The Potters Life - Glaze, Make, Organise

8 Week Glaze and Functional Pottery Makers Course Friday evenings at Clay Talk 6:30pm-9:30pm

Time: 6:30pm-9:30pm

Start Date: Friday 28th February

Tutor: Emma Rose Clark

Cost: $595/person or $500/person if you bring two people! (details in booking)

Placements are limited to 8 per class. 

A Potters Life; Discover Glazes, Functional Pottery, and Setting Up Your Own Studio with Emma Rose

This course is perfect for anyone with basic pottery skills who is eager to refine their craft, gain an understanding of glaze making, and explore the use of natural, locally-sourced materials in their work. It also covers the fundamentals of setting up a pottery studio at home. 

Set in the serene and inspiring environment of Montsalvat, renowned travelling potter, Emma Rose, will guide you through an immersive journey of glaze testing, functional pottery making, and studio setup—a comprehensive pottery experience designed to help you become a skilled and independent potter.

Course Details

• Duration: 8 weeks
• Session Length: 3 hours per week

What You’ll Learn:

• Japanese Influence on Pottery
  Discover the historical and practical impact of Japanese culture on pottery practices, with first-hand insights from Emma’s experiences.
• Glaze Materials
  Learn the components of glazes, including how to incorporate natural, locally sourced found materials.
• Glaze Testing Processes
  Master the art of testing, measuring, and refining glazes to achieve your desired results.
• Kiln Packing
  Understand safe and effective methods to prepare your pieces for firing.
• Making, Shaping, and Trimming
  Develop essential skills, from wedging clay to wheel-throwing, tailored to complement your custom-made glazes.
• Studio Setup
  Explore best practices for creating an efficient and inspiring pottery studio in your own home.

Included in the fee: 

* FREE 10kg stoneware clay

* FREE 1.5kg glaze firing 

* FREE use of all studio made glazes & underglazes

* FREE supply of glaze materials - subject to availability e.g. ash

Experience the Full Pottery Cycle Throughout this 8-week course, you will engage in the complete pottery process—from creating and refining your pieces to glazing and collecting your final fired creations.

Join us for this transformative journey into the world of pottery with Emma Rose Clark.

Why Clay Talk?

This class is limited to 8 people maximum to really help you develop your skills more efficiently rather than in a large group. 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, Emma Rose:

Emma Rose is a ceramic artist and teacher originally from Warrandyte, Victoria.
After many years of travel to study woodfiring throughout Asia & Australasia, she moved to the Japanese countryside to embark on a long term project of working with both traditional and experimental atmospheric kilns. The core of her practice derives from working with gathered materials, explorations of geology and place, and the ancient traditions of woodfiring. She utilises natural found materials in both clay and glaze. After graduating from the Bachelor of Fine Arts Ceramics program at RMIT, Emma Rose discovered her deep passion for teaching through co-founding the Cosmic Clay Collective and working as a Senior Tutor 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:

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.

Nestled within Montsalvat—Australia’s oldest continuously active artists' community—our studios offer a diverse range of creative outlets. Clay Talk is one of several studios, providing ceramics classes in wheel throwing and hand building for all levels, alongside specialised programs led by established artists. 

In addition to ceramics, we also offer classes in drawing, painting, and mosaic, with an expanded repertoire of educational offerings planned for 2025. This dynamic environment supports learners across various disciplines, all within the inspiring setting of Montsalvat, where art is created, taught, exhibited, and experienced.