Service Description

Creative Rituals: Coil & Carve Hand building Course What could be nicer than exploring the world of clay with your hands. This intermediate five-week course to coil handbuilding will introduce you to my personal technique of handbuilding large sculptural forms right at my studio workbench. We will deeply explore the tools, techniques, and practice of handling raw clay, mark-making, designing, and creating a unique handbuilt item completely from scratch. With live demonstrations every week, this immersive course is designed to give you a comprehensive introduction to the power of your hands and clay. Your Five-Week Studio Journey Although the course has a clear structured path, you will preserve complete creative freedom to decide the exact shape, scale, and organic form of your custom coil creation. As our sessions progress, I will share my complete knowledge of surface decoration, carving, and sgraffito to help you bring your design to life. • Week 1: Foundations of the Coil — Batch creating coils, preparing white stoneware clay, and building your first smaller, structural test vessel. • Week 2: Sculpting Scale & Form — Beginning your large sculptural piece, learning how to manipulate, stretch, and mould the walls, and practicing chiseled carving techniques on your Week 1 form. • Week 3: The Grand Build — Completing the architecture of your large sculptural masterpiece and finishing the structural builds of all your open pieces. • Week 4: Carving & Surface Architecture — Immersing your hands in deep exterior carving, line refinement, and introducing coloured slips and underglazes. • Week 5: The Glaze Ritual — Exploring glaze application, pooling interior finishes, and prepping your finished gallery collection for the final kiln firings. Course Logistics & Studio Guidelines Each weekly class runs for 3 hours, which includes dedicated studio preparation and clean-up time. Because clay is wonderfully messy, please ensure you wear old clothes and bring your own apron to the workbench. Before booking your space, please review our comprehensive website sections on Directions, Access & Parking alongside our standard Health & Safety and Studio Use Policies to prepare for your time with us. • Course Dates: Wednesday evenings — 24th February, 3rd March, 10th March, 17th March, and 24th March 2027. • Studio Hours: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM weekly. • Venue: Snowdrop Studio, Compostela, Trinity Hill, Medstead GU345LT