Hand-Built Pottery with the Potters Guild

In this four-week course, presented in collaboration with the Grays Harbor Potters Guild, students will use clay as a medium for artistic expression, focusing on hand-building techniques including coiling, carving, addition/subtraction, pinching and slab construction. The curriculum also covers glazing, underglazes and sgraffito in addition to lectures and demonstrations on the artistic, aesthetic and technical aspects of the sculptural form.

Students are encouraged to develop their own ideas and artistic voice through the concepts of functional versus abstract in ceramic objects. While the curriculum includes open-ended/guided assignments focusing on techniques, students are encouraged to explore their own interpretation of each exercise. Finished pieces will be limited by the properties of the clay and glazes, the size of the kiln and students themselves.

Classes are open to all levels. We welcome beginners while providing advanced challenges for the experienced ceramic artist.

About the Instructor

Grays Harbor Potters Guild instructor Michael Beck retired from a career as a teacher in Mathematics, Sciences, and Technology at middle school, high school and college with adjunct positions teaching martial arts, scuba diving, stained glass and ceramics. In addition to sculpting clay, he is exploring printing water-based inks on natural fiber and paper.

Creating artwork over a span of 55 years, he has had his photographs, stained glass, woodwork and metal/ceramic sculptures in juried shows, auctions and galleries in multiple western states as well as Beijing and Hong Kong.

Class Sessions: Tuesdays, February 3 - 24, 6-8 PM

All supplies and firing will be provided.