1 week Ago
Some neighbours bond over sports, others their love for pets or growing edible greens in the community garden . For Bukit Batok East residents Amisha Gaikar, Joyce Tan and Wong Fun Eng, nothing brings them more joy than coming together to create miniature clay art, or clay modelling – and teaching other residents how to do so. The three women are team leaders of the Bukit Batok East (BBE) Clay Art Interest Group, which was set up by Wong 10 years ago.
Wong, 64, who works part-time, fell in love with miniature clay art after attending a course organised by the People’s Association. She started the BBE Clay Art Interest Group, and today, there are about 20 residents who are regular members. The group uses air-dry clay because it doesn’t require kiln firing.
The clay, which they purchase from Malaysia, dries after 24 hours. It is also easy to work with, non-toxic and is a suitable medium for both newbies and professional artists. Its versatility is what attracted Wong to clay art.
“There’s no limit to what you can make with air-dry clay,” said Wong, who enjoys making flowers and animals, which she displays in cabinets at home. Tan, 61, added: “While air-dry clay is fun to play with, it can also be challenging when making the miniature pieces.” She cites the example of making a 1cm wide miniature fried egg for nasi lemak .
The process involves putting a tiny ball of yellow clay on a small white piece of clay, and then using brown paint to create the fried edges. “You need to have patience and passion for this craft,” said the housewife. The process of making miniature sculptures involves several stages, said Gaikar.
Some pieces need more drying time, then comes painting and other finishing touches to enhance the realism. “The time to complete a piece can vary significantly from less than five minutes for simpler items to several hours for more complex creations,” added the 43-year-old. Gaikar, who has enjoyed playing with clay since she was a child, runs her own art studio, Aboli Callidus .
She conducts workshops from her home and also makes bespoke clay sculptures for sale. The women organise workshops for Bukit Batok East residents every few months, often timed with festival celebrations. For example, they recently held a workshop for residents to make miniature clay mooncakes for the mid-autumn festival.
With Christmas coming up, the women are planning their next workshop, where they will teach residents to make miniature Christmas trees and Santa Claus sculptures. The workshops are complimentary, and materials and tools are provided. “We use tools that are easily available, so that participants can continue with the craft even at home,” said Gaikar.
For example, toothpicks and cookie cutters are used to shape the clay, and beads are used as eyes. The clay art pieces are made for display, but Gaikar suggested adding magnets to turn them into fridge magnets or adding safety pins, so that they can be worn as brooches. Gaikar and Wong have also used clay to make jewellery such as earrings and necklaces.
The women meet up regularly to plan the workshops. Outside of clay art, they also enjoy going out for meals together. “We know each other’s weaknesses,” said Gaikar, when asked how close the trio are.
“Fun Eng is a stickler for punctuality.” Wong heartily agreed: “We have limited time for our workshops, so I like to make sure that everyone arrives on time.” Upcoming workshops are announced via the neighbourhood’s Facebook page .
About 20 residents attend the hour-long workshops, with some participants as young as three years old. “We also get several older folks who come, and sometimes even multi-generational families,” said Gaikar. Tan added: “Sometimes the older folks say making miniature art too difficult, so we persuade them to try it out and they enjoy it a lot.
” The residents of Bukit Batok East and Toh Guan recently got together for their biggest project, creating 200 food clay models showing over 50 local and international foods, such as ice kacang, nonya kueh, ramen and pizza. Some of the pieces are as tiny as 2cm, and they are all neatly displayed on a specially made shelf. The project was created for the PAssionArts Festival 2024 that brings arts, culture, performances, and workshops to the heartlands.
This year’s theme was Palettes of Joy, celebrating Singapore’s rich food culture through various art forms. The 200 clay art food miniatures took a group of 100 residents two-and-a-half months to complete. “It was so stressful as we ran out of clay midway.
Our regular supplier also ran out of stock. In the end, we called on other clay artists to buy more,” said Tan. Gaikar added: “This project required crafting numerous intricate elements, which proved to be quite demanding.
One of the most challenging pieces involved creating a detailed array of local delicacies, such as prawn noodles.” The display was showcased at the Bukit Batok East PAssionArts Festival in July, and it earned a spot in the Singapore Book of Records for Largest Display of Food Clay Art Model. The three women are naturally proud of their achievement.
“I feel truly honoured and excited to be part of this record-breaking project. It’s an amazing experience, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together,” said Tan. Wong added: “It’s a great pleasure to be included in the SBOR.
This recognition has motivated me to continue improving my clay art and pushing myself further.” While clay art has allowed Gaikar to get to know her neighbours, she has a bigger ambition. “I hope that one day, we have residents from other parts of Singapore come here to join us in our workshops,” she said.
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