Clay 101: Intro to Ceramics
Clay 101: Intro to Ceramics with Melanie Unruh
July 11 – August 1 (4 Saturdays)
1:30 – 4:30 pm
$167 CAE Member / $185 Non-Member
Minimum Students: 3 / Maximum Students: 10
Includes: Use of studio tools, glazes & firing
Clay: Sold separately — $20 per 25 lb bag (available at the front desk)
Ages/Level: Adults 16+ | All skill levels
New to ceramics or looking to refresh your skills? Clay 101 is a welcoming introduction to working with clay—designed for beginners while still offering plenty of room for returning students to explore and grow.
In this four-week course, you’ll learn the foundations of ceramics from the ground up. We’ll cover how to navigate the studio, understand the stages of clay, and get comfortable with the tools and equipment used throughout the process. You’ll gain a clear understanding of how ceramics works—from forming to drying, firing, and glazing—so you feel confident creating both in and outside of class. The primary focus will be on hand-building techniques such as pinching, coiling, slab-building, and surface design. Students may also have the opportunity to try the potter’s wheel for a brief introduction, depending on time and interest. Whether you’re brand new or coming in with some experience, this class offers a supportive, creative environment to build skills, ask questions, and bring your ideas to life.
All studio tools are provided. Please bring a sketchbook or project journal, apron, and hand towels. Clay is purchased separately.
Weekly Breakdown
Week 1: Studio orientation, introduction to materials and tools, overview of the stages of clay, demos, and project planning
Week 2: Building, refining forms, and exploring surface techniques – drying and ready for bisque
Week 3: Glazing bisqued pieces
Week 4: Group critique, celebration, and project pickup
Instructor
-
Melanie UnruhMy art is an intermediary between people, creating a connection across variable distances of space and time between myself and the person using the mug, or vase, or tea bowl that I have made. I’m deeply interested in the connection between artist and the user of the art, as expressed by the product. The virtual physical contact between my hands and the hands of the person holding my work is a recognition of our common humanity, an intimacy through art. It is said that a piece actualized by being put to use; it is not finished when it’s removed from the kin, but is finally imbued with meaning when it’s filled with food, or arranged with other pieces. My art is intended to be used, to find it’s purpose in someone’s life. Thus, it’s probably no surprise that I prefer to make functional work. My influences include Asian forms, firing methods, and surface treatments. I’m also very interested in juxtapositions of organic forms and machined artifacts, and things that are revealed and concealed. Variable surfaces of texture and color are evident in all of my art. See Melanie’s work at science fiction and fantasy conventions in the Rocky Mountain region, or at art shows and markets across Colorado. (See the Upcoming Events page for a schedule.) Melanie is a member of the Arapahoe Ceramics Guild, the Arvada Ceramic Arts Guild, and a founding member of the Convention Arts Guild.
