During this workshop Alichia will step you through some simple ceramic hand building techniques to create some great pieces to use in your own home, such as spoons, vases, mugs, planters, plates and more.

Teacher: Alichia van Rhijn

Workshop Duration: Full Day

Description: Handbuilding with clay offers endless opportunities for creating a variety of wares and forms. You will be introduced to the basic techniques of pinching, coiling and slab building to enable you to create various functional and sculptural forms.

During the workshop you will also explore and experiment with various techniques to achieve texture and surface decoration. Being heavily inspired by nature in her own work, Alichia often uses found flora such as leaves, twigs, seeds and banksia pods to scratch or press into her ceramic pieces. She will take you through some of her favourites to use and you will go for a quick forage to collect some flora of your own.
This workshop is perfect for beginners, and is an ideal introduction to experimenting with various hand building techniques to create small functional and sculptural forms. You are more than welcome to bring some sketches, ideas or a project you have in mind and Alichia can help guide you with your design.

As this is a full day workshop, Alichia will start with a hand building demonstration followed by a few hours of making, you will then have a little break in the middle to enable the pieces you’ve made to dry a bit. After this Alichia will demonstrate various surface decoration techniques followed by a quick forage and then you will spend the afternoon exploring these techniques. At the end of the workshop your pieces will be taken and fired after which they can either be picked up or posted back to you.

Materials: All materials including clay, tools, aprons and underglazes will be supplied. There will be a materials cost of $35 to cover materials, glazing, firing and postage of pieces.

Takeaway: You'll take away your own handbuilt ceramic pieces!

Level: Beginner