Dhaka Sightings

I went to Old Dhaka and took too many really bad pictures and this is all that survived my unscrupulous deleting frenzy. I took the picture of the sculpture below so that next time I went to old Dhaka I would have my bearings. It''s not unsightly and actually quite beautiful compared to some I've had to look at recently. I really need a polarizing filter. . . I hate a washed out sky.




Why are Hindi movie posters so fascinating to me . . . and to most artsy westerners for that matter? The picture was quite awful even though I upped the contrast, but all that aside I still like it.




For this picture I was sitting on the back side of a horse-drawn taxi in the middle of a traffic jam. Unfortunately this rickshaw driver had some phlegm that was not cooperating with my photo opportunity. Looking at it closer . . . maybe he was getting ready to spit at me . . . hmmm . . .

If All My Neighbors Were Potters...

I visited this wonderful potter's village in Manikgonj. When they found out that I was a potter they said that I do Hindu work. I have a confession to make. I like taking pictures of pots almost as much as I enjoy making pots. All of the families in this village are potters and they all have their own kiln etc. on their property. The pots below are all stacked up and ready for the kiln to be built around them.




Here is one of the potters loading up the pots to be fired.




Here, amazingly enough is a neighboring kiln that is fully loaded. The pots been enclosed in clay walls which form the outside of the kiln. The big hole is where the fire is built. The sari adds some great color to the picture and has nothing to do with pottery.




Here is my colleague, Bita, carrying several of the bowls we bought, to the van.




Last but not least, my favorite pot shot. I feel like I have to paint it. It is so rich with shadows and subtle color contrasts and not-so-subtle texture contrasts. It almost feels as if they have already started to bake in the light of the sun and I can feel the tension, knowing how fragile a bone dry piece of greenware is.