Exploring Ceramics

WITH ALEXIS DILLON

In this seven-week beginner course, your pottery instructor will introduce you to the basics of working with clay! You'll dive into both hand-building (making projects without the pottery wheel) and wheel-throwing techniques, and create beautiful, fully functional and food-safe pieces! Alexis will guide you in both creativity and technique, and help you explore what ceramics has to offer!

If you've already had some experience with clay, you might enjoy a fresh perspective or the opportunity to try both wheel and hand-building. After the 5th wheel session, you'll participate in a trimming class to finish up any pots you've already made to prep for a bisque-firing (first firing) in our kiln. The final session will consist of glazing bisqued pieces. They'll then be fired and ready for pickup, typically in about 2 weeks!

Click on the buttons below to learn more about our available classes and/or register!

Exploring Ceramics with alexis

What's the Difference?

Wheel Throwing

Wheel-throwing is what most people think of when the term "pottery" comes to mind. You probably have several mugs and bowls in your home that were formed on a pottery wheel. Potters take clay and use the circular motion of the wheel to create round vessels like mugs, bowls, and plates. It can be a challenge to learn the basics of throwing, but most students say that once it "clicks," they love it! A lot of our potters find the wheel's steady motion and their interaction with the clay to be zen-like and relaxing.

Hand-building

Hand-building (or slab-building) is exactly what it sounds like: building clay by hand, without the use of a wheel. You might use tools or brushes, but your project is essentially formed by your hands. Hand-building affords you the chance to create pieces that you wouldn't be able to make on the wheel; boxes, flowers, square and rectangular shapes, ornaments, oval platters, etc. It's generally easier to learn, so many people like to start with hand-building and work their way up to the wheel.