artisan #ceramiclife #localclay #testing
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Till I wake, with you
Two more of our bubbles, hot off the oven! Been a challenging week for us, but it's always comforting to open the kiln and welcome something pretty into this world!
Still trying to perfect the making process for these double-walled cups. Due to the challenges of creating a completely enclosed vessel, these have had to be fired three times instead of the usual two. But I've got some ideas, and I'm lookin forward to testing them out.
On a related note, I'm also feeling really thankful that we are running our own studio, which allows us flexibility of time to care for our loved ones, as well as to engage in our own artistic explorations without bosses breathing down our necks. I really believe it is worth all the things we have had to give up. Are there things you could give up too, for what really matters to you?
#studioasobi #handmade #madeinsingapore #ceramics #ceramiclife #sgceramics #sgpottery #artisan #bubbles #doublewalled #cup
Testing a spectrum of local clay blends, for a potential project. It took some time to tackle the lack of plasticity in one of the clays. A small percentage of bentonite appears to have helped, but one never knows until the clay comes out of the kiln!
#studioasobi #handmade #madeinsingapore #ceramiclife #ceramics #sgceramics #sgpottery #artisan #localclay #testing #chemistry #artandscience
WEAKER VESSEL, STRONGER VESSEL
Shaped by the same hand
One to carry, one to hold
One till we grow old
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"Weaker Vessel, Stronger Vessel" is a ceramic sculpture exploring the dynamics of marriage as depicted in 1 Peter 3:7.
The two unique vessels in this creation differ remarkably in size, form and function, yet they blend into a seamless whole. Their visual and physical relationship challenges the viewer to consider what it means to be weak or to be strong, and what bearing this has on each vessel's purpose and beauty.
Painstakingly harvested from local terracotta, hand-crafted, and fired with self-formulated glazes, this work bears the intimate marks of the craftsman at every stage of its journey, just as our lives and relationships are constantly shaped by our Potter's hands.
#studioasobi #handmade #madeinsingapore #ceramics #ceramiclife #sgceramics #sgpottery #artisan #commission #weaker #stronger #vase #pot #localclay #marriage #life #twoinone
Words of encouragement mean so much to us and God ...
Oct 29
Words of encouragement mean so much to us and God knows when we need some:) The pleasure is ours to be part of special moments, or to make a difference on an otherwise ordinary day.
Let us know if you would like to plan for a pottery workshop for your family, hens party, teambonding or couple date! We also have participants come alone for some selfcare:)
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P.S. The bowl is made by the youngest daughter of this sweet family! How cute is that!
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#selfcare #soulcare #potteryworkshop #studiopottery #sgpottery #sgcraft #learningspace #trialclass #sgceramics #potterysg #onedayclass #learningbydoing #experiencing #joyofmaking #studioasobi #singapore #funthingstodo #creative
<I AM OPEN>
Take this jar of clay
And place me where the rain falls
Till I overflow
We are made in the image of a creative God who brings forth new things, and the seeds of possibilities in our lives correlate with our posture of attentive listening to God's leading. This vessel is an invitation to stay open; and to become people in whose hearts will flow rivers of living water. As we face this challenging world, may we stay rooted and firm - growing like strong trees; flourishing as evergreens.
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Vessel made specially for bgst1989 .
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#pottery #stonewarepottery #potteryofinstagram #potterydesign #potterylove #potterylover #pottery_lovers #potterystudio #potterylovers #potteryart #potterylife #potterymaking #studiopottery #ceramicsculpture #handmadewithlove #singaporearts #studioasobi #christianart
Potter's pleasure.
Journeyed all the way to Bukit Timah to collect this batch of clay for testing, for a potential installation project. Hope it goes ahead, but whether or not it does, we've already gotten a nice gift!
MOON OVER A CLIFF
What is it like to
Sit at the edge of this world
And bathe in your light?
Here's another one of our double walled moon vases, in the dark, mysterious hue of our Starry Night glaze.
There are no cliffs here in Singapore, only towering skyscrapers where you would probably have the cops called on you if you are spotted sitting at the edge of a parapet with legs dangling out.
But there are places in the world, and far back in my memory, where the moon would rise unusually large, casting the hills and mountains into silhouette. And once in awhile, when there is too much noise around me, I would reach into the depths of my memory and float myself into the silence of a lonely ledge atop a windy hillside, where the moon is so near that I can almost touch it. And, bathed in the coolness of its silvery light, my soul would find peace again.
#studioasobi #handmade #madeinsingapore #pottery #sgpottery #sgceramics #ceramics #ceramiclife #artisan #vase #sake #cups #doublewalled #moon #moonlight #cliff #silhouette