Wednesday Mornings with Sergei

8 Week Course Wednesday Mornings

Term 1 2027: February 3rd for 8 weeks

NEW Time for 2027: 10am - 3pm

Tutor: Sergei Shatrov

Placements are limited to 10 per class. 

Intermediate Wheel Throwing – 8-Week Course with Sergei Shatrov

You've learned to centre. You can throw a cylinder. Now it's time to find out what your hands can really do.

This 8-week intermediate course is for potters ready to move past the basics and into work that feels like their own. Over eight full days in the studio at Montsalvat, Melbourne's historic artists' colony, you'll build the control, confidence and curiosity that turn practice into craft.

Your guide is Sergei Shatrov, a woodfire ceramicist with more than 30 years of studio practice across Australia, Japan and the United States. Sergei teaches throwing as both a skill and a conversation with the clay: know your technique well enough that you can let go and let the material speak.

What you'll explore:

Refine your throwing – Thinner walls, taller forms, greater consistency and control.

Expand your forms – Plates, jugs, lidded containers and multi-part pieces.

Add functional elements – Pulled handles, spouts, well-fitted lids and galleries.

Alter and shape – Faceting, fluting, cutting and reshaping thrown forms to develop your own style.

Trim with purpose – Clean, well-proportioned foot rings that complete the design of each pot.

Decorate and glaze – Slips, underglazes, layered glazes, and dipping, pouring and wax-resist techniques.

Experimental firing – Depending on season and availability, take part in pit firing, raku, Roman kiln building or wood firing, and see how flame and atmosphere transform a surface.

How the course runs:

8 weekly sessions, 10am–3pm

Each day begins with 3 hours of tuition with Sergei, followed by 2 hours of independent, unsupervised studio time (similar to our Student Access sessions) to practise, experiment and put new skills straight into your hands.That's 40 hours in the studio, 24 of them with expert tuition!

Included:

10kg stoneware clay

10kg glaze firing

Use of all studio glazes and underglazes

Who it's for:

Potters with at least 4 terms of wheel throwing experience who are confident with core skills such as centring and turning. This course is NOT suitable for beginners.

Cost: $750 – best price in town!

That's under $19 an hour for 40 hours of studio time, with clay, glaze firing and all glazes included.

Surrounded by gardens, mudbrick and stone, Montsalvat has been a home for artists for nearly a century. Come and be part of that story. Take your next step in clay and enrol today.

Why Clay Talk?

Our class sizes are small so you can develop your skills, find your individual style and learn at your own pace. Clay Talk Ceramic Centre’s spacious and beautifully designed ceramic studio inside Montsalvat is a great space to tap into your creativity.

About your tutor, Sergei Shatrov:

A potter with 32 years of experience, Sergei began his journey at TAFE and continued his studies at the Canberra School of Art at ANU. He then embarked on study tours in Japan, Europe, and the USA, enriching his pottery with powerful influences. Today, Sergei manages the Clay Talk Ceramic Centre at Montsalvat, where he brings in-depth expertise and exceptional teaching that inspires students. A passionate advocate for community development and the therapeutic benefits of clay, Sergei’s warmth and character will make you feel right at home at Clay Talk, Montsalvat.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

To secure your place in a class, course or workshop we require full payment at the time of booking.

Bookings are only accepted through our online portal at www.

Payment of class, course or workshop fees can only be made through our online portal at  www.

ACCESS

Clay Talk studio is located on the grounds of Montsalvat. For this reason, there are security measures in place to prevent trespassing and maintain your safety. Upon booking you will receive an Information Kit which has instructions on how to access Clay Talk studio. Please read this before coming to class.

REFUNDS / ABSENCE / TRANSFERS/ CANCELLATION

• We do not offer refunds if you change your mind after you have made the booking. Please be sure you are able to commit to the class, course or workshop dates and times prior to booking.
• Transfers are done upon email request and subject to available spaces only. Failure to transfer successfully will mean receiving a credit note or being transferred to a later term of the same class.
• If you are unable to attend a class, please contact us at claytalk@montsalvat.com.au on the day of your class. In exceptional circumstances, we can make alternative arrangements to compensate for lost class time.
• Retrospective requests (a request for a make-up from last term for example) for class make-ups are not accepted. We request you make contact via email or phone to Clay Talk as soon as you can’t make class so that we can make alternative arrangements for you.
• Clay Talk reserves the right to cancel a class due to unforeseen circumstances such as insufficient enrolments or illness or for maintenance works. You will be notified prior to the class if cancellation of the class is deemed necessary, or if there will be another date scheduled, or if a pro-rata refund will be provided.

ILLNESS

If classes and workshops are cancelled due to illness of a tutor, and the inability to find a suitable replacement, Clay Talk will endeavour to provide rescheduled dates for classes and workshops.

In the event that students cannot attend the rescheduled classes, students must email claytalk@montsalvat.com.au as soon as possible prior to the commencement of the rescheduled class or workshop.

If a student is unable to attend the rescheduled classes or workshop Clay Talk may, at its absolute discretion, provide either a credit note, or a pro-rata refund (minus an administration fee of 10%).

 GIFT VOUCHERS

Gift vouchers are only available through our online portal www. Gift vouchers can be purchased for a minimum of $20 and are valid for 3 years from purchase.

Gift vouchers can only be used for booking classes, courses and/or workshops at Clay Talk through our online portal. Gift vouchers can be applied at check out when booking a class, course or workshop.

FIRING OF WORK 

Most workshops and classes include firing and glazing of a specific number of pieces. Check the workshop listing description on our online platform.

We take extreme care with your work however accidents do happen, and we are unable to guarantee fully that your work will be successfully fired. Clay Talk takes no responsibility for failure or breakage of work.

Term classes:

Firing of all your finished work per student is included in the term class fee.

Students can make and fire more work outside the 4 week class session however additional charges apply.

Students must label each of their pieces with their Makers Mark (your Makers Mark is made up of the initials of your first, middle & last name and your class code e.g. John Adam Smith = JAS). No Makers Mark could mean losing your pieces.

If a kiln shelf is badly damaged from your work due to materials brought to Clay Talk from elsewhere, you will be charged for the cost of replacing that shelf.

Incorrect glazing or wrong clay body type in the wrong firing type will incur a penalty fee for damages.

• If your work damages the interior walls, burners or elements of the kiln, you will be required to pay for the damage to be determined by the Clay Talk Studio Manager.

COLLECTION OF WORK

• Firing, glazing and packaging of your work takes approximately 2-4 weeks after your class/workshop.
• You will be notified by a written or digital notification, an email, or the Clay Talk Newsletter when your work is ready for collection.
• Non-returning term student work must be collected on the last Friday before term classes begin.
• Non-returning term students must talk with their teachers to understand the process of collecting their work and clearing student shelf items on the last day of their class. 
• Uncollected works, bisqued pieces, items on student shelf including tools and clay - unless the student notifies staff at Clay Talk that they wish to make alternative arrangements to collect their work - will not be guaranteed safe keeping or storage and will be re-purposed.
• EMAIL / SMS NOTIFICATIONS
• Clay Talk takes no responsibility for students not reading or checking their messages, emails or checking their spam/junk mail regarding work collection.