WORKSHOP: Half-Day Hand Building Pottery

Stoneware Pottery Workshop in Northumberland

Enhance your time in Northumberland by visiting the beautiful Ford & Etal Estate and taking part in a workshop at Ravn Clay Pottery.

Pottery is arguably the oldest industrial process that humans practice, and it remains a vibrant cultural and artistic pursuit across the globe. The types of clay, the methods of making, the glazes and firing methods, the uses and purposes of the finished pieces – all serve to make it an absorbing and life-affirming process, and definitely something where there is always more to learn.

Join us on the three hour workshop, suitable for anyone, where you will work with stoneware clay to create your own pottery masterpieces. Hand building is the overlooked older sibling of the flashier wheel thrown pot, but remains an ideal place to learn for anyone wishing to play with clay. The session will involve a brief introduction to some basic rules for safe working in the Studio, alongside some principles to bear in mind when creating your own work. This will be followed by plenty of time for you to release your inner potter. It could be a vase, a mug, a candle holder, a sculpture … if you can imagine it, we will do our best (together) to make it happen.

After the three hours are up, your work will stay at the studio where it will be dried, fired, glazed and re-fired. Then you are welcome to return to the studio to collect it, or have it posted on afterwards. The whole drying-glazing-firing process could take up to a month, so please be patient. That said, what better way is there to build memories, create something for a special someone and be reminded of your time in the studio.

For this workshop there is no set agenda – if you bring the enthusiasm and imagination, I will provide all the materials and tools needed to create something unique, bespoke and wonderful.

The number of participants for each workshop is limited to six, to allow equal access to support, tools and tuition.

ALSO – We are now able to offer you the chance to return to the studio to glaze your work! If you are interested in seeing more of the ceramic process, or have created pots that would look even more awesome if they could be other than a single colour, you can now return once your work has been biscuit fired to glaze your pots. This shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours, and incurs a small additional charge (£10) which you can either book now, or when you come to the studio on the day of your workshop. We can of course talk through the various options on the day – but the opportunity is there!

A word of warning – the kiln Gods can be fickle, and despite doing everything possible, some pieces will fail, crack or blow up (!) in the kiln. There are no guarantees in pottery, not even for seasoned potters. A second word of warning – working with pottery can be hugely addictive. You have been warned!

My personal journey into pottery was through evening classes in Edinburgh, where I quickly found I was absorbed and addicted by the tactile connection you can make with clay. I also quickly found that it worked wonders improving my mental wellbeing, providing a creative outlet, a process to focus on, and a distraction from the busyness of modern life. I firmly believe that pottery can help anyone find calm and focus in a restless and demanding world.

The new Ford Studio is housed in the old Reading Rooms – you will find it just up the road from Lady Waterford Hall. Nearby are many attractions and places to walk, shop and eat; how about a near by Narrow-guage Railway (that runs to Etal Castle and back), a working flour mill, a Village Shop & Tearoom, a heavy horse centre, a micro-brewery, or a Riverside cafe?

https://w3w.co/lobster.rapid.clinking

TD15 2QG

Please note – access to the studio is only via a set of external stone steps, and there is a single toilet available on site.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE – our workshops are competitively priced to be affordable and inclusive, and the fee covers all materials, tuition, glaze and firings. This is based on a fair-useage policy of participants making up to two mug-sized pieces (or equivalent) during a session, alongside their starter thumb pot.

If you are a prolific producer of pottery, there will be an additional charge that we can negotiate (but will be at least £5 per piece). 

This is because of increased quanitites of materials, glaze, more space needed in the kiln and additional time required to complete the final pieces.

And finally – There is ample free parking in Ford and the studio is just up the road from Lady Waterford Hall. Ravn Clay sits at the heart of the Estate, which also offers camping, glamping, B&Bs and guests houses. And there’s plenty more to do and see while you are here –

See www.ford-and-etal.co.uk for more details