The Potter’s Beginnings
Clay. Form. Technique. Colour. Beauty. Utility.
A series of workshops across the year for beginner potters to work towards consistency and proficiency.
This course will be open for applications and bookings in the coming month.
If you would like to receive an email when the course is open for booking please ask charmaine.orkamfat@leachpottery.com
The Potter’s Beginnings strives to nurture a small group of beginner potters to learn how to throw within the ethos established by Bernard Leach. In addition, potters will encounter broader skills such as basic glaze application and surface decoration.
For details of the year long course we offer for intermediate throwers (with more contact time) please see here.
Who is the Potter’s Beginnings for?
The Potter’s Beginnings is the ideal experience for makers who have the desire to commit time to learning how to throw. They may have had a little bit of experience, or none. Potters may have access regularly to a wheel or kiln outside of this course but this isn’t a requirement and all work can take place in the Leach Pottery Learning studios. Due to the regularity of the workshops, it is likely that the participants will live within short traveling distance from the pottery.
The Potter’s Beginnings is taught to one group of 5 participants. The course is taught by a small handful of tutors to allow for diversity of skills taught yet consistency of approach.
The Potter’s Beginnings offers the opportunity for potters to:
· Achieve consistency of thrown repeat forms through undertaking production pottery workshops and thrown form challenges both on the electric and kick wheels.
· Consolidate thrown technique, throwing with economy and letting the clay lead.
· Gather confidence in ability, making pots guided by a sense of utility and beauty.
· Introductory understanding of making glazes and glaze application.
Should a participant wish to use the studio for self-led kick wheel practice they are welcome to book onto a time slot with the Learning team. These are scheduled times at weekends and there is a £5 payment per pug of clay requested, which goes towards the cost of clay preparation. Outcomes are not fireable.
All of the Leach Pottery courses take a learning focused approach. The process of making is primary to all courses and fireable outcomes are secondary. We are sensitive to the realities of learning, and how not all creations are ready or right to fire. We therefore encourage a mindful approach to firing, only firing a select few pieces. This cultivates a critical and unsentimental relationship with the pots participants create, to ensure you are never fearful to cut through your pots and analyse the outcome. This helps you and your tutor monitor your progression. This also asserts that the Learning programme is not contributing disproportionately to the Leach Pottery’s carbon emissions. Extra pots will not be fired for an additional payment.
Course fee: Dates, course content and cost will be shared once the course is open for booking.
A percentage of the course fee is paid up front. This is fully refundable 14 days after payment. On receipt of this payment the Leach Pottery will arrange a phone call with you to make sure you are suitable for the course. This is not an interview, just an opportunity to talk through your expectations of the course to ensure the course is the right fit for you and your current skill level.
Course fee: Dates, course content and cost will be shared once the course is open for booking.
Deposit payable at time of booking: £900
The remaining cost of the course can be paid either in one payment or spread across 2 additional payments. The full payment must be received by Monday 12 January.
In the event of failure to make this payment in full we will then contact a waiting list and the deposit will not be refunded.