Hup Ceramic: Clay Sculpture You'll Fall in Love with at First Sight

Who would have thought that taking a small ceramics course would lead to falling deeply in love with it? You wouldn't understand until it happens to you. Today, Pottery Clay invites everyone to meet Khun Jay - Chenwalee Tantikarn from Hup Ceramic by Chenwalee, who has experienced falling in love with pottery and turning it into a career.

"Before creating the Hup Ceramic brand, I took a few small ceramic courses. At first, I took them out of curiosity, but as I continued, I wanted to understand pottery more. I started seeking additional knowledge and gradually practiced until I became skilled. Then, I began creating what I wanted until I reached a point where I decided to establish my own brand, 'Hup Ceramic.' The pieces I produce have a personal uniqueness in that they are cute in my own style, and most importantly, every piece is functional."

Even as a beginner, Khun Jay places importance on every step of production and pays attention to every piece to ensure that the work aligns with her intentions. This is because the joy of pottery is not just in the act of potting.

"The pieces I create involve steps that require care, meticulousness, and even delicacy. We start by sketching designs on paper multiple times until satisfied. Then, we experiment with shaping the clay, firing it, and painting it to match our imagination. The joy of all types of work lies in the 'imperfection' and 'uniqueness' of each piece. Therefore, every piece is a one-of-a-kind handmade item. We believe we're not just selling utility items or art; we want them to be cherished items that everyone enjoys using."

"Before this, we used clay sold by the workshop. When I tried Pottery Clay's Light Clay, the texture and color of the clay were quite similar, so I chose to use it because the colors I use would fire similarly to my old work.

"Most of Hup Ceramic's work is colorful. There are some jewelry pieces and small decorative figurines. But sometimes, we incorporate our personal preferences, such as using blue as a highlight in some collections. We contrast white with blue, and when combined with Pottery Clay's Snow White clay, it makes the color stand out beautifully, so we decided to focus on blue for those pieces. For Light Clay, we use it for multi-colored works because its color is soft, not stark white, and it's better for shaping medium-sized pieces, about the size of a fist. But the first Pottery Clay product we actually used was the kiln.

"Since we are not fully entrenched in the ceramic industry, we thought that buying a ready-made branded kiln would be more suitable for us. Electric kilns are also good for beginners who don't know how to control the heat. Also, our pieces are relatively small, so one firing can produce quite a few items. That's why we chose the DG Mini electric ceramic kiln."

"On the day the kiln arrived, we just needed to prepare the space for it. There was no need to worry about the electrical system because no complicated modifications were required. When Pottery Clay arrived, they placed it in our designated spot, installed it, and taught us how to use it. It wasn't difficult at all. We were able to learn everything thoroughly in a short amount of time."

"If I were to talk about how I feel having my own kiln, I'd say life has become much easier. Having my own kiln allows me to fire my work whenever I want, which is very convenient. Plus, the electricity cost is much lower than I expected; firing glazed pieces only costs a few tens of baht, so I can fire frequently. If I had to recommend something to beginners, I'd say that having a kiln, even a small, Mini-sized one like this, is a great start."

How about that? Another person who fell in love with pottery, just as captivating as any other brand, right? If you want to follow the work of Hup Ceramic by Chenwalee, it's not difficult at all. Just go to Facebook: Hup ceramic by Chenwalee or IG: hup.ceramic.