Pottery has the potential for infinite variability through clay type, form and surface decoration. From vessels to making art, humans have been playing with clay for over 20,000 years. This tactile medium is wonderfully forgiving to work with and 3 dimensional forms are quickly produced giving the opportunity to work with a sculpturally.

A bit more detail:
Inspired by the beautiful gardens at Toolerstone we will be exploring nature to find and sketch motifs that we can represent in clay. Your tutor will guide you through hand-building pottery techniques to create a plate. Using your sketches you will then create simple templates that will be applied with layers of coloured slip to create detailed surface decoration to complete your artwork.
Following the workshop your pieces will be dried, fired and clear glazed before being delivered back to Toolerstone for your collection within 3 weeks.

About the tutor:
Jeni Jacques-Williams, is a Cheshire based ceramicist and is a regular columnist for Clay Craft magazine providing articles to support and guide new and experienced potters across the UK and internationally. Jeni creates pottery and teaches from her pottery workshop Lemon Studio in the beautiful village of Dunham Massey and has sold work in shops and galleries across the UK and for the National Trust.

Jeni is a member of the Northern Potters Association and is the founder of the Warrington Creatives Collective, a group of over 20 local makers.

Jeni will be delivering a range of pottery workshops throughout the year here at Toolerstone. The workshops are suitable for beginners and for those with previous experience working with clay.

Timetable of the day

09:30 A warm welcome to @:Toolerstone with coffee & pastries
10:00 An introduction to the workshop, rolling slabs of clay and time spent in the garden making simple sketches.
11:15 Tea and Coffee will be served.
11:30 An introduction to the hand-building techniques that we will be using. Time to start making your plate and cutting out paper templates.
13:00 Delicious homemade lunch in the refectory.
14:00 Refine your plates. Apply layers of slip and templates for surface decoration.
15:30 Workshop ends and your pottery will be taken away by Jeni to be dried and fired before being delivered to Toolerstone for collection within 3 weeks.

What is included?

• All materials & tools
• Aprons are provided for the day if required
• Refreshments & a delicious lunch
• Free onsite car parking
• Following the workshop your pieces will be dried, fired and clear-glazed before being dispatched to you within 4 weeks.

What do I need to bring?
Just yourself and your enthusiasm to try something new!

Experience level
We welcome all levels of experience from beginners to the enthusiastic professional!