Back to All Events

Ceramics - Platters and Place: an introduction to painting and mark-making with slips- 3 Day course with Anna Lambert.

Thursday 3 April 2025 17:00
Sunday 6 April 2025 14:00

Coombe Farm Studios (map)

Google Calendar ICS

Platters and Place: Have you ever wondered how to combine drawing and ceramic techniques?

On this short course you will learn how to use drawing to develop designs for simple slab built ceramic platters and tiles. You will discover ways to build complex and layered surfaces with tonal and coloured slips, using your own hand-cut stencils, stamps and sgraffitto designs.

The course is suitable for all abilities.

During the first day, after an introductory session discussing clay and slip techniques, you will start with a brainstorming drawing session – collecting ideas that could make up a design using the environment around Coombe as your starting point. You will then develop the drawings using collage and line drawings to create an understanding of the possibilities in using slips and other ceramic processes, as well as practicing mark-making and painting layers of slips (coloured liquid clay) on small leatherhard clay tiles. You’ll also prepare clay slabs for the following days. On the second and third days, you’ll construct platters and tiles from slabs and develop our designs using various techniques: stencilling, stamping using lino cut motifs and layering of slips to decorate platters, plates or tiles. Most participants can expect to complete one large piece and a group of smaller pieces.

Anna’s hand-built earthenware ceramics reflect a connection with her locality and to the fragile and constantly changing environment, responding to places as diverse as wild bleak moorland and bird filled hedgerows

Anna has studied Ceramics to MA level. She has been a full time maker of hand-built earthenware since 1980 and shares her North Yorkshire studio with painter David Thomas. She has had many solo exhibitions including The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh and Contemporary Ceramics, London, as well as galleries in Europe and USA. She is also a Fellow and Membership Secretary of the Craft Potters Association.

www.junctionworkshop.co.uk // Instagram @annalambertceramics

**EXPERIENCE LEVEL**: This course is designed for all abilities from beginners to more advanced potters.
**OUTLINE SCHEDULE:** Thursday // 5-7pm Residents arrive 7pm non residents arrive followed by welcome drinks and dinner. Friday-Saturday // Breakfast for residents 8.30am, tuition starts at 9.30am for all. 1pm Lunch, tuition resumes 2-5pm. Sunday
// Breakfast for residents 8.30am, final tuition session runs 9.30am-1pm followed by final lunch 1-2pm
**ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS:** Residential and non-residential spaces available. NB residents are not required to share bedrooms, see accommodation for more info.

**COST**: £600 + VAT for residential which covers all your tuition, accommodation and food from arrival on Sunday through to departure after lunch on Friday. Non-residential fees are £422 + VAT include all tuition, welcome drinks on Sunday and lunch from Mon-Friday.
**MATERIALS LIST:** Details below.
**HOW TO GET HERE:** Our address is TQ6 0JA [What3words: What3words: fulfilled.exploring.branching] and we have plenty of free onsite parking. Trains > nearest station is Totnes then we can arrange lift shares or send taxi details. We are about 20 minutes from the station.
**HOW MANY PEOPLE ON THE COURSE?** Min 6 max 12 to allow the tutor to give everyone enough attention and time on the press.

HOW DOES FIRING WORK/CAN I KEEP WORK I MAKE?

All the decorating of your work is completed during the course. If you have your own kiln you can then take the work home to be fired. If you would like us to fire it for you we will allow the work to dry, bisque fire, apply the glaze and fire again. This process takes time, how long will depend on the other work going through the studio at the time and we will keep you informed of the process and timeline. There is a charge of £5 per kilo for any work you’d like fired and glazed in this way (NB as a rule of thumb something the size of a mug costs around £1.40). Once completed you can collect your work or it can be couriered to you. Courier costs dependant on how much work and your location.

MATERIALS LIST FOR THIS COURSE

The pottery is equipped with essential tools and clay, glazes and slips for the course. In addition please bring the following with you.

Warm clothing and shoes suitable for a short walk
An apron
The following pottery tools if you have them and wish to use them (NB optional we will have enough for everyone but if you have items you want to bring feel free - small pointed vegetable knife, small boxwood tools, especially rounded, hooked or 45º pointed ones, old credit cards or silicone scrapers, loop tools, small sponge, a plant sprayer or similar)
1” Hake brushes, soft mopbrushes and soft (cheap is ok: real hair not acrylic) small watercolur brushes for painting slips.
Drawing materials and A4 sketchbook . A variety of items for making bold marks are good: graphite sticks, felt pens, neocolour crayons, woodies and ink.
Watercolour or coloured crayons or gouache – useful for developing designs.
A stencil knife if you have one (retractable ones are good)
Plastic bags – Large size freezer bags are good, or 5l or 10l bin bags or eco food caddy bags.
A box, and paper for transporting pieces home if you are not leaving them for firing at Coombe

SEASON

Spring at Coombe, particularly April is a gorgeous time of year. Starting to get warm, flowers and greenery coming out. We will be in the studio and going out sketching down the lanes weather permitting. If it’s cooler weather the fires will be on in the studios and accommodation. If it’s sunnier and warmer we may even get to eat outside.