It has been almost a year since I began renting a studio space at The Commune Artist Colony. A shared studio, a fellow ceramic artist and myself were determined to find a solution to our clay woes in Karachi; thus our studio came to life. The first few months were energetic, as both of us were preparing work for the Third ASNA Trinniale. Simultanously, Kristine Michaels a dedicated ceramic artist from Delhi, India was teaching workshops at the Indus Valley and at the Commune. I partcipated with great enthusiam having been thirsting for ceramic activities and further learning, since graduation. The Raku workshop led me to initiate a Raku handbuilding and kiln building workshop this year in April, the design of the kiln having been shared by Kristine. I have not yet put into practice the Egyptian Paste workshop,as the wood/salt kiln Kristine built at IVS and which we fired with a big team of students and artists in January of last year was by far the highlight. It is the only woodkiln in Pakistan able to withstand temperatures soaring to 1300 C. Rural kilns used by potters are also fired with wood, however, they only use glazes maturing at 900- 950 C, and the materials used to build the kiln are not refractory, hence limiting higher temperatures. I last fired this kiln in September of last year and the memory still lingers vividly in my mind's eye. The dancing flames, the exhaustion, the committment to never abandon despite dellirium. It is all I can think of day and night- when will the next kiln offer itself to my work and energy.
As of now, preparations for the kiln have begun, and I am assisted by welders who are making the frame and tongs for the project, the ceramic suppliers sending a cargo by train of kao-wool and bricks from the main cernters in industrial Punjab, and the team at Commune helping organize the space. I am looking forward to sharing the knowledge.

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