Welcome to the Wheel World

Deborah Schwartzkopf Deborah Schwartzkopf has returned to Seattle after going to undergrad in Alaska... traveling to Penn State for Grad work and then attending a few residencies, among which are the Bray and Ceramics Center in Berlin. She has also taught a variety of levels from children's to college courses and looks forward to teaching "Altered Forms" at PNW. Her favorite ice cream is Butter Pecan and she never gets tired of searching for seashells.	Mondays 6pm–9pm	Begins: April 5	Ends: June 7	Fee: $300
Alya Khan Alya has assisted Gail Nichols on several firing at PNW while serving as her workshop assistant. In addition she has fired wood soda with Josh DeWeese and overseen the work study program in our studio for the past year. A welcome visitor from Australia, anyone with this much ceramic knowledge might turn your chooks into emus and kick your dunny down! She is a valued staff member as well.	Tuesdays 6pm–9pm	Begins: April 6	Ends: June 8	Fee: $300

This is where you begin your journey with the potter's wheel. This class is noted for structured lessons and a wholicious approach to working with clay. Fundamental skills make up the body of the coursework including centering, trimming, bowls, cylinders, attachments and a thorough introduction to glazing. Gentle critiques help you hone your vision and develop an aesthetic. A raku firing at the end of the session wraps up a complete introduction to clay.

Intended for beginners and returning beginners

Cast Glass

Learn the fundamentals of kiln casting glass. By keeping the sculptural forms small, students can absorb the basics of this complex and amazing process. We will work with the wax in a manner similar to clay and then invest our forms in simple heat resistant molds and get them ready for the kiln. Each student will create at least two cast glass sculptures, but there will be opportunity to create more. We will also explore the relationship of combining clay and glass forms.

No mold making experience necessary. Learn valuable techniques as a foundation for more complex work later or build on to your glass casting skills.

All levels welcome.

Bolder Yet!

Drew Nicklas Drew is a MFA graduate from Montana State University where he worked with Josh DeWeese. He specializes in large vessels and utilitarian pottery. Recently he has been exploring reduction cooled surfaces in both wood and soda kilns. He has taught ceramics at the college level as well as led community classes and workshops throughout the west. He has a national ceramic show record and a deep love for ping pong… although he plans to expand into other racket sports (i.e. badminton and pickle ball).

Tuesdays 11am–2pm

Begins: April 6

Ends: June 8

Fee: $325

This intermediate throwing class will focus on becoming more intentional with our throwing technique.  There will be a strong focus on pushing ourselves to throw bigger, cleaner and technically more proficient pottery.  

We will discus what makes a successful piece of functional pottery while also discussing the balance between form and surface decoration. 

While designed for intermediate to advanced levels - those coming out of beginning classes are also very welcome.

Sculpting from the Inside Out

Erin Campbell Erin first found her attraction to ceramics at Alpena Community College. Pair that with a fondness for Sponge Bob, cartoons of all manner, and glitter, and it only scratches the surface of Erin’s aesthetic. Later working with Sam Chung at Northern Michigan gave her a chance to refine and develop a body of work that brought her to an artist-in-residence position at PNW. Her work deals less with the figure as realism but as an abstraction that expresses an ideal. She is interested in animating non-human subjects as a vehicle to better understand emotions that are human.

Tuesdays 6pm–9pm

Begins: April 6

Ends: June 8

Fee: $325

Using various hand-building methods this class will explore non-classical ways of depicting the figure. Instead of working from models or pictures of real people, students will be encouraged to draw from their ideals, dreams, desires and imagination for reference. Essentially they will be creating caricatures through the use of exaggeration, idealization, and animation.

By sculpting from the inside out students will have the chance to capture the essence or spirit of a person and the appearance of a figure will be defined by who they are not the other way around. Keeping in mind also that they do not necessarily have to be people and that humanizing animals and objects can also be a very effective way of expressing an idea or emotion.

All levels welcome

Set Design

Deborah Schwartzkopf FILLED Deborah Schwartzkopf has returned to Seattle after going to undergrad in Alaska... traveling to Penn State for Grad work and then attending a few residencies, among which are the Bray and Ceramics Center in Berlin. She has also taught a variety of levels from children's to college courses and looks forward to teaching "Altered Forms" at PNW. Her favorite ice cream is Butter Pecan and she never gets tired of searching for seashells.

Wednesdays 6pm–9pm

Begins: April 7

Ends: June 9

Fee: $325

What lines, planes, textures, color, volume or other formal elements define a set?  Does the salt shaker really need more holes?  How many cups do you need to make use of all the tea in a teapot?  Do you serve olives with your oil and vinegar set?  All these questions and more will be investigated in this class in which you come with an idea for a set and as a group we problem solve making it.

For intermediate/advanced students.

The Mighty Mold

James Lobb James Lobb comes from a long line of smart alecks (alecs, alex?). He received his BFA in Ceramics for the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Crafts in 2003. He has been a special student at Northern Michigan University with Sam Chung and has assisted several workshops with artists and craftspeople such as Lana Wilson, Nan Smith, Susan Filley and Leah Leitson. Before moving to Seattle he worked for 3 years as the Ceramic Arts Technician at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has answered several hundred thousand questions about working with ceramics and is equipped for more.

Wednesdays 6pm–9pm

Begins: April 7

Ends: June 9

Fee: $335

This class is an exploration on the mighty MOLD.  We will use (and hopefully learn how to make) molds from bisque clay, plaster, wood, and found materials. The techniques to be covered are press molding, drop and slump molding, sprigging as well as two slip casting projects.  The idea is to explore how molds can be used as a labor saving device in making multiples as well as a tool for the creative exploration of forms and surfaces.  The class will culminate in the completion of a multi-part slip casting mold.  

The class is open to all ability levels.

Surface Decoration

Nana Kuo Nana comes to Seattle from Taiwan and Houston, and to ceramics after a formal education in engineering and business management and a successful career in the software industry. From this background she brings a strong attention to detail and a loving appreciation of beauty in the things we use in everyday life. Taking a very hands-on and structured approach, she has taught some of our most popular classes at Pottery Northwest. www.nanakuo.com

Thursdays 6pm - 9pm

Begins: April 8

Ends: June 10

Fee: $325

You've mastered the basic forms, now what to do with the surface? In addition to further developing your throwing skills and expanding your repertoire of forms, this class will present techniques for adding interest to your clay surfaces: slips, carving, impressing, texturing, slip/glaze trailing, ...

For intermediate students.

Shape Up for Soda

Alya Khan Alya has assisted Gail Nichols on several firing at PNW while serving as her workshop assistant. In addition she has fired wood soda with Josh DeWeese and overseen the work study program in our studio for the past year. A welcome visitor from Australia, anyone with this much ceramic knowledge might turn your chooks into emus and kick your dunny down! She is a valued staff member as well.

Saturdays 11am - 2pm

Begins: April 10

Ends: June 12

Fee: $350

We will wrap the flame around the form using clays and slips made specifically for  soda firing. Having used slips and under glazes to create surface design, texture and pattern, we will then allow the soda flame to complete the work. In this class we hope to address fundamental questions of the process such as why do soda and not another firing technique. You should be prepared for a less technical approach but rather one that emphasizes expression. This is the class to explore that biggest question-“What do you want to do with soda firing?” 

Intermediate and advanced skill level.

Sogetsu Ikebana

Nobuko Relnick Nobuko Relnick received the first teacher's certificate from the Sogetsu Ikebana Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan in 1966, continuing on to receive the highest teacher's certificate, "Riji rank," from Sogestsu Headquarters in Japan thirty years later in 1996. She was a member of the Ikebana International Tokyo Founding Chapter from 1988 to 1998, when she moved to Woodinville, WA from Tokyo, Japan. She was president of Ikebana International's Seattle Chapter from 2001 to 2003.

Thursdays 5pm

call Nobuko at: 425-489-1992 or email nrelnick@comcast.net for specific dates and fees.

Taught by Nobuko Relnick, a master teacher and student of the Sogetsu school for over forty years. Summarized as the Japanese method of arranging flowers and plants, it is that and more. Ikebana is a living art using living materials and strives to create an aesthetic awareness. Ceramics and Ikebana are great companions and compliment one another well. Please contact Nobuko for more information and the chance to work with beautiful materials in a fulfilling class.

Registration

Registration for classes will be on a first-come-first-served basis by mail or in-person. No class registration by phone. (Only workshop registration will be accepted by phone.)

Forms will be processed in the order received. You will be notified only if you do not secure placement in the class or classes of your choice. When a class fills we create a waiting list. If there is enough interest we may create a second section.

You may print and mail in the registration form,, filled out completely, with credit card information or a check for the exact amount. Do not mail cash.

You may register in person. Office hours are 10 am - 5 pm, Tuesday through Friday.

Class Fees

Payment in full by check, cash, or credit card (vsia or mastercard only, please) is due with registration. Registration fees will cover firing and 25# of clay. Recycling used clay is encouraged.

Additional clay may be purchased at $14 per bag. Surcharges may apply for specialized clay bodies identified in class descriptions.

Cancellation Policy

If cancellation is less than two weeks prior to first class, $50 will be withheld from refunds. After the first class, no fees are refundable. Fees paid for the current session cannot be transferred as payment for the next class session. We reserve the right to cancel classes if the minimum enrollment is not reached; full tuition will be refunded.

Practice Times

One of the best features of classes at Pottery Northwest is the extensive work time available to students. If there is not another class or workshop in session, with very few exceptions, you are welcome. We look forward to seeing you get dirty here!

Student Responsibilites

As Pottery Northwest attempts to create a professional learning situation, class members are expected to participate in the loading, unloading, and firing of class kilns under the guidance of class instructors, and in studio maintenance and cleanup. Further, in keeping with the educational focus, student use of studio facilities to produce goods for commercial sale is not acceptable. Pottery-making can be a potentially hazardous activity. It is the responsibility of every student to exercise caution at all times within the Pottery.