Classes & Workshops
Please call to sign up: we do not offer online class registration.

All classes are in our Portland store unless specifically noted otherwise.

(Classes in Eugene will be printed in green.)

Meet The Teachers

Andrew Kail	Jason Starin	WiL Labelle

• ANDREW KAIL is a functional potter and also works here at Georgies, assisting with your daily purchases and doing all of our custom firing. He just finished setting up his home studio. Andrew bring his love of life into the works he creates as everyday objects. Isn't that what handmade pottery is all about?

• JASON STARIN is a recent MFA graduate from OCAC with a focus on sculpture. Sculpture is a creative and often innovative way of thinking and working with clay. Jason will bring his enthusiasm and this fresh approach into the classroom.

• WIL LABELLE is originally from the coast of Maine. He began studying ceramics in 2001. He has worked in production potteries both large and small. He has done commissions both private and commercial. He is always looking for new ideas and inspirations to raise the bar of his own production. He produces dishes, wall hangings and sculpture.

Beginning & Intermediate Pottery

This class is open to beginners as well as intermediate and returning students. Beginning students are welcomed and will be instructed from a beginning approach, learning the basics of centering, bringing up walls and creating mugs and bowls. Continuing students will find instruction that takes them to their next steps. Our classes are small, no more than 12 people, and we have a wheel dedicated to each person signed up. Beginners see the possibilities and returning students are reminded of the basics!

Click the thumbnails for larger images of these samples of Andrew's work:

Click here to see "The Fine Print" for classes at Georgies.

Handbuilding

Handbuilding is always about building skills that will aid you in creating work with your own "ceramic voice." Handbuilding classes are open to beginning, intermediate and continuing students. Coming from a sculptural background, Jason will lead you in "thinking with the form:" how to use spheres, cubes, cones and other shapes to form the object of your vision. You will explore the clay surface and learn that texture enriches your object, and is in turn enhanced by the glaze. Glazing in this class includes a focus on the "Combo Mambo" techniques we have developed here at Georgies.

Project focuses for this class will be Pinch Pots for handheld sculpture, Soft Slab Vases using cardboard tubes as temporary armatures, and Strong And Strange pottery using flat coil methods.

Click the thumbnails for larger images of these samples of Jason's work:

Click here to see "The Fine Print" for classes at Georgies.

Intermediate Wheel

With a new teacher you are going to find new ideas and possibly some new approaches. With clay there are many answers or approaches to the same form, and in this term WiL has chosen projects for a variety of reasons. The foremost reason is that they all highlight attaching methods. You'll explore attaching, throwing off the hump, and perceiving that thrown pieces aren't always dishes that rest on tabletops. They can be propped above, mounted to the wall, or hang from the ceiling above. The project focuses for this term will be Tripod Bowls, Teapot and Cups from the hump, and Hanging Planters or Wall Sconces.

Click the thumbnails for larger images of these samples of Wil's work:

Click here to see "The Fine Print" for classes at Georgies.

Firing Your Electric Kiln

Proper firing is the key to ceramic success. In this class, you can learn to operate and maintain your electric kiln for optimum results. Whether your kiln is new or used, computerized or manually controlled, we'll cover them all. Questions about firing glass are welcome, but the class focuses on firing clay. Bring your notepads and questions!

Click here to see "The Fine Print" for classes at Georgies.

We Teach the Teachers

Georgies' series of Monday free classes are for teachers or parent helpers in K-12 school programs. We created them to answer the basic questions like "Yikes, clay! What do I do now?" We have only two requirements for these classes: first, they should be taken in order from Clay 101 to 201 to 301. Second, no more than three people from any one school can attend the series at one time, so we can accomodate as many schools as possible. Please note: due to demand and space restrictions, class participants must be from K-12 regional public school districts or accredited private schools. We're very sorry, but we can't include pre-K and home school teachers this year.

Clay 101:

This first class covers the three necessary elements of any work with clay: forming, glazing and firing. Our projects in this class are made with Wonder White lowfire earthenware and Duncan Concepts. We model clay heads to learn about forming clay and adding attachments, design with clay colors and glaze by making tiles with Concepts underglazes and clear glaze on top, and we learn how to fire an electric kiln without fear by learning the temperatures, how to load, and how to make it all work!

Clay 201:

Come prepared to work! We begin with basic slab work and learn to make tiles. From a slab, we move to hump and slump forms to create birdhouses, a fun form that includes the basics of handbuilding like scoring and attaching bases and lids. Our slabs and tiles offer us a substrate to explore underglazes. Because we are working on raw clay, we get to use engobes and two fun techniques that include faux mosaic portraits and marbelizing. Last, but certainly not least, we begin our clay conversation of learning how to build hollow. Modeling clay bugs is fun for all ages on its own, but this technique is also a stepping stone for the #3 class.

Clay 301:

You'll be introduced to more than clay in our number three class as you explore a timeline in clay history. Travel back to make clay plaques from cave paintings, followed by a wealth of interesting projects from ancient Egypt: hieroglyphic tables and stamps, and beads from Egyptian paste. Our travels take us next to ancient China to make terra cotta warrior figures. Both the Greeks and Native Americans from the Southwest used a method of decoration called terra sigillata, and we'll give it a try too. We introduce you to copper and aluminum foils for repousse, and fun materials for bug wings too. If time permits we have even a few more ideas, so wear your clay clothes!

THE FINE PRINT FOR EIGHT-WEEK CLAY CLASSES: At the time of registration for our clay classes we request a $25 deposit and a credit card number to hold your reservation. The $25 deposit will not be refunded if you cancel your registration, but will be applied when you pay the rest of your class fee ($25 + $225 = $250). You will get a registration confirmation in the mail. We normally bill your class fee to your credit card number two days before the first class session. If you choose to pay by cash or check, please arrive before 5:00 pm on the first class day so we can complete your invoice. Call or email us as soon as possible if you have to cancel your registration. We have waiting lists for many of our classes, and your early call allows someone else to attend. The fee for our clay classes includes Georgies classroom clay, use of Georgies glazes on your work, studio time to practice between class sessions (when there is not another class using the studio space), and firing your classroom work. Other clays and glazes are not included in the class fee. You'll have to purchase those on your own if you wish to use them. Cone 06 lowfire clays are strictly not allowed in our classroom area. THE FINE PRINT FOR OTHER CLASSES: We request payment of the class fee at the time of registration for one-day workshops or classes. If you must cancel your registration please call us as soon as possible. We do not offer refunds on cancellations less than one week prior to the class or for missing the class with no notice to us (no-show). THE FINE PRINT FOR TEACHERS' CLASSES: Teachers' classes are free with a signed registration agreement. Class fees may be billed to your school if you miss the class without cancelling in advance. If you must cancel your registration, please call us as soon as possible. We almost always have waiting lists for these classes, and your call will allow someone else to attend. Thanks for your help!