Description

During this new, long weekend workshop, Belle will share her love of hand-built porcelain and the unique, seductive and expressive possibilities that it yields when impressed, stretched and assembled. Employing a variety of techniques, students will first make their own stamps and rollers, which they will go on to use to impress into soft clay. Experimenting with both porcelain and stoneware, we’ll create lively, textured slabs and learn key tips and tricks for preparing them to maximise surface interest. As we explore how different clays behave under tension, you’ll develop practical techniques for harnessing that responsiveness to create energetic, unimagined compositions. We’ll then focus on form—learning how to build your stretched slabs into dynamic functional pieces or more sculptural expressions.

Working with porcelain in these ways, we’ll combine the development of strong technical skill with playful experimentation. Throughout the workshop, you’ll assimilate effective hand-building approaches whilst being nurtured to work confidently and creatively. By the end of the course, you’ll have gained greater assurance in using porcelain for hand-building and a wider understanding and appreciation of this exquisite clay’s potential.

Skill level: This workshop is designed for more experienced makers and supports both intermediate and advanced students at their own level. It is not open to absolute Beginners, you need to have had some previous, regular experience working with clay. But if you are completely new to porcelain and slab-building, you are very welcome to apply for a place.  The studio invites a maximum of 9 students for this course. 

Schedule:  The 2½ day course begins on the afternoon of Friday 15th May, 2pm – 5pm, completing at 4pm on Sunday 17th May. Tuition hours otherwise are 10am-4pm. The studio is freely available for students to work outside of these hours, early or late. Sue Bailey’s fabulous home-made vegetarian lunches on Saturday & Sunday, along with morning and afternoon refreshments are included in the course fee. Sue is a passionate chef, miller and baker, founder of Grist and champion of local growers and producers.

Firing:  Towards the end of the weekend, students may select one favourite piece to be salt-glazed and wood-fired in one of the Wobage Phoenix kilns at a cost of £5.50/lb, weighed & invoiced after firing, typically within 4–6 months. If time allows on the final day of the course, Belle will provide guidance and demonstration in raw-glazing and slip decoration. The piece you select for firing must carry a maker’s seal, initials, or signature. Fired pieces are ideally collected in person, though courier delivery can be arranged for students living further afield. A small selection of greenware pieces may also be taken home, at additional cost of £1.50/lb for stoneware and £2/lb for porcelain.

Facilities: We have two large Roderveld slab-rollers at Wobage to cater for your prolific slab-rolling. All students will use Belle’s own porcelain clay recipe and Wobage’s venerated buff stoneware, both of which are mixed on site.

Student discount: If you are 25 yrs or under, and a Full-time student in Higher Education, or you are within your first year after having graduated, this course invites a 20% discount. Which makes the course fee £304.00. If you would like to apply for this, please send us a request by e-mail.

More information about Isabelle Proffitt is available on the Tutors Pages.

Coming soon to the Wobage Throwing Studio: (later this year or in our 2027 season) ‘Stretched Clay on the Wheel’ with Isabelle Proffitt:

Spring-boarding from ‘Impress & Stretch’, this 2½ day workshop will explore how to combine wheel-thrown forms with impressed and stretched stoneware slabs to create lively, characterful pots. You’ll learn how to incorporate textured slabs to add movement, surface interest, and expressive detail to your thrown work—bringing energy and personality to familiar forms. Watch out on our socials and for a News Post on this website for further details and a date for this course soon.