Throw in porcelain, decorate with slips and oxide…. a gorgeous course with Adam Frew. This course is for potters with some throwing experience that want to refine and improve their throwing techniques and experiment with expressive mark making techniques.
Adam Frew makes clean, elegant pots. He is a potter based in rural Northern Ireland. He works in porcelain, creating thrown functional and large one-off pots. During his studies at Belfast Art College, Adam spent time at the historic Winchcombe Pottery sparking a love for production pottery, and in Finland with Judy Makela. Upon graduating in 2004, he undertook a two year apprenticeship with Lisa Hammond at her Greenwich based pottery where he gained the experience and confidence to set out on his own. Adam moved back to Northern Ireland and was resident potter at Flowerfield Arts Centre for 12 years. He and his family moved to Aghadowey in Co.Derry with the intention of creating a larger studio space beside their home. Following a very successful crowdfunding campaign which part financed the renovation of an old barn, Adam now works and teaches from his own purpose built studio.
“I make clean, simple forms on the potters wheel that subtly show the makers hand in order to imbue a sense of life in the work. I enjoy the spontaneity of throwing, the speed of production and I seek to reflect this energy in my mark making. My marks are continually evolving, I am interested in contrasts; sharp lines, crayon scribbles, brush marks, sponged back sections. It is this ongoing investigation that invigorates my making.”
The emphasis of the week will be on using the potter’s wheel to make a variety of thrown porcelain vessels. Students will be guided through the basics of throwing porcelain and also turning (finishing) pots. Adam will demonstrate his various decoration techniques and students will be encouraged to be experimental in their approach. There will be flexibility in the teaching allowing students to request specific demonstrations or help with a particular technique.
You will decorate your thrown work when it’s dry before it is bisque fired, it will then be fired after the course and finished with a transparent glaze and couriered to you (or you can collect it from us).
EXPERIENCE LEVEL: This course is designed for anyone with some existing pottery experience on the wheel who wants to spend some time refining their throwing skills and getting to grips with porcelain - a notoriously tricky clay to throw with!
OUTLINE SCHEDULE: Sunday // 5-7pm Residents arrive 7pm non residents arrive followed by welcome drinks 8pm dinner
Monday-Thursday // Breakfast for residents 8.30am, tuition starts at 9,30am for all. 1pm Lunch, tuition resumes 2-5pm.
Friday // 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: £821 + 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 £593 + VAT include all tuition, welcome drinks on Sunday and lunch from Mon-Friday.
MATERIALS COST: You will be charged £7 per kilo for any work you wish to keep to be fired after the course [NB a large cup would cost approx £2.31] this cost covers your clay, slips, oxides, glazes and firings. You can collect the work or we will courier to you. Courier charges will vary depending on where you live and the volume of work, average costs are approx £35.
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?
A max of 7 people will be on the course to allow Adam to give everyone enough time and attention.
FOOD & DRINK
Food is a key part of an immersive course at Coombe. Meals are taken at a long shared table with the other participants either inside in the cooler months or outside in our courtyard when the weather is warmer. Our onsite chef caters for you including all/any dietary requirements. We grow our own vegetables and keep chickens for fresh eggs daily. For those that enjoy wine, we have a fantastic wine merchant who supply us with a small range available to buy onsite.
SEASON
June is a glorious time at Coombe, the veg patch is producing lots of fresh herbs and vegetables, with the warmer weather we can have lunches outside in the courtyard and dry your pots in the sunshine and there are plenty of walks nearby in the woods or by the River Dart.
![ADAM FREW - RESIDENTIAL [£985 inc VAT] JUNE 2025](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e8369cf32838066ecfc21b6/6d928dc5-4339-4b2e-b6a3-4d7e4ae23d04/Screenshot+2024-10-10+at+15.15.03.png)
The total price for this residential course is £821 + VAT (£985) including all your food, accommodation and tuition.
At the point of booking/adding to cart, you are asked to pay a non-refundable* deposit of £150.
The remaining balance (£835) is payable three weeks before the course starts (either by bank transfer, cheque or card over the phone)
*Non-refundable and non-transferrable. Please read our full Terms & Conditions including cancellations.
![ADAM FREW- NON-RESIDENTIAL [£712 inc VAT] JUNE 2025](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e8369cf32838066ecfc21b6/384216ce-055d-431b-9a2d-41f2640a3493/IMG_1849.jpg)
The total price for this residential course is £593 + VAT (£712) including lunch, accommodation and your tuition.
At the point of booking/adding to cart, you are asked to pay a non-refundable* deposit of £150.
The remaining balance (£562) is payable three weeks before the course starts (either by bank transfer, cheque or card over the phone)
*Non-refundable and non-transferrable. Please read our full Terms & Conditions including cancellations.