8-Week Introduction to Wheel Throwing

$540 per person. Eight weekly class sessions with instructor Carlo Chinatti, with clay, open studio time, firing and glazing all included.

Next course starts Wednesday, October 28, at 7:00 PM. Classes meet once a week for eight weeks.

Who this course is for

The 8-week course is for beginners who want more time on the wheel than a four-week course gives. You don’t need any experience. You’ll go at a slower pace, take every piece from wet clay to a glazed, finished pot, and get a second round of help with the skills that take the most practice. Students must be 13 or older.

What you will learn

By the end of the course you will know how to wedge clay, center it, pull walls, throw cylinders, trim, add handles and glaze your work. Weeks one to four teach the full process once. Weeks five to seven repeat it with one-on-one help on whatever you’re finding hard. Week eight ends the course with a group critique of your finished pieces.

Week by week

Week 1: studio orientation and throwing basics — using bats, wedging, centering, coning and pulling clay. Week 2: cylinders and how to store work so it doesn’t dry out. Week 3: trimming, handles and surface decoration such as carving and feet. Week 4: introduction to glazing — low-fire and high-fire glazes, brushing and dipping. Week 5: cylinders, pulling, trimming and handles, part two, with individual help. Week 6: greenware support day and the last bisque firing. Week 7: bisqueware support day, glazing wrap-up and the last glaze firing. Week 8: final critique, a breakdown of your glazes, and grinding down any wobbly bases.

What is included

Eight weekly class sessions, clay, open studio time between classes, and all firing and glazing. Nothing else to buy.

Practice between classes

Wheel throwing takes hours of practice, so the course works best when you use open studio time. After the first class you can come in and practice Tuesday through Saturday, 1:00–6:00 PM. You can also practice while another class is running if a wheel is free. If the class needs every wheel, you’ll be asked to move to one of the three wheels in the back. In the first weeks, don’t hold on to your early pieces. Take a photo, recycle the clay and throw again.

How the eight weeks run

Classes meet once a week at the same time, so the course is a standing commitment, not a drop-in. We don’t take drop-ins for any class. If you miss a week, talk to your instructor about catching up during open studio. Course start dates vary by season.

What to wear and what to bring

Wear clothes you don’t mind getting clay on. The studio has aprons and a set of shared tools, but bringing your own makes things easier. Useful things to bring are a notebook for your glaze recipes, a basic pottery tool kit, an apron, an old hand towel and a lidded bucket for water. For the last class, bring something to eat or drink so the group can try out the new pots.

Related classes

If you’d rather start shorter, try the four-week beginner course at $280 or a one-time beginner class at $79. After the beginner course, the four-week intermediate course moves on to larger and more advanced forms.

Where we are

Gasper Arts Center is at 250 S. Federal Highway, Dania Beach, FL 33004, two miles from the Fort Lauderdale airport. If you have questions, call 954-656-3560 or email StudioInfo@GasperArts.com.