Join us for a deep dive on mason stains, metal oxides, and making brightly colored clay with porcelain. It’s an exploration in achieving very specific hues and tones of colored clay. Beginners to advanced students are welcome!

We’ll make richly saturated colored clay, and then cut it down with porcelain. You’ll learn how to make a perfect logarithmic gradient of colored clay, from rich dark hues to pastels to nearly white. Afterwards we’ll use our colored clay to make handbuilt pieces and demonstrate some fun ways to incorporate colored clay into your ceramic practice.

Week 1: What are stains and oxides and how do they make colored clay? We’ll provide examples and then make our own small samples of colored clay from trimmings and stains. You can test a variety of colors. Week 2: We’ll evaluate the fired samples. After refining your color palette and direction you’ll make logarithmic scales of saturation. Bring your biceps as we wedge and marble our colored clay to create your gradient. Ambitious students will end up with 20lbs of colored porcelain. We’ll fire samples of each color of your gradient. Week 3: Use your colored clay and make pieces! Week 4: Glazing our handbuilt pieces and continue making.