Ben Lambert
June 26th-28th 2026
Slab Happy Swimmers
9:30-4:30 Tuition $600; materials included
Dive into the enchanting world of ceramic fish sculpture in this three-day workshop that combines artistic expression with technical skill. Whether you're drawn to whimsical characters or realistic aquatic forms, this hands-on experience will teach you to bring fish to life in clay.
Led by Ben Lambert, you will:
- Master template-based construction using drawings or photographs to create precise patterns for your ceramic fish, learning how soft slab techniques can transform flat clay into dimensional sculptures.
- Explore expressive form-building through demonstrations on how to manipulate basic fish shapes into creatures with distinct personalities, gestures, and dynamic postures.
- Create versatile display options by learning construction methods for both wall-hanging and free-standing fish sculptures, giving you flexibility in how your pieces will be presented.
- Experiment with layered surface techniques combining mid-range glazes, underglazes, and ceramic chemicals to achieve unique colors and textures that capture the essence of scales and aquatic life.
- Develop your artistic voice through guided exercises that encourage personal interpretation while building technical proficiency in slab construction and surface decoration.
Perfect for ceramic artists of all levels who want to explore sculptural work, expand their slab-building skills, and discover innovative approaches to glaze layering and surface treatment.
Website: BlamCeramics.com
Instagram: Blam_Ceramics
CJ Niehaus
July 10th-12th 2026
The Narrative Surface: Underglaze Pencil and Underglaze Washes on Clay
9:30-4:30 Tuition $600; materials included
Clay as a 3D canvas has been a focus of CJ's for many years. Finding her voice and looking for ways to express it led to the use of underglaze (UG) pencils. Their soft, sketchy lines allow for indulgence in drawing while creating functional objects for the home in porcelain, marrying the narrative with the object.
Led by CJ Niehaus, you will:
- Explore CJ's journey of using various surface techniques before discovering underglaze pencil.
- Learn techniques for preparing the surface and setting the pencil.
- Practice shading and underglaze wash methods.
- Discover soft slab techniques and discuss interesting forms that enhance overall design.
- Work hands-on with porcelain or porcelaneous clay bodies best suited to these techniques.
This hands-on workshop encourages students to bring bisque fired items to work on, and participants are invited to come with ideas ready to explore. While materials will be provided in class, porcelain or porcelaneous bodies work best with these narrative surface techniques.
Perfect for ceramic artists looking to expand their surface decoration skills and explore the intersection of drawing and functional pottery.
Website: CJNiehaus.com
Instagram: CJNiehaus
Michelle Gregor
July 20th-24th 2026
Improvisation in Figurative Clay Sculpture
9:30-4:30 Tuition $850; materials included
Immerse yourself in the world of Improvisation figurative ceramics with this five-day workshop. Perfect for artists looking to breathe life into their clay figures.
Led by Michelle Gregor, you will explore:
- Improvisational techniques for dynamic clay figures.
- Innovative methods to capture movement and gesture and vitality.
- Techniques to push past the common stumbling blocks of proportion, movement and balance.
- Techniques for constructing and hollowing small-scale maquettes and large-scale figures.
- Learn to break the figure down into basic components and use them to explore their potential for various poses.
- Special attention focusing on challenging areas such as creating heads and hands.
- Surface treatments using texture, underglazes, stains and underglaze pencils along with mark-making to strengthen and unify the form and develop rich surface effects.
Key workshop components:
- Live sculpting demonstrations
- Hands-on improvisational exercises
- In-depth slide presentations on figurative ceramic art
- Individual mentoring with Michelle
Elevate your figurative sculpture skills and discover new pathways to creative expression in clay!
Website: Michellegregor.com
Instagram: Michellegregor
Ariel Bowman
August 3rd-7th 2026
Animals in Clay
9:30-4:30 Tuition $850; materials included
Walk on the wild side and learn to sculpt animals in clay! In this five-day hands-on workshop, participants will create animals of their choosing using solid building methods.
Led by Ariel Bowman, you will:
- Master solid construction techniques and learn how to use an armature to create an 18-inch sculpture. Some clay sculpture experience is necessary for students who want to create larger pieces, but beginners are also welcome if they want to work smaller. Participants will learn how to hollow, reassemble, and detail their personal animal sculptures over the course of the workshop.
- Explore animal anatomy and proportions through clay modeling demonstrations covering a variety of techniques for sculpting accurate forms based on scientific observation.
- Develop artistic expression through discussions focused on animal expression, gesture, and the use of maquettes and sketching to plan out larger works.
- Create custom texture tools as Ariel shares her techniques for creating different animal textures, including how to make silicone texture mats. Each student will create their own texture mats for future use.
- Integrate mixed media approaches through discussions on creating environments and context for animal figures, and ways of making clay look like other materials by integrating mixed media with ceramics.
- Master glazing for sculpture in the final days of the workshop, including experimenting with commercial glazes and using slow cooling programs in electric kilns.
- Participants will have the opportunity to try out glazes and stains on test tiles and plan a future surface for their finished sculptures.
Perfect for ceramic artists looking to expand into sculptural work and explore the fascinating intersection of scientific observation, artistic expression, and technical craftsmanship in clay.
Website: ArielBowman.com
Instagram: ArielBowman