Class Descriptions
The Beginner's Class is a 4 week course designed for people interested gaining an in-depth knowledge of ceramic's and the craft of creating functional forms on the potter’s wheel. The class is for beginners or people who have had some light experience with clay but need to refresh their ability.
This 4 week course held twice a week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and is designed to conquer wedging, centering, throwing cylinders and crafting bowls. Each class is two hours long from 19:00 to 21:00 (totaling 16 hours of class time). Week one and two are all about throwing our vessels and week three is focused on trimming the pieces into their final form. The final week is centered around finishing and glazing our pieces. Everything students will need for class is provided to them by Wheelhaus Studio for the duration of the 4 week class.
Students will then be contacted when their pieces are fired and hot out the kiln! (Approximately 2 weeks after the last class).
During their first class, we will introduce ourselves, receive a tour of the studio, meet the instructor, and then start working with clay right away. The early sessions are focused on wedging, centering and creating cylinders on the wheel. Each class, students will grow more comfortable with their skills and gain control over the new material limits as they are taught how to handle clay. Throughout the course, students will work towards mastering centering and cylindrical forms, where we will then move towards learning about proportions, trimming, surface treatment, and lastly glazing.
Classes are limited to 6 people per class and are from 19:00 to 21:00 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
This intermediate class is for people who are beyond the beginner level of throwing on the wheel and whom are looking to expand their knowledge of pottery. The class is designed to further refine throwing skills and advance people in their independent artistic journey. Some classes take things beyond the wheel for a deeper dive into the world of ceramics to advance our craft, such as assembling vessels which require multiple components and attachments.
This course is two times a week, held on Mondays and Thursday and are each 2.5 hours long. There are 12 classes over a 6 week period (totaling 30 hours of class time) as well as allocated open-studio time when classes are not in session. Everything students will need for class and open-studio time are provided to them by Wheelhaus Studio for the duration of the 6 week class.
Because this class is for intermediates only, after introducing ourselves and a quick tour of the studio, we will start working with clay right away. Students are expected to know how to center and throw cylindrical forms on the wheel. From there, early sessions are focused on throwing teapots, taller vessels, bottles, bigger and wider bowls, and handling larger amounts of clay on the wheel. Students will grow comfortable with their skills and gain control over the material limits as we expand our forms.
Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to use their open-studio time to complete their projects as every artist has their own idea on how they want the final outcome of their piece to be. New techniques, tools and skills will be introduced every class in order to take things beyond the wheel for a deeper into the world of ceramics. This includes using the slab roller, clay extruder, coil-building, some glaze theory and more.
Classes are limited to 6 people per class and are from 19:00 to 21:30 on Mondays and Thursdays.
The "Hand-building" course consists of two classes in which students will learn the basics of ceramics while creating their own artworks using techniques that don’t require using a pottery-wheel. We will make vases, pots and tableware using techniques such as building with slabs, coil building, working with wooden tools, utilizing proper scoring attachments and more. The course is spread over two classes, each lasting 2.5 hours, (totaling 5 hours of class time) and held on Fridays from 19:00 to 21:30. All tools and necessary equipment are provided.
Students are encouraged to explore their creativity to their own limitations and create anything from ornament making, to figures, to tableware, the list goes on. In the duration of the two classes, students will create, assemble and underglaze the pieces they have made. Then, after the pieces have been bisque fired, Wheelhaus Studio will glaze the work clear and contact the students once the work is available for pick up. Students have the option to book an independent glazing hour if they wish to glaze their pieces themselves.
