Continuing Clay - Wheel Throwing
Continuing Clay - Wheel Throwing
You’ve got your bearings on the wheel now let’s keep it movin’!
In this 8 week intermediate course we’ll expand on your beginning clay knowledge to fine-tune your skills. We’ll use different tools and intermediate techniques to explore advanced wheel throwing methods. Each week we will focus on a new technique including shaping, altered forms, closed forms, throwing large vessels, lidded forms and more. Classes are limited to 7 participants and must be 16 years of age or older.
Students should be proficient in throwing vessels on the wheel without instruction, and should have taken a beginners class at least 3 times previously. All students enrolled in a multi-week class are allotted up to 6 hours of unguided Open Studio time weekly to practice outside of class.
Please check our FAQ’s page for additional information on the studio and read our Cancelation Policy prior to booking!
This is an 8 week course and each session is 2.5 hours long, there must be 5 students registered to confirm.
*The Shimpo Pottery Wheel may be harmful to a person who has a pacemaker. Serious injury or death could occur. Consult a physician before using.*
Classes are on the same day for eight (8) consecutive weeks
All classes are 8 week sessions, 2.5 hours per session with materials, tools, and firing included in the class fee (additional clay can be purchased if needed). Students are given a 4 ft shelf to store their works in progress during each session and will be notified when their wares are ready for pickup! Come explore clay with us!
Meet the Instructors
Alexandra Barao is a potter and educator from Virginia. She received her BFA in Sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010, and began working with clay a few years later while living in California. Alongside deepening her own practice over the years, she has taught handbuilding and wheelthrowing classes to both children and adults, managed an artist studio space, and worked as a production assistant for other potters. She recently moved back to Virginia and spent the summer as an artist in residence at Cub Creek Foundation in Appomattox, focusing on wood firing and working with local clays. She looks forward to connecting to others through clay back in Richmond.
Alexis Courtney has been working with clay since 2006 when she took her very first wheel throwing class in college. Most of her learning has taken place in community studios just like Hand / Thrown. She believes clay has the power to build community, calm the mind, and ground the maker in the present moment while practicing important skills like patience and the beautiful art of letting go. She focuses on creating functional wares with an emphasis on minimalist shapes and modern designs under the name East Clay.
Jessica Cullen enjoys the simplicity and simultaneous complexity of wheel-thrown clay, and takes pride in the details of her craft. She is an organized and process-driven artist, and finds that the medium of clay allows for self-expression and constant challenge and growth. Jess specializes in wheel-thrown functional wares, electric kiln firing, and use of underglazes.
Remy Ciuba took her first wheel throwing class after graduating from VCU in Sculpture + Extended Media. She continues to seek out learning opportunities to further her studio work and pass these new skills on to others. She attended the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in 2018 and Penland school of Crafts in 2019.