Can a piece of polished clay speak to you? Not likely. But if the hands which have moulded it happen to belong to Nicholas Young, it probably could. These hands have produced some of the most astounding pottery Guyana has ever seen.



On a single chunk of clay he spends roughly two full days, sometimes even more, moulding and detailing it to perfection. And when he is through there is just one vase or a bowl.



Nicholas is an artist and clay is his canvas. Every pottery piece of his captivates and it has the power to draw you directly to it, if you are in a crowded room with just one vase. He is that good. But very few persons know who he is and have ever seen anything he would have created.



LeatherWoodClay, the exhibition which opened at the Umana Yana on Thursday last and runs until tomorrow, is the initiative of Nicholas and a few other persons in the craft industry. In addition to being one of better potters in the country, Nicholas is perhaps the most vibrant force in the craft industry.



He pushes local craft and is also thinking of new ways to promote it. Whether he is successful or not in realising a particular dream he keeps pushing, and when we sat down with him on Wednesday he confessed to spending 90 per cent of his time and energy on pottery.



"I live and breathe pottery that is no secret. I get around five sometimes three hours sleep a day because of how demanding the job is. It takes patience and for the last 20 years I have devoted all of my time to it," Nicholas said.



He smiles as the words leave his lips, but lets out a sigh soon after. There is evidence of a lack of sleep in his face but nothing too alarming. He comes over as someone who is all work, and no more than two sentences pass without him referring to pottery.



Nicholas said he is aware of the role he plays in bringing awareness to the craft locally and he takes it seriously. But his small problem is that he is often more out than in, since he travels extensively.



His work has been to Europe, North America, Belize and most of the Caribbean. Recently he was at Carifesta where he created quite a stir among the Trinidadians. Since he gets more exposure outside Guyana, he said, more time is spent away from here. He said people are always taken aback when they see his pottery and often find it hard to believe that such work came out of Guyana.



Though the outside exposure has its benefits, Nicholas enjoys exhibiting at home. He said the aim of LeatherClayWood is for Guyanese to get to know what is happening in the industry and for them to get to know the artisans.



Previous local exhibitions were not well supported. He said encouragement means a lot and can sometimes determine if someone remains in the industry.



"Just a few words could really change things. When someone sees your work and is impressed that means a great deal. It certainly motivates me to keep working because you work from the mindset that you had an effect on people."



Nicholas's pottery pieces never get a chance to gather dust. He does not stock up on goods and whenever he puts out a collection of work people usually grab them fast. This, he said, drives him to keep working as hard he does.



He said the overseas market is thirsty for local craft items. Nicholas has plans to export in another few years, but said he would first need financial support to set everything in place as well as train staff. He currently works alone with a little assistance from a part-time employee.



Nicholas said he has been approached on many, many occasions by persons overseas who are interested in making regular purchases to supply their stores. But he has had to turn every one of them down. Why? He does not have the capacity to produce on such a large scale.



Explaining how one such conversation went he said a woman looked at his work once and said she was interested in 150 vases, 100 bowls, 60 tea sets… the list continued. He said he would not be able to supply those quantities unless he expands and make certain investments.



Since he takes a huge amount of pride in his work Nicholas strives to produce at a certain level. He said the work must reflect patience as well as artistry when he is finished so much effort goes into the details.



But Nicholas says he was not always so good. According to him, it was only two years ago that he reached the level he is currently at after 20 years in the business. For him it was more trial and error and when he first started it was just awful.



Nicholas said the first piece he created was a vase and it was a disaster.



But he was encouraged to continue. He said persons like Desiree Fernandes and Irene Gonsalves never stopped believing in his ability and were his biggest supporters.



It took some time, but a few years later he was producing quality work and supplying local craft and gift shops. He said when someone called to place orders in those early days it felt great. Today the orders still come in and many of the customers remain the same. These include Creations Craft and Margarita Gift Shop.



The story of how he got involved in pottery goes back to his childhood and his family history. He said his family is into the arts and that it is in his blood. His father David Young did interior decorating and was a professional photographer for many years. His father's uncle Matthew Young was a painter. A little further down his family tree is George Anderson Forshaw who had a deep interest in art.



While he was still in secondary school, Nicholas made Christmas decorations and managed to get Guyana Stores to sell them for him. He made a killing. As the year progressed he turned to decorating Christmas trees and then got into pottery.



Nicholas rarely takes a break from work. He said his time off comes when he is travelling and at exhibitions. However, he did find the time to get married and is also the father of a four-year-old son. He says their son shows promise in pottery but if his wife has her way, Nicholas will be the only potter in the house.



Rainforest Pottery which is located in the Hibiscus Craft Plaza near the Post Office is home to several of Nicholas's pottery pieces. ianaseales@yahoo.com
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