Throwing with porcelain & underglaze decoration

Bottles & lidded forms

Monday 14th November - Friday 18th October 2024

Summary

We are very excited to have Rhian Malin return to the studio to deliver another fantastic throwing with porcelain and underglaze decoration course in Autumn 2024. Rhian’s work focuses on thrown porcelain vessels such as bottles, Ginger Jars and Tea Jars decorated in her signature cobalt blue underglaze and gold lustre designs.

Students will learn how to throw and trim delicate bottles and lidded forms in porcelain, and then move onto decoration in her unique and elegant hand painted symmetrical patterns.

About the course

Days one and two of the course will see students throwing bottles and lidded forms in porcelain. Rhian will guide students through the process of preparing the porcelain and will give demonstrations on how to throw the bottle forms with their long necks, and the lidded jars with their separately thrown lids.

Days three and four of the workshop will be spent trimming the thrown vessels and will also involve making porcelain chucks used to trim bottles.

Day five will involve decorating and finishing the bottle and jar forms. Rhian will guide students through the process she uses to create her unique, geometric patterns, all hand painted using a precision slip trailer and underglaze. However, students are welcome to decorate their work using underglaze in whatever style they prefer if geometric patterns aren’t their thing!

Rhian will also provide demonstrations on using gold lustre so that students can apply this to their pieces at a later date if they wish. 

Rhian will give all students a series of demonstrations throughout the course and each student will receive plenty of individual attention to create their pieces.

Please note, there will be a small additional firing charge for final pieces. Please see our Student Contract (below) for details.

About Rhian

Inspired by her Grandmother’s Willow Pattern collection, Rhian continues the long historic tradition of hand-painting porcelain with cobalt-blue decoration. Her elegant wheel-thrown porcelain vessels are the chosen surface, created to stretch this tradition into the 21st Century. 

Taking a mathematical approach to applying each geometric design, each vessel is painstakingly divided up and mapped out by eye to highlight their tapering forms, resulting in a contemporary take on the much loved, and often nostalgic, combination of blue and white.  

Rhian Graduated from Camberwell College of Art in 2014 with a degree in BA (Hons) Three Dimensional Design and now works from her studio on the Alscot Estate in  Atherstone-on-Stour, Warwickshire.  

THE SCHEDULE  

DAY 1 - Arrive 9am Monday 14th October
Welcome Breakfast (from 9am - 10am). The session will start at 10am and will finish at 5pm. Students may continue to use the facilities until 7pm.

DAY 2 - Arrive 9:30am Tuesday 15th October
On the second day the session will start at 9:30am and will finish at 5pm. Students may continue to use the facilities until 7pm.

DAY 3 - Arrive 9:30am Wednesday 16th October
On the third day the session will start at 9:30am and will finish at 5pm. Students may continue to use the facilities until 7pm.

DAY 4 - Arrive 9:30am Thursday 17th October
On the fourth day the session will start at 9:30am and will finish at 5pm. Students may continue to use the facilities until 7pm.

DAY 5 - Arrive 9:30am Friday 18th October
On the final day the session will start at 09:30 and will finish at 4pm.

A two course lunch is provided everyday. Please inform us of any special dietary requirements at the time of booking.

cost

This cost for this three-day course is £1,100. This cost includes all necessary materials, tools, refreshments and a superb two-course lunch every day. Also included is a Welcome breakfast which will be provided on the first day of the course. 

You can pay in full or pay a deposit by clicking on the ‘Book Now’ button above. If you choose to pay a deposit we will contact you to arrange paying the remainder of your balance in instalments.

Before you book a Guest Potter Course, please read our terms and conditions page here.

Please also read our Student Contract here.

TRAVEL AND ACCOMODATION

The Ceramic Studio is located on a beautiful orchard in Brenchley, and there are lots of lovely surrounding towns and villages offering numerous places to stay.

We are happy to arrange transits to and from your accommodation to the studio for the duration of your course. Please get in touch to arrange this. Please email the office team at info@theceramicstudio.co.uk. To see examples of local accommodation, click here.

Date: Monday 14th - Friday 18th October 2024

Venue: The Ceramic Studio (Brenchley)

Class Size: Maximum 10 students

Level: Suitable for people who have some experience in throwing but not necessarily with porcelain.

Clay Type: Porcelain

Cost: £1,100 (pay in full or in instalments)



“People often react in disbelief when I tell them my work is all hand-painted. Being a perfectionist is both a gift and a curse, but I probably wouldn’t be able to throw the forms and hand-paint the pattern that I do, if I wasn’t.” 
— Rhian Malin
This course is fantastic for anyone remotely interested in throwing with porcelain and decorating in a brilliantly unique way. Rhian makes it all very achievable and the results were way above my expectations.
— Sarah, 2023