Throw, Cut & Paste: A workshop in three sessions with Prue Venables
Wheel throwing with porcelain is challenging enough but altering and firing brings a whole other set of challenges! Prue Venables is one of Australia’s most accomplished ceramicists. Practicing her craft since 1977, her work has transcended from the traditional object to a sculptural entity that mimics the useful and everyday. With a mastery of porcelain, she has experimented in working with high temperature porcelain across studio and industrial domains.
For Venables, throwing provides a source of components and forms to be altered and reconstructed; procedures in this particular material are complex, risky and require great skill, yet, produce an outcome that appears simple and seeks to deny the inherent difficulty of their origin. A decade of learning silversmithing enables Venables to add new textures and forms, plus further extensions into invention and discovery, previously prohibited by the technical limitations of porcelain alone.
Content: In this special workshop you will be guided to design, plan and make multiple wheel-thrown components that will then be trimmed, assembled and joined by you to create unique new objects! Everything will be fired in-house by us and you’ll get them back a few weeks later. Prue’s methods of joining and firing will be addressed in detail to reduce risks and whilst success is never guaranteed, you will not be in better hands to learn how to manage the whole process!
This workshop comprises three sessions. Students must be able to attend all three:
Three sessions:
Friday 2 August 6-9pm
Saturday 3 August 9am-12pm
Sunday 4 August 10am-4pm
Price: $625 Full price/ $595 Earlybird Discount (available until July 1)
Bookings: online or via our office with 50% deposit.
Terms and Conditions: Tickets are limited to 12 lucky people and the balance must be paid three weeks before the start date. If you change your mind or something happens and you can’t attend we will always try to help by emailing our waitlist but there is no guarantee. If successful: no refund but can hold your payment in credit. There is a $25 admin fee or you are welcome to share the love and transfer it to a friend for no charge. You can also take out the cancellation insurance at the payment gateway. This is for online purchases only.
Prerequisites: It is important that students are at a minimum solid intermediate level with plenty of experience throwing on the wheel. We suggest a minimum of about 18 months attending weekly classes but it’s a very flexible guideline! Please call us on 99437844 to chat if you are unsure of your level.
Image: Betty’s Kitchen, detail, 2017. Limoges porcelain, thrown and altered, silver, copper, thread, various dimensions. Photo by Terence Bogue.
Slow Clay Centre is a specialist ceramic education centre based in Naarm (Melbourne) established in 2012 by ceramic artist Jane Sawyer. Please join our monthly e-newsletter to keep up with all new courses, workshops and events!
CoVid19: Our studio follows all Covid Safe recommendations including air purifiers, extraction fans and cleaning after each class. If we have to re-schedule for any reason we will offer a choice of either a refund or credit note.
Details
You will learn
- Learn design skills, experience throwing and construction with Porcelain
You will get
- Finished objects will be fired to collect a few weeks later
Appropriate for
Solid Intermediate wheel skills required. Please ask us if unsure!
Preparation
What to bring
- Favourite throwing and turning tools, notebook, towel
What to wear
Casual, comfortable clothes you don't mind getting dirty
Planning a Private Event?
From corporate team building to birthdays and hen's parties, Slow Clay Centre can tailor a private pottery classes experience for your group.
Your Teacher
Prue Venables is represented in Australia by Sally Dan-Cuthbert Gallery. Sydney. Venables has received many national and international awards that recognize her contribution to the art and craft of ceramics, including being elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, UK (2003), President of Craft Victoria (2006), Finalist, Officine Saffi Project, Italy (2014, 2017), She is Australian Design Centre’s 9th ‘Living Treasure – Master of Australian Craft’ (2018) and is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics. Prue was a founding tutor at Slow Clay Centre and conducts specialist workshops for us.
Organized by
Slow Clay Centre
1261 reviewsEscape to Slow Clay Centre and learn the art, craft and design of expression in clay.
Slow Clay Centre is one of the most highly regarded specialist ceramics/pottery schools in Australia. We aim to give you THE BEST experience learning our ancient craft and our longevity stands for this with thousands of students who have learnt from us, many who have made it their life's passion and work!
We welcome all levels from kids and beginners adults taster classes to advanced professional development and mentoring.
Our unique "Slow Clay" (TM) method for teaching the pottery wheel, established by Slow Clay Centre director and ceramic artist Jane Sawyer, has been taught for more than thirty years. Based on the Japanese techniques Jane studied as a production thrower training in a busy Japanese studio, combined with western techniques the "Slow Clay" method offers a synthesis of East and West. It provides ergonomic best-practice and a solid foundation for personal expression and confidence with clay.
All our courses offer a foundation of skill-based learning within a rich framework of contemporary art and design enquiry and material studies. Our ultimate aim is to help you achieve whatever your personal goals are with clay!
Based in a beautiful inner-city studio in Collingwood, Melbourne, Australia, the Slow Clay team consists of leading professional ceramic artists and experienced teachers who offer high-level teaching in a broad variety of topics - see our web site for teacher profiles. Together with guest professional artists who host workshops and forums, we are a vibrant community and wish to share our passion for clay with everyone who is keen, no matter what level.
Cancellations & Refunds
If the organiser cancels the class:
You are entitled to a full refund.
If you can't attend the class:
You’re welcome to send someone in your place.
We recommend the refund upgrade option upon checkout in case you’re not able to attend the class. Learn more about refund upgrade option.
Terms & Conditions
Welcome to Slow Clay Centre!
These T&Cs override any others that may appear on older sites.
General: These apply to all Slow Clay Centre courses, workshops and events:
- Deposit or full payment (depending on the course/workshop/event) must be made at the time of booking
- Your deposit is a commitment to attend, not just a holding fee, and it is non-refundable if you change your mind
- Please choose your class/course carefully. It is easy to make mistakes so please double-check your dates to avoid disappointment.
- We occasionally need to cancel a class and if so we will always refund in full within 7 days. Due to our limited class sizes we do not offer refunds for any other reason
- If you are unable to attend after booking you may transfer your booking to a friend for no charge or, provided we can fill your place, we can sometimes transfer you to another class or hold your payment in credit for up to 24 months for a future course. No guarantees though!
- There is a $25 fee for all transfers or credit note and you must pay any fee difference if the new course is a higher price
- Please note: All students will receive a reminder between three weeks and/or one week (depending on the course) before the start date with a link to pay any remaining balance with your credit card. Students who paid the deposit online will have the balance automatically deducted. Others will need to click on the link provided or ring our office on 99437844.
- Due to our limited class sizes, if your balance is not received three weeks before the start date and you have not made arrangements with us, we reserve the right to find a replacement student and your deposit will be forfeited
Weekly classes: These additional conditions apply to all Slow Clay Centre weekly classes:
- Please note that making ceramics, particularly on the pottery wheel, can be a physically demanding activity. If you have any pre-existing illnesses and/or chronic injuries to your back, shoulders, hips, neck, wrists or elbows we strongly advise you to seek a medical opinion before enrolling as some activities might exacerbate past injuries and we take no responsibility if this occurs.
- We ask that you fully disclose any prior and/or ongoing illnesses or injuries that could affect you before you enrol AND inform your teacher in person during the first class.
- Your enrolment is conditional on your acceptance that Slow Clay Centre and/or the company's employees, whether casual, contract, or permanently employed, are indemnified against any exacerbation of any past or any new injuries that may arise as a result of your activites.
- All work made during classes is to be used for personal, non-commercial purposes. This is individually negotiable for advanced students or for studio exhibitions but we ask students to accept that our emphasis is strictly on education not studio production. If you sell your work made using our materials you must acknowledge Slow Clay Centre and also ensure and provide evidence of product liability insurance.
- Teaching fees are fully inclusive of materials but students will incur a single firing fee based on the current cost (advised in your class)
- Please note: we encourage judicious selection of your work to fire. Firing is always optional and all clay is recycled until the first firing. After that you must pay the firing fee for everything that gets fired. If it cracks, glaze drips, or you just don't like it, you are still required to pay the firing fee unless the fault is caused by us.
- Collection of fired pieces: Please understand that our storage capacity is extremely limited. Students will be notified via email when work is ready to be collected. Work will only be retained for two weeks following notification.
Regarding Kids Clay Club:
- We require all parents and carers to fill out an emergency contact form.
- It is your responsibility to clearly report in writing on the form, any illness, allergies or disability that may affect your child's involvement in the Clay Club activities and follow up verbally with the teachers and/or office administrator.
- You will be required to sign-in and sign-out your children at each class.
- Please respect our teacher's time and be prompt to arrive and to collect your children (within 5 minutes of class time)
- Children are expected to be mature enough to follow instructions, to work in a group together, to respect everyone's needs and differences and to be polite to everyone.
Have more questions about this class?
Throw, Cut, Paste with Prue Venables
Coming Soon: More classes in the works!
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