CLAY SCHOOL
WELCOME TO CLAY SCHOOL! A bright sunlit studio in upstate NY offering ceramic workshops for hand-building, wheel & kids
CLASS LISTINGS: HERE
CALENDAR VIEW: CALENDAR
CLAY SCHOOL is housed in an old service station with big windows on Route 212 halfway between Woodstock & Saugerties in NY.
We offer classes that introduce basic clay techniques, but our main mission is to create workshops grounded in the exploration of symbols and ideas, or a particular form in which to apply these ceramic techniques. Some of the first to be offered will be ‘The Sun & The Moon’ workshop, and Jingle Bells, one of the first bell forms I ever made.
There are two main techniques for clay work- throwing vessels on the wheel, and building work by hand. In hand-building the material is immediately responsive and small successes are quick, whereas learning to throw on the wheel has a steeper learning curve and generally takes more practice. But hopefully we will, as one of my first teachers said ‘Embrace the Wobble’.
Each process has its own rhythm and visual results but for both, learning how clay works as a material is key. The library of clay-making is expansive. There is much to explore and learn, many twists and turns, cracks and successes, mishaps and happy accidents.
Roots of CLAY SCHOOL:
My motivation for making ceramic work has always been centered on the meaning and the visual language of universal symbols to create objects that provide comfort, joy & remembering. I always imagined the work outside in the wind and ever-changing landscape.
Before covid, I hosted a couple of workshops, ‘The Green Door’ and ‘The Humble Pot Project’.
The Green Door was based on watching the directors commentary of Hedwig & the Angry Inch many years ago. John Cameron Mitchell pointed out a door he painted green. I did not even notice it, but it was an element that was important and meaningful for him to create and include. That was a lightbulb moment for me. Our work is made of our lives, it is all there for us to find.
The Humble Pot Project was inspired by teaching summer workshops at The Art Barge in Amagansett. A beginners one week workshop, which is an extremely quick turnaround for clay making. At some point in the class I witnessed a beautiful focus with excited moments of ‘look I made that!’ It felt like true beginners mind, underachiever ceramics. With The Humble Pot Project my goal was to re-create this moment in a donation based, for charity afternoon workshop.
General class and studio info can be found HERE
Clay School Handbook HERE
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