The Vase One Day Workshop will guide you through the basics of handbuilding a beautiful vase. Vases are a wonderful form to work towards and there is an amazing satisfaction using them as flower vessels or even paint brush holders, or just empty as a display piece appreciating their forms. They are also often given as gifts by our students to those who they know would appreciate the effort that has gone into making it, or if they would love something made by someone they know - or of course keep them for yourself!
If this is your first time working with clay, this is a brilliant way to be introduced to clay as a material, equally if you have worked with clay before this is a great way to hone your skills and develop new ways of working and thinking about your designs, which is something our teachers will definitely help you with.
In this one day workshop your teacher will introduce you to the traditional technique of pinch and coil building. You will begin your session by handling soft clay and rolling out coils which will be used to create your unique vases. In the afternoon you will then have a chance to further refine your work by adding attachments such as handles, applying texture and slip decoration.
The course allows you to keep 2-4 pots per student depending on the scale of your work. If you wish to keep more pots, by all means, you can, we charge £10 for each additional piece kept to cover the material and firing costs. We do however encourage students to be as critical of their work as possible and only keep what they know they will use, or is going to sit proudly somewhere to look at, as we want to aim to be as environmentally friendly as possible and clay can only be recycled pre their firings, but not after!
There is a maximum of 10 people who attend each class.
One Day - Throwing on the wheel Courses ALL LEVELS 11:00-17:00
A one day introductory class or intermediate class. For those who are absolute beginners - you will learn the very basics of throwing on the potters wheel. Beginning the session with throwing cylinders and following up with bowls during the afternoon. If however you have already taken classes, we will work with you after the initial class demonstration, on the specific techniques you need to improve for the forms you are tackling.
Each attendee has their own dedicated potters wheel and there is a maximum of 10 people who attend each class.
Expect to keep anywhere between 1-3 pieces, depending on what happens when you are throwing! If you would like to keep more than 3 pieces, we charge an extra £10 a pot, which will fire and glaze for you!
Monday 1st June - 11:00-17:00
This one-day intensive workshop focuses on the traditional art of the pulled handle, led by the incredibly skilled Lucia Ocejo. Often considered one of the most challenging skills to master, a well-executed handle transforms a simple beaker into a piece of functional sculpture.
Lucia will guide intermediate students through her fluid, rhythmic approach to pulling handles directly from the clay body. You will work with a series of pre-thrown, leather-hard stoneware beakers, providing the perfect canvas to practice consistency, tension, and attachment.
The session delves into the ergonomics of the grip and the aesthetic "spring" of the curve. Lucia will demonstrate how to achieve a seamless join that feels like a natural extension of the form, ensuring your handles are as comfortable to hold as they are beautiful to behold.
By the end of the day, you will have moved past "stuck-on" handles to create integrated, elegant forms, gaining the muscle memory needed to bring this essential technique into your own studio practice.
Images by Eddie Jervis