If you don’t know that Amaranth Stoneware has classes for all interests and skill-levels you’ve been living under the Kingston limestone. Having worked here for a few months and having zero pottery experience I thought it would be beneficial for people interested in taking their first class to get a student’s perspective. So, I chatted up Sarah, our super talented Head of Production who has 2 different classes under her belt already to get some specifics.
Because Sarah is an artist (check out her portfolio here) I assumed she was a seasoned potter but her experience with clay prior to working at Amaranth was limited. She modelled with it in school and only took her first pottery class in 2015 when she joined the Amaranth team. See below for our chat and learn why the pottery classes offered at Amaranth Stoneware are for everyone.
Julie: What classes have you taken so far?
Sarah: I’ve take 2 classes now - a hand building class with Yuko and a throwing class with Krista.
J: What was your biggest takeaway from both of them?
S: Yuko is an incredible instructor. She’s very intuitive with clay and gets very excited when you start making pieces. In Krista’s class I learnt how forgiving clay is and how easy it is to correct an error. Glazing and trimming make a huge difference. The coolest thing I learnt though is that you can make your own stamps!
J: As a pottery newbie, how did you feel going in? Were you nervous learning a new medium?
S: I love learning new techniques and tried to rid my brain of my artistic background to focus on the techniques. I wanted to be ok with failure if things didn’t turn out and just focus on learning.
J: How was the class atmosphere?
S: The first few nights were all about building confidence. In the hand building class we were encouraged to work without a plan which helped people get more comfortable with the process.
J: Any advice for people wanting to try something new?
S: If you are artistically inclined, try a hand building or glazing class to hone in on that creativity.
J: What about people that are interested in pottery but are either too scared to try out a class or don't think they could produce anything that would look good?
S: The classes are fun! You're creating something from nothing and there is something powerful and addictive in that. There were so many people that came with friends to have a good time and were surprised with the amount of pieces they created and how well they turned out. The pottery classes are for everyone!
