class information

Adult Classes

(13 years and older)

Designed to provide students with various important techniques on wedging, throwing, trimming, glazing, shape and balance which will become a solid foundation on how to work with clay in the future.

 Beginning Class 1

Focus: Intro to building methods

• Wedging
• Basic wheel throwing
• Trimming
• Pinch method
• Slab building
• Inlay technique
• Wax/glaze application

What will you make?

• Canister (pinched)
• Plate (slab/throwing)
• Cups (with pulled handle)
• Bowls
• Small vases

Focus:

• Wedging
• Throwing
• Trimming (intro to kanna)
• Understanding and use of decorative slips
• Glaze application (overlaps)

What will you make?

• Pitchers
• Cups/mugs
• Goblets (cup and stem)
• Bowls (intro to throwing ribs/ kote, hera)
• Vases (intro to throwing stick/Tsurukubi)

 Beginning Class 3

Focus:

• Wedging
• Introduction to thrown jars/canisters
• Trimming and fitting of lids
• Intro to kazu-biki method/throwing off the hump
• Larger pieces (bowl, vase)
• Shape and balance study
• Introduction to Raku firing (safety class/demo)
• Glaze application (intro to use of oxides)

What will you make?

• Lidded jars (right side up/up side down)
• Larger vases/jars
• Introduction to the teapot (lid/spout/handles)
• Raku fired pots

 Beginning Class 4

Focus:

• Advanced wedging
• Introduction to porcelain
• Throw thinner (cleaner)
• Trim thinner (cleaner)
• Intro to trimming on shitta (chuck)
• Cleaner glaze application
• Good understanding of all clay/slip/glaze/oxides

What will you make?

• Porcelain pieces
• Wheel thrown plates (on bats)
• Larger canisters/vases/bowls
• Making and using porcelain stamps

 Intermediate Class

(After 2 years min.)

Intermediate class will focus on self-exploration through clay. Students will also re-examine and refine all the skills you have learned in beginning class 1-4 while you learn how to give and receive constructive critiques of the art works.

Requirement: Completion of Beginning 1-4
Demonstrate: Beginning wedging, throwing, trimming, and glazing

Focus:

• Advanced wedging
• Review all the techniques (Beginning 1-4) and find weakness and improve
• Understanding shape, size, texture, color and overall balance in pieces
• Mandatory critiques (size, shape, surface and over all balance in pieces)
• Intro to glaze composition
• Increase size (intro to luting)
• Intro to bisque/glaze firing
• Intro to self expression (finding identity in clay)
• Participation in group exhibition at our gallery

 Advanced Class

Requirement: Completion of Intermediate Class
Demonstrate: Intermediate wedging, throwing, trimming and basic understanding of glaze and firing

Focus:

• Mastering all techniques (beginning 1-4 and intermediate)
• Understanding of glaze and firing
• Constructive critiques
• Assistant teaching (throwing, trimming ,glazing)
• Assistant teaching (Raku, firings)
• Loading bisque/glaze firings
• Firing bisque/glaze (oxidation/reduction)
• Group / individual show at SDCC Gallery
• Self exploration (finding identity in clay)
• Understanding the way of clay
• Advanced appreciation of clay (philosophy)
  

Adult Class Schedule

All adult classes are multi-level. Start anytime!

Adult Class Fees

$200 | 8 consecutive weeks, 3 hours/week
Fees include all materials, glazing, and firing of pieces made in class. And you can start at anytime!

Payment is due in full before the first class. (Major credit cards, checks and cash are accepted.)

Children's Classes

(5-12 years old)

 Kids' Afterschool Ceramic Classes

This program's purpose is to reintroduce art—significantly absent from our current school systems' curriculum—into children's lives. This class covers anything from basic hand building (pinch, slab and coil) to introduction to the pottery wheel.

Classes are typically held on short days of the school year to maintain the regular school schedule. 3 pm - 5 pm during school year. Monday - Friday. Each visit limited to maximum of 2 hours. All materials and firings included.

$75 | 10-hour, 1-week Pass
$130 | 20-hour, 2-week Pass
$200 | 30-hour, 3-week Pass

 Kids' Summer Art Camp

June 25, 2007 - August 31, 2007
Monday - Friday
9:00 am - 11:00 am (morning session)
12:00 noon - 2:00 pm (afternoon session)

This camp is designed to teach kids the basic skills of working with clay (pinch pots, slab pots, coil pots and wheel-thrown pots!) and glazing of those cute items that they make during the summer. Oh, creature-making too, of course!!

$95/week | 10-hour Pass
Attend one of the sessions daily and unused hours at the end of the week can roll over to next session. Continuous enrollment is available.

Special Weekend Workshops

(Book in advance)

 Baby Handprint and Footprint Workshop

You will make 2 pairs of porcelain handprint and footprint tiles plus one 7" x 10" tile with both hands and feet with the child's name. Come with a group of 5 or more (10 max/session) and receive 20% off! Fee includes instruction, materials, glazing and firing.

$50 per child | 60 minutes

 Plate Workshop

You will make one stoneware plate on the pottery wheel.  Instruction, material and firing included.
5 person minimum; 15 maximum per workshop.

$30/person | 60 minutes