Sarawak vase
Making of pots and vases has come a long way and today, you can buy basic or well-designed and arty works made from clay

THERE is more to pottery than churning out pots or vases. For some, it is a commercial industry while for others, it is a form of art. But in both instances, there is designing, sculpting and more involved.

Pottery began as a necessity to produce utility ware like cooking pots and jars to hold water but today, the industry includes production of art pieces, souvenirs and display items.

Nor are these simply functional without form. Pottery items are well designed and colourful and some places have acquired a reputation for turning out beautiful, collectible items.

Sarawak Pottery
Sarawak’s first pottery stood a few miles downstream from the main town of Kuching, at Tanah Puteh. A craftsman from Chaozhou province, China, was making cooking pots and jars for the local market when ]ames Brooke sailed past in 1839.

Pottery has come a long way. since! Today, pots and pans are “over shadowed” by glistening souvenirs and arty stuff of every conceivable shape and colour.

The potteries are easy to find. They cluster around Fifth Mile Penrissen Road, well provided with parking space for customers. Not just for carstour buses stop here too, on the way back from a longhouse trip or on the way to the airport.

On a good day, a few hundred visitors stop at a pottery. Many of them simply want to watch the potters at the wheel, artists painting the unfired wares, or take a peek when the kiln is being opened.

Tourists buy decorative jars and flower pots, while locals are more likely to select flower pots. Most of the potteries sell potting mix, or ready-planted shrubs in attractive containers.

There is no shortage of choice. Pots range from three inches to three feet in height. The cheapest little pipkin costs about RM2, but a tall, stately presentation jar can set the buyer back nearly RM1,000!

The taukeh nio of one pottery shop admits that not many people buy the largest jars - they are too difficult to transport. Medium-sized glazed pots or vases decorated with Sarawak native designs are most popular and buyers spend an average RM30-50. - By HEIDI MUNAN