Classes & Courses

The Beginner’s Course

We are all beginners, one way or another. When you’re starting something new you’re open to experience in a particular way: you’re present but out of the way, and open to growth. Cultivating that attitude is a healthy basis for becoming a potter. Clay is a great teacher, it won’t lie to you.

Our beginner’s course is an opportunity to start thinking and feeling like a potter as you learn some simple, straightforward techniques for handling and working with clay. It covers handbuilding, wheelthrowing and glazing. All you need to do is please wear old clothes to the class if possible.

Here’s a brief course outline. Please bear in mind some of these details may change, though the overall course objectives will always be clear.

Class 1: pinch pots & coil pots. Class 2: kurinuki. Classes 3 & 4: the wheel. Class 5: a chance to develop some of the techniques explored earlier in the course. Class 6: glazing.

Start to get to know clay better, and experience your own creativity in a friendly, welcoming setting. The six 2.5 hour classes cost £250, payable on booking.

The beginner’s course is taught and run by Stephen Wood. If you are already enrolled on the course, or have a question about a previous course you participated in, you can text or WhatsApp Stephen on 07739572383. Please note that Stephen is unable to respond to initial enquiries that are made by phone call.

Studio Classes

For growing potters. Prior experience preferred. Set your own goals and devise your own projects, with support from us as and when you want it. There are five regular classes per week to choose from; most people who join the open studio stick to one particular class, though attendance to the class is flexible and doesn’t have to be weekly. These are community oriented growth-forward spaces where everyone is respected and treated equally.

The open studio class times are: Monday 11am-1.30pm and 2.30pm-5pm; Wednesday 6pm-8.30pm; Thursday 6pm-8.30pm; Friday 2.30pm-5pm, and Saturday 11am-1.30pm.

From 1st January 2023 prices for blocks of six classes are: £250 for wheelthrowing, £200 for handbuilding and £225 for half and half.

Bookings and Contact. To enquire about availability for Studio Classes either email us on shop@mudstation.co.uk or contact Sylwia on 07923853033. Please don’t contact Sylwia by phone to ask about beginner’s classes as she will be unable to advise you. Thank you.

One-Off Wheelthrowing Workshops

These consist of a detailed demonstration at the wheel followed by individual practice. You’ll be shown step by step how to make a pot based on a cylindrical form then given space to make your own on the wheel with as much or as little help and support as you want.

Everything is provided, all materials and aprons, so all you need to do is try to wear old clothes, if possible. Also short nails are an advantage but we’re not going to tell you how long to wear your nails!

After you’ve made your pots we will dry them, trim the bases, fire and glaze them for you. Please allow up to a month for the pots to be processed. Sometimes it takes longer than this but we will do our best to get them back to you within a reasonable timeframe.

We welcome everyone: individuals, groups, couples, and families, though we request that all children are accompanied by an adult.

The session is 2.5 hours, priced from £150 for up to three people to £250 for a maximum of five people. These sessions make great gifts, and an ideal opportunity for couples, friends or families to spend time together and have a go on the wheel.

Vouchers

We sell them for classes and courses. They can be made out for the cost of a class or course in its entirety or in part. They make great gifts, from individuals or groups, for a birthday, Christmas, to celebrate an anniversary or a retirement, whatever the occasion. Buying one is easy. You pay for it by bank transfer or Paypal, and we email you a voucher as a pdf that you can print out and put in a card. To get started please get in touch via email or see our online shop.

Parties

For birthdays, hen or stag weekends, a pottery workshop is an opportunity to do something memorable, sociable and fun, time for you and your friends to have an enriching experience in a positive atmosphere, and of course make yourselves some pots. We can welcome larger groups of up to about 12, sometimes a couple more, for handbuilding parties. You can of course book for wheelthrowing as well but at a maximum of five participants at a time. Prices vary, available upon request.

Teambuilding

We can host your teambuilding workshop. When you bring your colleagues together to work as a group on their own clay projects it creates a special atmosphere and promotes interpersonal growth. It’s also a great way to relax and experience working relationships in a different context. We can accommodate groups of up to 12 participants, more at a squeeze. Prices vary, available upon request.

Commissions

Mud Station isn’t a ‘production pottery’. We make small batches of our own pots and as we are typically a busy teaching studio we spend a lot of our time facilitating other people’s engagement with clay. We do however take small commissions from time to time. If you’ve got an idea for a piece you’d like us to make for you please feel free to contact us, though be aware that we reserve the right to decline requests and we don’t work to deadlines.

Consultancy

We offer a consultation service – for example if you want detailed professional advice on an aspect of ceramic art, like glaze chemistry, or throwing larger forms. Sessions are tailored to individual needs. Prices available upon request.

Kiln Hire

We occasionally rent out space in our kiln at £25 per shelf. Our glaze kiln is 100 litres and we only fire it when we’ve got enough ware to fill it, so we can’t work to tight deadlines. We only fire at stoneware temperatures so you need to make sure that your clay and your glazes are compatible. If you’re interested please contact us.

General Enquiries

Please email shop@mudstation.co.uk. We are a working pottery studio run independently by a small dedicated team. We will respond to your enquiry as soon as we can but please allow up to 5 working days.