Spooky Pottery Workshop: Ghost Tea-Light Holder

Hello! I’m Divya. I’m an architect, an educator, and the creator behind artsy.dc, where I bring imagination to life through watercolor prints and air-dry clay artwork.My journey into this specific craft blossomed directly from my background in architecture. Designing buildings and researching urban spaces is deeply fulfilling, but it involves a highly exact, often digital, and lengthy process. I found myself craving something tactile—something where I could feel the materials in my hands and see a finished piece come together in an afternoon rather than over several years.Watercolors offer a beautiful, fluid unpredictability that completely contrasts the strict precision of architectural drafting. Similarly, air-dry clay allows me to sculpt, mold, and play with form on an intimate, forgiving scale. Recently relocating from Mumbai to London has been a massive pivotal moment in my life; the creative energy of this transition gave me the final push to officially launch artsy.dc and share my smaller-scale creations with the world.When I’m not painting or sculpting, my heart belongs to teaching. Before moving to the UK, I had the privilege of serving as an Assistant Professor at Aditya College of Architecture. I absolutely love the "aha!" moment when a student finally grasps a complex spatial concept or successfully translates an abstract idea into a tangible studio design object. Teaching allows me to foster an environment where people feel safe to experiment, make mistakes, and ultimately discover their own unique design language.What people might not realize about my art is how deeply my architectural training influences it. Even when I’m painting a loose, free-flowing watercolor or sculpting a whimsical clay piece, I’m subconsciously applying principles of structure, light, and proportion. It’s a wonderful intersection of strict academic discipline and pure, uninhibited play.I’m incredibly proud of the foundation I’ve built over the years. My creative perspective has been shaped by studying and living in wonderfully diverse cities—from earning my Bachelor of Architecture at Mumbai University to completing my Master’s degree at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Blending that rigorous formal education, my professional experience in research and design-led architectural practices, and my hands-on teaching experience allows me to bring a highly unique, well-rounded perspective to my craft.Whether I'm designing a new print, molding a fresh batch of clay, or guiding someone through the design process, I draw on those years of training and a deep, genuine love for making beautiful things.