Going potty for a present

THERE is no longer any need to get down and dirty to create a pottery masterpiece ... thanks to two entrepreneurs.

Studio Ceramics is the latest attraction in the expanding list of leisure activities in Bahrain. Located on Budaiya Highway in a double-storey house that is accessible by a sandy road, it is attracting a growing band of creative families.

Although pottery classes are a dime a dozen in Bahrain, Studio Ceramics is unique in the way that the pottery, called Bisque which has been fired once, is already available for the customers to paint on.

Adults and children can walk into the studio and choose the pottery and paints and use the painting materials to transform the imported white bisque into their own work of art.

The pottery is then treated in a kiln for a 24-hour glazing process after which it is ready to be collected. So instead of modelling the pottery from scratch, bisque is available in a wide array of shapes and sizes from cups, plates, bowls, boxes, votives, animal shapes and money banks.

"Some people are not keen on handling wet clay but want to try their hand at painting and our studio caters for exactly that," said Sayra Naoumovitch, one of the two partners in Studio Ceramics.

Sayra and her long-time friend and now business partner Anne Kesterton have been living in Bahrain for the last couple of years and felt the need to channel their energies into a creative enterprise.

"After too many hours of playing golf, I felt I needed to do more with my time than the typical expat activities," added Anne Kesterton.

Both Anne and Sayra are trained professionals. Anne is a lawyer and Sayra an engineer but instead they focused their efforts into setting up a business that they hope will grow with time.

"It requires an hour at the studio to paint a single piece of pottery and the average spend of an individual is BD10 on a single visit.

"Although initially the painted pottery looks quite ordinary after the glazing process most people are extremely pleased with their finished piece. Another advantage of our pottery is that it isn't just a decoration object but can be used safely as it is microwave and dishwasher safe.

"Recently there was a lady who painted a tea set as a birthday gift for her friend which is a personal yet useful present," said Anne.

Price of porcelain starts from BD6 and can go up to BD50; this includes the price of the painting materials, the glazing, use of the studio and access to several books on design and technique.

Plans to conduct classes in painting technique are also in the pipeline as Studio Ceramic carves its niche in the kingdom.