Paper Clay sculpture in coloured clays ( by Herle Mette Andersen), Dublin based weekend course. Electric fired to 1280°C. www.ceramicforms.com

Weekend Ceramic Courses

2024

All courses are exclusively taught by Michelle Maher.

*NEW* Weekly places available here!

How do the weekend ceramic courses work?

Course training fees include materials (clay & decorating slips), use of studio equipment & pottery tools, ceramic glazes & firing of work [fair usage applies].

2024 Weekend Ceramic Course Schedule

Coil built and modelled jug by Emily O’Brien. Dublin based Tuesday morning pottery course. Terra Sigillata slip with red iron oxide detail, electric fired to 1260°C (Cone 8). www.ceramicforms.com

Ceramic Form & Surface: Inspired by Nature

Course fees include materials (clay & decorating slips), use of studio equipment & pottery tools, ceramic glazes & firing of work [fair usage applies].

Suitable for all levels – beginners, improvers & advanced – small class size.

→ Course Details – taking your inspiration from the natural world you are asked in advance to explore an aspect of the plant or animal kingdom or indeed the Earth itself, landscape etc.

~ The key is to find an element of nature that you find fascinating, that inspires you.  Before the workshop I encourage you study different aspects of your inspiration.

~ What do you like about it?  Is it the texture, the colour, the form, the profile?

~ What does it represents for you?  The more familiar you are with your inspiration the better.  This will be very powerful when we translate it into clay.

This is a practical workshop where you will have a chance to build and decorate a form inspired by an aspect of nature you are passionate about. Going forward you will be able to apply your new skills to future projects.

♥ As always, at Ceramic Forms we will look at glaze application and the layering of coloured decorating slips and glazes for special efffects.  We have a beautiful range of slips and stoneware glazes available to students.

Number of participants: 7 max.

For lots of inspiration please see my Pinterest Boards Ceramic Surface.

How the Weekend Courses Work…

How can I join?

→ To book a place please see course schedule above and click on BOOKING button to check course availability.

→ If any new places come up they will be available in the BOOK NOW buttons above.

2 day course is €295.

** Advanced or more specialist topics e.g. Mono-Printing has higher course fees.

→ Course fees include materials (clay & decorating slips), use of studio equipment & pottery tools, ceramic glazes & firing of work.  (Fair usage policy applies.)

→ After booking please note fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Full Terms and Conditions and Payment Methods for courses are available in the FAQ section.

Frog modelled by Paula Cullen in crank clay body at Dublin based Tuesday morning pottery course. Decorating slip detail, with mark making. Later electric fired to 1260°C (Cone 8). www.ceramicforms.com

It’s all about the surface…

Non-Combustible Mixed Media

A keen area of interest at Ceramic Forms is decorating and design using non-combustible mixed media with ceramics.  We have been exploring this type of surface treatment in the studio for many years now and a considerable amount of knowledge has developed.

It is a key part of our courses that students develop excellent ceramic decorating and glazing skills.  In the intensive environment that my classes offer you will be trained on an array of technical decorating skills for ceramics.

In terms of mixed media – essentially, this is adding non-combustible materials to the clay as a way to enhance surface decoration.  After firing in the kiln the magic happens leaving amazing patterns and textures in the slip or clay that is left behind.

Non-combustibles we use would be materials like grogs, molochites, perlite and recycled glass.  All theses materials make amazing patterns and textures in clay.

Mixed media materials as well as other materials like slips, clay, glazes, firing, use of tools are all included in the course fees.

Students of all skill levels can explore non-combustible mixed media.

For lots of examples of this mixed media surface treatement please see my Pinterest Boards.

Surface Decoration

Here at Ceramic Forms we are big into surface decoration!  As a maker I have a special interest in ceramic surface and I am very happy to share my expertise with my students and to train and develop their skills in this area.

Whether its resists such as wax, paper or latex or coloured slip decoration like marbling, stencilling, spotting, feathering, sponging, slip trailing or maybe you’d like to try glazes with different finishes like gloss, reactive, crystalline, matt, satin or dry.

Over the years I have built up a big catalogue of glazes and we have 70 + glazes available to students!

Beautiful mark marking can also be achieved by impressing with wallpaper, stones, shells, leaves, bark, textured rollers or fabric.

In addition,  surface techniques like inlaying, combing, sgraffito, carving, cutting, impressing, piercing, burnishing, modelling in relief, clay stamps or terra sigillata – can also be explored.

Students of all skill levels can explore these surface decoration techniques.

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Hand built vessel by Elena Annunziata at Dublin based ceramics weekend course. Glass & grogged decorating slip detail. Electric fired to 1260°C (Cone 8). www.ceramicforms.com
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Melted recycled glass

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Grog in decorating slip creating a wonderful texture.

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Layered reactive stoneware glazes finish the look!

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Toad modelled by Herle Mette Andersen at Dublin based ceramics weekend workshop. Texture was achieved by sponging decorating slips and impressing the clay with a textured stone. Electric fired to 1260°C (Cone 8). www.ceramicforms.com
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Texture was achieved with a pitted stone.

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Coloured slips & glaze combine to bring the piece to life.

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Bowl detail with glass by Cleo O'Neill #Dublin #CeramicClass #stoneware #handmade #CombustibleMixedMedia (edge is sunflower seeds in slip) #cone8 #glass #glaze #loveclay #ceramicstudio #ceramicforms
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Melted recycled glass.

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Bird seeds and perlite create an amazing coral surface!

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Coloured slips & reactive flowing glazes combine.

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Coil built jug by Annie O'Neill in crank clay body at Dublin based Wednesday evening Ceramic course. With red iron oxide dry glaze. Electric fired to 1260°C (Cone 8). www.ceramicforms.com
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Incredible glaze on coiled pot! A dry/crackle red iron oxide finish.

Kiln shot, before and after from Ceramic Forms studio. Cone 8, high fired stoneware. Selection of students pieces. #process #studiolife #loveglazekilns #beforeandafter #kilnlove #kiln #ceramicforms #ceramicclass #students #ceramics #potterystudio #loveclay #stoneware #glaze #cone8 #dublin #handmade

How the weekend workshops work…

→ Come and learn the technical skills needed to make and decorate hand built ceramics with an award winning ceramic artist in a purpose built, bright, modern, fully equipped studio in Castleknock, Dublin.

→ For most weekend courses all skill levels are welcome from complete beginners to more advanced students and class numbers are limited to a maximum of 7 to ensure individual attention.  Please note: Porcelain Paper Clay and Mono-Printing with Paper Clay Casting Slip are both advanced courses – not suitable for beginners.

→ First-class tuition is guaranteed on my courses. I personally teach ALL the courses on offer.  In the intensive environment that we offer you will be trained on a huge range of technical skills for ceramics.  We also pride ourselves on a very positive learning environment.

→ We learn by doing in pottery and in these very practical courses you will develop the skills necessary to create ceramics to a very high standard.

Coiled & modelled sculpture by Claire Kavanagh at Dublin based Tuesday evening pottery course. A painterly approach was taken with decorating slips. Later fired in an electric kiln to 1260°C (Cone 8). www.ceramicforms.com
Porcelain night light holder by Paula Cullen at Dublin based ceramic course. Electric fired to 1260°C (Cone 8). www.ceramicforms.com

Course Training Details…

→ We cover the following hand building methods: press moulds, hump moulds, slab building, soft slabbing, coiling, pinching, patches, quilting, modelling & sculpting – tailoring the method so that it is appropriate to the project or task in hand.

→ Depending on the area of learning – our approach can be sculptural or functional, representational or abstracted.  And in the small class size I offer, you will be given the ceramic skills necessary to guide you right through the project from building & construction to surface decorating and glazing/firing.

→ Weekend training courses are generally based around a particular skill set where we look at a specialist ceramic topic e.g. Hand Built Forms in Paper Clay.  However, if you are a beginner to ceramics I will tailor the course so that you starter project is something manageable like a large bowl.  This allows you to build your ceramic skills step by step.

→ There is a strong emphasis in the courses on developing technical ceramic skills, good construction methods, excellent finish and on first-rate decorating techniques; we use coloured decorating slips as well as a wide palette of stoneware glazes.  As you can see from the Gallery of Student’s Work the results speak for themselves!  Almost all of my students started with me as beginners to clay.

→ We only use the best quality stoneware clay; as well as a wide range of coloured decorating slips and glazes.

→ Course training fees include materials (clay & decorating slips), use of studio equipment & pottery tools, ceramic glazes & firing of work.  (Fair usage policy applies.)

→ Courses run from 11am to 4pm each day

→ Large library of ceramic books and magazines available that students can refer to for inspiration etc.  There is also lots on ceramic inspiration on my Pinterest  page.

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