Explore clay—coil, pinch, carve, glaze, and sgraffito—while developing technical skills and your artistic voice. In this four-week course, presented in collaboration with the Grays Harbor Potters Guild, students will use clay as a medium for artistic expression, focusing on hand-building techniques including coiling, carving, addition/subtraction, pinching and slab construction. The curriculum also covers glazing, underglazes and sgraffito in addition to lectures and demonstrations on the artistic, aesthetic and technical aspects of the sculptural form.
Students are encouraged to develop their own ideas and artistic voice through the concepts of functional versus abstract in ceramic objects. While the curriculum includes open-ended/guided assignments focusing on techniques, students are encouraged to explore their own interpretation of each exercise. Finished pieces will be limited by the properties of the clay and glazes, the size of the kiln and students themselves.
Classes are open to all levels. We welcome beginners while providing advanced challenges for the experienced ceramic artist. If you've taken this hand-built pottery course in the past, come back to level up your skills.