Hands-on Intuitive Handbuilding and Surface Decoration with Melissa Weiss
Hands-on Intuitive Handbuilding and Surface Decoration with Melissa Weiss
Date: Friday June 20th through Sunday, June 22nd, 2025
Time: 10am-4pm daily, with a break for lunch
Price: $425/person
In this three-day workshop, participants will be guided through instruction of coil, pinch and carving techniques to make a variety of forms in clay. We will cover cups, plates, and bowls, with a special focus on handles and feet. The group will spend time on surface decoration and glazing techniques, including demonstrations by Melissa on how to use underglaze to decorate and draw on our pots. Students will participate in engaging conversations on how to find their voice and explore materials to further in their own practice.
All materials, tools, and firing will be provided.
Please note: All ceramics projects need to be fired in a pottery kiln and take approximately 3 weeks before they are ready to be taken home. You will receive an email once the pieces are ready for pickup. If you will no longer be in Colorado Springs, domestic shipping options are available. Please make shipping arrangements prior to the start of class with Tina Smith (tina@22ndstreetclay.net) if needed. You will be invoiced for the total cost for safely packaging and shipping your pots prior to shipping. If you have not made arrangements for shipping or picked up the pots, pots will be discarded 60 days after the end of the class.
Note: We will give a full refund if cancelled at least 45-days prior to the workshop. No refunds will be given after that time.
Student Requirements:
Any skill level
Ages: 17+
Please bring any tools that you prefer that might include:
Books/images/drawings that inspire you
Yellow mud tools ribs in variety of sizes
Carving tools
Surform
Needle Tool
Wire tool
Brushes
Artist Bio:
Melissa Weiss is a studio potter located in Asheville, NC. She makes each piece by hand. Melissa digs her own clay off her land in NW Arkansas. She turns this clay into a slip and screens the big rocks out then adds some dry clays, feldspar and sand. Next, she takes this liquid clay and pours it into screened racks lined with sheets. The water slowly drips out over a few weeks and the clay is then taken out of the racks and run through a pug mill to further mix it. It is then ready for making pots. Melissa uses a variety of methods to make the pots; wheel thrown, pinched, coil, carved. The pots are first fired to a lower temperature called bisque. Then they are glazed from glazes Melissa makes from dry ingredients. These glazes are a variety of clear, shino and ash glazes. Melissa decorates her pots with underglazes using wax resist, inlay and layering techniques. These pots are high fired in a gas reduction kiln and reduction cooled with wood. Due to the nature of the minimally processed wild clay there are occasionally small rocks, fissures and iron specks, these occurrences do not compromise the function of the pot. All the pots are carefully checked before going out to the world. All of the pots are functional and food safe. They are also dishwasher and microwave safe.
Website: melissaweisspottery.com
Instagram Handle: @melissaweisspotter