Pottery Classes? Where to begin?

Do you feel drawn to try pottery but worry that you won’t be able to do it?

Maybe you haven’t done anything crafty since school or when your kids were small? It can be really scary trying something new when you are a big old grown-up adult!

We suggest starting gently, we have a whole selection of workshops suitable for beginners, some more challenging than others, some are occasionally stress induing! Let us guide you to get off on a good start with clay.

Coming to a new place with other students can be a bit intimidating, especially as we got out of the habit of going to new places and being in groups during the pandemic.

Learn to decorate with slips & underglazes

Firstly, ask yourself questions, what kind of learner are you? Do you pick things up easily? Are you especially nervous? Are you an audio, visual or kinaesthetic learner? All these things make a difference to your classroom experience.

Once you have a had a scout around our website and looked through our calendar, if you are still hesitant then drop us a line and tell us a bit about you. We have decades of experience helping people, putting them at ease and supporting them to succeed. We can advise you where to begin, we like to see people win as much as you want a good outcome.

If you are feeling super keen and confident then trust yourself and book whatever appeals. If it is your first time with clay then double check the description to make sure no previous experience is required.

Natural texture and oxides

Many people imagine pottery as throwing on the wheel but there are so many other methods of pottery! In the old school days, when you joined an evening class they made students work their way through techniques in order - Pinching, press moulding, slabbing, coiling and then if you were lucky at the end of term you would get a go or two on a wheel.

We set this studio up differently, big believers that occasionally it does no harm to eat your pudding first ; )

However, the old school was set up like that for a reason, the more you push clay the more it can fight back – think of your typical two year old – so for this reason it is good to start slow.

Love your garden? Make your own shed sign or plant labels!

We are big fans of SLOW, slow is what we are about – slow is healthy, slow is mindful, slow is the antidote to our crazy screen packed multi-tasking lives!

Our members come to us year after year because this is the best therapy going! You will leave here feeling grounded and joyful!

Here are some good classes to start with, any pinching introducing, a project like birds or hand building bird feeders. Tiles, Christmas decorations, an introduction to or maybe a press moulding session where you have the support of a pre shaped mould so you cannot fail!

Once you have been for your first session, got familiar with the setting, met Gaye & I, then you will feel ten times more confident to leap in to something more complicated or challenging like throwing.

Make a unique gift for those special occasions : )