Please read about the SPP program below and subscribe to our newsletter to be informed of upcoming dates.
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Are you an established or aspiring clay-worker looking to add to your professional “tool box” of experience? Do you need to fill some gaps in your knowledge? Or perhaps you just wish to immerse yourself in a blissful intensive time with ceramics?
With many practices, including ceramics, it’s normal to start with the practical before you get interested in the theory. That’s where you get your hands dirty, the magic happens and your heart begins to sing to your hands! But after a while you start to ask questions about other essential knowledge: what about clay, kilns, and firing? What about surface options, glazes, and manipulating your colours? What about mould making and slip casting and let’s never forget the long and venerable history of ceramics? Our intensive Studio Practice Program is designed specially for YOU!
“The Studio Practice Program at Slow Clay Centre is one of the best pottery related experiences I’ve had so far, it was a week packed with information with great teachers and guidance”
“I was left wanting more and more….” (AN, 2021)
Our Studio Practice Program (SPP) is offered in many different formats and incorporates many different subjects! We have presented it as an intensive week-long Summer School (in January) and Winter school (in June), a three day weekly and over a few weekends during term times too! There is no set format because we like to plan it thinking about you, our students, and the availability of the absolute BEST of our teachers and guest artists, according to their schedule.
Content: The subject combinations change from one SPP to the next as we design the content to be complementary and fresh so it enables people who might have done one previously to consider doing another! We invite different teachers and aim for the best: teachers who are either respected exhibiting artists and/or experienced passionate teachers or both!
Examples of past subjects: Clay, Kilns and Firing, Setting up your Ceramics Studio, Ceramics and Cultural Context, Ceramics History, Design for Ceramics, Surface Design, Mold Making and Slip Casting, Sculptural Ceramics, Ceramic Chemistry and Glaze Making, Conceptual “Tools”, Sustainability and Responsible Practice. You get the idea: wide a deep!
Format: The SPP format can range from single day workshops to multi-day or week-long seasonal schools with three or four subjects covered. The content usually consists of a combination of practical and theoretical.
Prerequisites: A passion for learning about ceramics and some basic practical experience as a maker! You don’t need high-level skills but we reckon if you’ve been learning ceramics in a weekly class for a year or two so you’ll be super ready for this! It will help if you can learn some simple ceramics terminology such as: Earthenware/Stoneware/Porcelain/Raku/Bisque/Gloss/Lustre/Oxidation/Reduction/cones/pyrometer.
Next date: To Be Advised. Please subscribe to our newsletter to be the first informed.
Location: all classes held in our studio 13 Keele St, Collingwood. Yes! In real life! The best way to learn and make new friends!
Reviews:
“The Studio Practice Program at Slow Clay Centre is one of the best pottery related experiences I’ve had so far, it was a week packed with information with great teachers and guidance.”
“A great opportunity to pause and reflect on what motivates and inspires my practice. The experiences shared by tutor Prue (Venables), the content and the participant discussions were inspiring and affirming.”
“Fantastic! Judith (Roberts) shared so much, of her own experience and practice and her incredible technical knowledge! It was a great refresher workshop for me, with quite a few ah ha! moments. I feel a lot more confident in my knowledge of clay glazes and firing.”
“I loved my subjects. They tapped into a lovely creative headspace. As a creative professional, I did not think it was going over old ground as there is no limit to how much help we need generating creative ideas and getting unstuck.”
“Appreciated the introduction to artists and craftspeople (past and present) and felt like this helped my overall education as a creative.”
“I was most stimulated by the unlocking of new creative territories via my special object…”
“I was left itching to explore some of these ideas!”
“The course offers a perfect combination of subjects for anyone who’s going to, or thinking of taking their craft more seriously. I found the teachers inspirational and very generous with their knowledge. There are no prerequisites just passion so I felt comfortable joining in. I was very grateful for this opportunity which has inspired me and given me confidence to take the next step.”
(all names supplied)
Terms and conditions: Minimum numbers are in place for all workshops and classes. If we cancel full refund is given or credit note if you prefer. If you cancel we will give you a credit note if we can find a replacement student or you are welcome to gift it to a friend. If we cannot find a replacement we can offer you a spot in any future courses if there’s a vacancy. Please consider purchasing the refund insurance at the check out gateway when you book online. (Note refund insurance is not available when you book direct through our office)
Contact: Tel 99437844 Email: info@slowclay.com