Upgrade Your Clay Skills: Summer Masterclasses at 7 Spot Pottery
If you have mastered the basics of centering and throwing, or if you are looking to inject some fresh inspiration into your handbuilding, it is time to take your practice to the next level.
This summer at 7 Spot Pottery, we are hosting an incredible lineup of visiting artists and specialized masterclasses designed to challenge your technical skills and expand your creative practice.
Whether you want to master the physics of fitting lids, explore fluid decoration, or dive into sculpture and jewellery, we have a workshop for you. Spaces are strictly limited, so here is what is coming up at our Salford studio.
1. Slipware Masterclass with Mike Parry (SOLD OUT)
When: Saturday 18th July | 10:00am to 4:30pm
Price: £100
Best for: All levels looking to master fluid, historic surface design.
The details: Led by production thrower and slipware potter Mike Parry, this demonstration heavy session explores the expressive potential of liquid clay decoration. You will learn the fundamentals of slipware materials, tools, and recipes before diving into techniques like dipping, pouring, combing, trailing, feathering, and marbling.
What you make: Pots and slabs are preprepared for you so you can focus entirely on decorating. You will experiment directly onto a beaker and a slab or tile, with both pieces fired and glazed for you afterward.
2. Lidded Forms Throwing Masterclass with Will Keating
When: Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th September | 10:00am to 4:30pm
Price: £220
Best for: Improvers and intermediate throwers confident in throwing a basic cylinder.
The details: Throwing a pot is one thing, but making a perfectly fitting lid requires a completely different level of precision. Studio potter Will Keating will guide you through the technical intricacies of measuring, throwing, and turning various lidded forms, including galleries, recessed lids, and seating structures.
What you make: You will spend the day practicing precise measuring with calipers and throwing multiple lidded vessels, leaving you with the confidence to tackle canisters, jars, and storage pots on your own wheel.
3. Teapot Throwing Masterclass with Will Keating
When: Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th August | 10:00am to 4:30pm
Price: £220
Best for: Intermediate throwers looking for the ultimate technical challenge.
The details: The teapot is widely considered the ultimate test of a potter's skill. This intensive masterclass breaks down the anatomy of a great teapot. Will Keating will guide you through throwing the body, pulling and shaping functional handles, turning matching lids, and throwing spouts that actually pour cleanly without dripping.
What you make: You will learn how to assemble all these separate components into a cohesive, balanced, and functional teapot, mastering one of pottery's most rewarding challenges.
4. TALISMAN: Ceramic Sculpture Workshop with Pascal Nichols
When: Saturday 1st August and Sunday 2nd August | 10:00am to 4:00pm daily
Price: £220 (Two day weekend intensive)
Best for: Anyone interested in figurative sculpture, storytelling, and expressive handbuilding.
The details: Led by artist and sculptor Pascal Nichols, this unique weekend course focuses on the tactile and symbolic world of ceramic sculpture. You will explore solid modeling, hollow construction, and slab work to create expressive figures and sculptural objects inspired by talismans and folklore. Pascal will also demonstrate dynamic surface treatments using slips, oxides, and textures.
What you make: You will develop your own sculptural language over the weekend, creating a collection of unique, expressive figures and sculptural pieces to be fired by the studio.
5. 4 Week Ceramic Jewellery Course (SOLD OUT)
When: Four consecutive Sundays starting 16th August
Price: £200
Best for: All levels looking to blend ceramics with wearable art.
The details: Pottery does not have to be big to be beautiful. Over four weeks, you will learn how to design, refine, glaze, and assemble custom ceramic jewellery. We will cover fine handbuilding and slab techniques, precise carving, and applying intricate underglazes and glazes that look spectacular on a small scale.
What you make: You will design and create a unique collection of wearable pieces, including earrings, pendants, and brooches, and learn how to safely assemble them with jewellery hardware after the final firing.
Joining Us in the Studio
All our masterclasses include clay, firings, glaze materials, and light refreshments (tea and coffee are always flowing). All you need to do is wear comfortable clay clothes that you do not mind getting a bit dusty, and bring a packed lunch for the weekend workshops.
As always, our friendly studio dog will be around to greet you!
Spaces fill up quickly for these specialized guest sessions. Head over to our booking page to secure your spot and level up your studio practice this summer.
👉 View weekend workshops and book your masterclass space today!