Pinchy Porcelain

Saturday Jan 31st and Sunday Feb 1st

$300 both both days

In this 2 day workshop we will play, explore and have fun learning the properties of porcelain with a nod to historical pottery. Participants will learn a variety of hand-building techniques from pinching, coiling plus drop and drape slabs. Through a series of drawing exercises, students will develop skills to support their exploration of surfaces, with a focus on techniques such as inlay and carving. We will discuss where you experience creativity in your daily life, help identify and overcome personal creativity blockers and practice creative thinking techniques.

Participants should have some familiarity with clay and be of Intermediate experience. Day 1 will include getting our hands dirty and setting up the projects for decorating the next day; pinching, coiling and preparing a drape and drop project. Day 2 will include finishing projects from Day 1 plus a tile project and drawing exercises for applying inlay and carving on the surface. Both days will include conversations and dialogue about building your creative voice. At the end of the workshop participants can have their items fired.

Julie Wiggins received a BFA from East Carolina University. She received an honorary degree from Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in China, where she focused her studies on traditional Eastern techniques. She began her ceramic career in Charlotte where she helped establish Thrown Together Potters. Wiggins was the recipient of “NC Best in Craft” from Our State Magazine in 2021, Skutt Ceramic Artist of the Year (2016) and “Best in Show” at the Potters’ Market (2022) at the Mint Museum. Check out her interview on The Red Clay Rambler podcast with Ben Carter.

Julie’s passion for teaching extends to craft schools, art organizations and community centers nationwide, as well as, China, Italy and Greece. In 2021, she moved her home and studio to Bakersville, NC tucked into the Blue Ridge Parkway where she lives, makes pots, fires her no-borigama wood kiln and tends to her enchanted gardens near Penland School of Crafts with her pup, Leon Bridges.

Scratch, Splash, Swirl, Squirt

Adventures in Tile Decoration with Kel Millionie

Saturday Feb 7th 4:30pm-6:30pm

$75 includes all materials and Tile to take home

Unleash you inner artist in this dynamic 2-hour tile decorating workshop. Whether just starting in ceramics or refining your skills, you’ll explore three exciting techniques of sgraffito, the painterly possibilities of underglaze, and the elegant raised lines of slip-trailing. You’ll transform pre-made leather hard tiles into personalized works of art that can hang on a wall or used on a table. All materials provided. Tiles will be glazed and fired by our professional staff. Finished tiles will be ready for pick-up in 3-weeks.

Kel Millionie is a ceramic artist who creates distinctive, hand-thrown and altered functional pottery and sculpture. Inspired by the fluid movements of dance, the organic forms of nature, and the bold energy of abstract expressionism. Kel employs a diverse range of decorative techniques. These include slip decoration, darting, faceting, underglaze transfers, and other alternative methods, resulting in visually intriguing pieces that invite both contemplation and everyday use.

Stained Glass Surface Decoration

An intermediate workshop with artist Bethany Slater

Sunday March 29th 2pm-5pm

$90 includes practice surface and decorating materials

In this 3-hour workshop we will spend the first half of the workshop will be spent learning techniques for making repeating patterns with masking tape, as well as slip-trailing underglaze within the patterns to create depth. The second half of the workshop will be spent learning how to glaze the geometric patterns using multiple glazes and latex resist. Participants should come prepared with one or two pieces of bisqued pottery. It is highly encouraged to bring pieces that have been compressed or burnished with a metal or rubber rib at the end of trimming to ensure a smooth surface for the tape and slip-trailing. 

Bethany Slater began her ceramics adventure in 2017 as a student at the District Clay Center. She immediately became interested in surface decoration and the infinite possibilities of clay. As a professional classical musician and reed maker, she found she had many translatable skills for working in clay and now enjoys a career that is half music, half pottery. She is inspired by Art Deco architecture and creates functional wheel-thrown pottery with complex and textured geometric patterns. Her work has been shown in galleries across the United States, as well as featured in the Ceramics Monthly publication. She is delighted to be a teacher at the District Clay Center, where she hopes to inspire people to explore their creativity through clay. You can find her work locally at Laurel Leaf Takoma Park, Plntr, and Shop Made in DC (Wharf). To learn more visit www.bethanyslater.com or follow her on Instagram @bethanyaslater.