Ceramic college

15/06/2026

Thursday morning class, making intentional markings. Slowing down and relaxing, touching clay, grounding ourselves and breathing the energy of what we are making. The sun pouring in from the church windows adding to the glow of the studio. Pure bliss. Beautiful work Jackie.

09/06/2026

In nature you get beautiful greens and browns in the undergrowth, especially with fungus and mushrooms growing at this time of year. Autumn is a magical time of year, when the plants are transforming to a dormant state after the growth of the summer. These pieces resemble what our natural environment is experiencing.

05/06/2026

Origami butterflies, so delicately made and glazed. Lizzie in Wednesday night’s class is always pushing the boundaries of clay.

25/05/2026

Making your own glazes means lots of testing to get the right fit for the clay you apply it to and the temperature you are firing your kiln to. So when everything goes right the pieces look amazing, but when the raw material doesn’t respond to what the label says things can go wrong. Some raw materials have different names and some are pure evil!

19/05/2026

Layering of glazes and clays gives ceramics, depth and visual information that moves the eye around the piece. The questions, it also produces are so much fun to listen to . What glazes have you used? What order did you put them on? What is this here? Potters are always inquiring, I love our conversations with each other.

11/05/2026

Pink and white. Great combination of glazes looking amazing on Lila’s coffee mug and on Freddy’s figure. Not forgetting little Riley’s fluffy white coat.

07/05/2026

We are coming up to our third week in the term and some beautiful handmade pieces have been made. These will go on the bisque shelf ready for their first firing. The black cups have been made on the wheel and then hand cut to create a beautiful surface for the glaze to sit on.

01/05/2026

Had to pull myself away from Friday mornings creative space, watching the kiln opening and the glaze experiments being done, as well as the excitement I have with the church window getting mixed, so to charm down I took the dog for a walk on Cheltenham beach. I hope you are all enjoying this stunning autumn day today while we have it.

30/04/2026

I have seen some beautiful pieces the students have glazed this term, no longer sitting on the shelves. The bowls by Kathryn are made with a stone clay and clear glazed. The birds are part of a New Zealand themed mobile to be posted to England, and Rebecca is going to put a blue tipped orchid in her white and alkaline blue planter. It’s great to hear the stories behind each piece being made and can imagine how they will all look in their new homes.

25/04/2026