Getting our Hands Dirty at Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle

Deep in the jungle lies the aptly named Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle, a rustic place filled with all things ceramic. So technically it’s not in the jungle, but it is located in CleanTech Park near NTU. It’s still pretty far away and hard to get to, especially if you live on the other side of Singapore! It took us about 2 hours from Pasir Ris to get to this little haven away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

After the long and arduous journey (we got a bit lost despite the instructions on their Facebook page), we were greeted by a welcome sight – an ice-cream box! We raided it and gobbled down our ice-creams in record time. Then, it was time for the fun to begin!

Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle was started by the instructor’s grandfather and was passed down to her father. After finishing her studies, she’s now helping out in the family business. First, she showed us how to make a pen-holder out of clay. It looked easy enough, since she took all of 5 minutes to finish it. As it turned out, it’s a lot harder than it looks! I just couldn’t get the base right!

In the end, WJ and I were the last to finish and had to rush down to the next section of the class — the highly anticipated pottery wheel. Turns out I’m not particularly gifted in that area either.

You’re supposed to centre the clay, so that when you shape the clay while the wheel is spinning, you’ll be able to get a symmetrical shape.

They had a couple of pottery wheels we could try our hand at for fun. None of us had much success from the looks of it! We each took turns with the instructor guiding us in making small bowls. When I say guide, I really mean she practically did the whole thing herself. She told us where to put our hands and what to do while she spun the pottery wheel, which pretty much works like a sewing machine.

But, tadah! ‘My’ mini milk jug! The lines were created by running her finger up and down the jug slowly while the pottery wheel spun. I also added the thumb and finger indents for a better grip after it’s been fired.

Firing our clay creations take 18 hours! We’ll be able to collect our handmade pen-holders and bowls about 3 to 4 weeks later after firing and she’s helped us finish the base. I can’t wait! For $50 each for a 2 hour session, it’s extremely worth it! You get 2 items with all the materials included, and the base finished by professionals. Plus, it’s really fun and brings you back to the arts and crafts days in school. Don’t worry about getting dirty too, as they provide aprons, and the clay is surprisingly easy to wash off!

See you again, Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle!