The tale of a proud bird

... One of famous masters, Usto for many Rishtan ceramists, was Ibragim Komilov, a seventh-generation hereditary potter, a virtuoso of the brush, People’s Master of Uzbekistan. A lot has been written about this amazing person. However, there is one story that not everyone knows. It was told by one of Kamilov’s apprentices, master ceramist Alisher Nazirov.
 

Shortly before his death, Usto felt an extraordinary surge of inspiration. He painted incessantly, day and night, covering one dish after another with intricate patterns. On one of these days, a Bird was born from his brush. It was a very special bird that you will not see in other potters’ works. It seems to be flying up, spreading its wings wide and raising them high...

– You didn’t teach us to draw such a bird, Usto ... Where did this drawing come from? – Alisher Nazirov asked the teacher.
– This is not to be taught, son. You have to find your Bird on your own ... But the main thing is that it must be a proud bird.

A week later, the Master was gone. But the proud bird of Usto Ibragim still lives in the works of his apprentices, and will live forever, becoming the wings of Rishtan ceramics, one of its most famous symbols. And a wise testament for descendants: respect for centuriesold traditions should be combined with a constant creative search, a desire to renew the familiar world of images. When something new comes from a perspicacious soul, everyone hears and repeats it like the words of a cherished song.. 

Elmira Gyul