Vahid Ohran, potter
Living in the village of Liješeva next to Visoko, also called the potters' valley because it has always been known for its pottery, it was inevitable that Vahid Ohran would also turn to pottery. A little over twenty years ago, out of great curiosity and hobby, he started making clay objects on the potter's wheel, and then it became an indispensable part of his everyday life and a great love.
- Name of Craft in the local language
- Lončar, grnčar
- Type of Craft
- Traditional production of clay dishes on a potter's wheel
- Knowledge Holder
- Vahid Ohran
- Location, Website
- Liješeva bb, 71300 Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina Link to website
- Contact
- +387 62 187446
- Type of Business
- Family business from home and in the home
- Year of Establishment
- 2000
- Successors
- No
- Workshop and sales space
- 35 m²
- Materials
- Local clay, water, and glaze colors
- Technology / Tools / Machines
- Potter's wheel, spatulas, clay oven
- Techniques / Processes
- Softening and soaking of clay, shaping of clay by hand and on the potter's wheel, drying of clay in the air, firing of clay at a controlled temperature in the oven, cooling of baked clay, glazing and coloring of clay vessels.
- Members / Employees
- 2; craftsman Ohran and his wife
- Apprentices
- Not able to find an apprentice or a successor to ensure the continuation of the craft.
- Education of the Craftsperson
- He learned the craft from his neighbor, Vahid Ohran, who passed on his knowledge and skills to him before his untimely death. Also, since the town of Liješevo has been known for centuries for its pottery craft, it has acquired useful knowledge and skills from other neighbors in the last twenty years.
- Best-selling product
- Bosnian pot, pršulja (a type of vessel), casserole (shallow and deep), amphorae, bowls for restaurants, jars, bardak (type of vessel).
- Average time of production
- Continuous all-day process
- Average price per item
- €3,50 – €250
Living in the village of Liješeva next to Visoko, also called the potters’ valley because it has always been known for its pottery, it was inevitable that Vahid Ohran would also turn to pottery. A little over twenty years ago, out of great curiosity and hobby, he started making clay objects on the potter’s wheel, and then it became an indispensable part of his everyday life and a great love.
He learned the craft from his neighbor, Vahid Ohran, who passed on his knowledge and skills to him before his untimely death. Also, since the town of Liješevo has been known for centuries for its pottery craft, it has acquired useful knowledge and skills from other neighbors in the last twenty years.
Vahid makes all the pottery items in the workshop he has in his own house and bakes them in the kiln located in the yard next to the house. The very process of preparing the clay and making objects on the potter’s wheel is something that he does individually, but his wife and two daughters jump in to help him in the process of drying the objects in the air and then baking them. The total working area of the space is 35 square meters.
The production takes place in several stages. Preparation of clay for sculpting, working on the potter’s wheel manually with the help of engraving tools (spatulas of various types). When he makes the item, he goes to dry it in the natural air for several days in a ventilated place without direct sunlight. After that, the objects are placed in the oven for eight hours to be baked at a precisely determined and controlled temperature. During the baking phase, his wife and daughters help him a lot because it is a process that, once it starts, cannot be stopped. All previously made dried items are baked, of which there can be dozens at the same time. After baking, the objects are also cooled in a controlled manner, because too rapid cooling leads to the objects filling. The finished object can be painted, glazed, or left in its natural clay or fired form.
