Social Club info for Newbies :)

A two hour class is a very short amount of time in the grand scheme of learning ceramics, but it can be a great introduction to getting your hands in clay.  During the session, participants will learn the basics of creating a bowl or cup form on the potter’s wheel.  They will typically learn how to wedge/prep their clay, center it on the wheel and then proceed through the steps of bringing the walls of the form up, creating a simple functional pot.  The instructor will do a demonstration of all the steps and then each person will be helped along with their piece as time allows (as one might expect, smaller classes get more individual attention from the instructor).  Students can save up to two pots each and will choose a single glaze color per piece before the end of class.  We usually save about 15 minutes at the end of class to start cleanup, as things can get pretty messy.  

After class ends, there are a number of additional steps that we will complete for you. All the steps will usually take about one month before your piece is ready for pickup or shipment.  Our studio clay also shrinks around 12%, so your piece will be smaller when you see it again!

Here are the next steps:

1.  The instructor will cover the pieces carefully after class and allow them to dry slightly to the “leather hard” stage over the course of a few days.  

2.  The pottery will be placed upside down on the wheel and trimmed with a “foot ring” so the piece sits relatively flat on a table top.  

3.  The pots will dry slowly over 1-2 weeks.  If they are fired too soon while they are still wet, the can explode in the kiln, so patience is important! 

4.  The pottery goes into the electric kiln for the first firing at around 1800 degrees Fahrenheit.  This is called the “bisque firing” and allows the work to be handled and glazed easily.  

5.  The pots are hand-dipped in your chosen glaze (one color per piece).  We make all of our glazes from raw natural materials, so there can be some variation in how the glaze looks compared to the sample you see in the studio.  This is part of the beauty of a handmade work of art. 

6.  The work is placed back into the electric kiln and fired to around 2150 degrees Fahrenheit, making the pots very durable and functional in the kitchen.  After firing, they are microwave safe and can be washed in the dishwasher, although they will last longer when washed by hand.

7.  We will call, text or email you when the work is ready to be picked up or shipped. 

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the complex nature of the multistep process, coming out with a finished piece is never guaranteed - things can go wrong at any point in making, even after the class time when we are finishing the pieces.  Clay is a difficult medium and is prone to cracking or simply being accidentally dropped on the ground.  Glazes can run, kilns can fail, people can make many unexpected mistakes.  We call this “embracing the idea of healthy non-attachment” to the object you make.  Please view this this class as an opportunity to begin to learn a new skill rather than make a perfect object.  It takes many years to master the art of any medium, especially ceramics.