april member page

This page is the do-it-all page. Just click on a teal heading below to expand and click again to close.

If you have questions, just EMAIL us and we’ll be happy to help.

  • The April Zine hardcopies are in the lobby! If you prefer to read online (recommend on a laptop/tablet/larger screen), just click on the first teal heading below! Remember to reach out if you’d like to submit something for May.

  • May Early Registration will be live at 3pm on the 14th, just click “May Early Registration” below to expand the heading and you’ll see the link to the early registration page. Registration will go live for everyone else 7am on the 15th. Beginners - I highly recommend using early registration to make sure you have a spot if you want to continue!

Read the April Issue of The {Good} Dirt, our Studio Zine

  • HERE is the link to read online. You'll be able to pick up a hard copy in the lobby starting 4/8.
  • I'm looking for May submissions! If you want to be featured as the spotlight artist, share your toolkit, are in an event/festival, or want to write an Op-Ed (or something else!) EMAIL ME and let me know!

April Studio News & April Happenings

  • We're looking for a new studio assistant! FILLED! Thank you to anyone who was interested! If you're interested in work trade and think you'll likely be around for a year or more (although who knows these days), EMAIL US that you're interested. We need 1 person to join our studio cleaning team and work a shift a week in exchange for a class or membership per month plus a bag of clay. Our cleaners are HEROINES keeping the studio healthy for all of us (thank you, crew!)
  • This month's Workshop is on Glazing and is SO SO GOOD for beginners and advanced beginners. In fact, with all the recent pots sticking to the shelves, if you are a sticker, I recommend taking this workshop. Also, if you just aren't getting the results you want, are frustrated or confused by the process or not sure what else you can do besides dip, this one's for you. $35 for a 3 hour workshop. Saturday, April 12th from 1-4pm HERE is a link to register.
  • Speaking of sticking pots to the shelves, please remember to send us links/run by us any commercial stuff you'd like to use. We might have tips and we definitely can make sure it's compatible with our firing.
  • I'm setting up a Good Dirt Library. I ordered Ceramics Monthly & Pottery Making Illustrated for everyone to share in studio and I'll be moving some books from Rob and my collection out there, too. I just need a wooden bookcase that I can paint. So, if you have one or are out thrifting a see a cheap one, let me know! And, thank you!
  • I go into a lot more detail in our newsletter, but the TLDR is we have a lovely group of folks doing a Good Dirt Pottery Throwdown every month! April will be casserole dishes and you can come and share your experiments and results in a supportive and kind environment and basically just celebrate that you did it! Bring your favorite drinks and snacks and a desire to share your work. The meeting is Wednesday, April 30th at 8pm. See you there!
  • This month's Coffee Talk is Show & Tell. Bring what you're working on, share it with an appreciative and supportive group, get gentle feedback (if you want it), and ask questions about things that didn't go as planned or about how to push your skills next time. This is a really safe and gentle way to start sharing your work and getting some help getting to the next level (or just the sharing part!) If you're someone who LOVES looking at what's coming out of the kiln, this is a good fit for you. Bring your pots, a coffee mug, a snack to share if you want, and your lovely selves. April 19th at 1pm in the handbuilding room.

New to the studio? Start Here

First of all, welcome to the studio! We're really happy to have you in the space creating and giving yourself some time to de-stress, get your hands in clay, make some art and hopefully connect with some folks. It's going to sound suuuuper cheesy, but pottery is a form of therapy for me, and my happy little bubble where everything else falls away. It's the only kind of meditation I can do, haha. I hope it can be just as healing for you as it has been for me.

  • If you're brand new and doing studio membership, you'll need a shelf and some clay. EMAIL us to set up a time for a quick studio orientation and to show you where the clay is and get you a shelf. If you're in a class, your teacher will do that in the first class, so you don't need to reach out.
  • Take the time to read through the "Studio Rules to Know" section below. It will bring you up to speed on the things you likely won't cover in class/an orientation, but that you'll need to be aware of.
  • Studio Membership & Classes come with unlimited studio access. Just check the "April Class & Workshop" section below so you know when you can come in and practice.
  • Check out our glazing guide in the heading below. This doc is meant to help anyone who feels a bit unsure about glazing on their own. While not a substitute for learning in class, it is a great resource to jog your memory and give you some support. Just click on the heading "Glazing Guide" and you'll be directed to the doc.
  • We offer a special workshop each month to give everyone (and especially our newbies) some extra help (this month's workshop will be in the studio news section above, with a link). We also do private lessons, if you're feeling overwhelmed. Let us help you get over that initial steep climb of learning a thing and maybe getting frustrated in the early stages.
  • Do you need some extra support? ~ I think we could all use a little more of that right about now. If you're able, coming to the free coffee talks, coming in outside of class to hang out and practice, being vocal on our FB Group, grab the studio newsletter, and any other way that you can form connections in our little community will, I think, be a good way to lean on one another, hopefully feel safe and fully wanted, find like-minded folks, and have a little bubble to restore and reset when the world outside the studio doors feels like it's burning. Also, I'm always here for you, happy to listen, or just, ya know, do my job and answer questions and help with actual pottery things. But, I think with all the stress and uncertainty I think we're juggling, it's good to know I'm here for ALL of it. Text me anytime 770 375 6909
  • On that subject, most folks who quit pottery never come back after the first class. So, if you're feeling overwhelmed or disappointed, embarrassed or your brain tries to tell you're just "not good" at pottery (LIES!!!!!), please know that ALL of us started where you are. ALL of us flopped pots. ALL of us compared ourselves or felt frustrated. The ONLY secret to this whole thing is showing up, even when you feel like you're "failing". That failing is actually just what learning looks like and if you can stick with the discomfort, it will come, I promise it will come. And you can always reach out to me and I'll help you.
  • I hate that we're here, but with everything going on in our country, I want to be crystal clear on something: In this space, we honor and protect humans. Trans and LGBTQIA+ people are wanted and welcome here. Black and Brown people are welcome and wanted here. Immigrants -regardless of status- are welcome and wanted here. Anyone who wishes to be kind and respectful and learn from those different from themselves are welcome and wanted here. I know that's a lot and that this is just a pottery studio. But, it is also a refuge and an oasis for many who simply ask for human dignity and kindness. It's going to stay that way. *Check out the studio news heading above and grab a studio newsletter in our lobby to stay on top of everything going on this month.

May Early Registration -Live NOW!

It's wise to sign up as early as possible to secure your spot for the next month. Evening Beginner Classes & Handbuilding Classes usually fill up on the 15th. I want anyone who wants to be here to be able to be, so register as early as you're able if you want to continue.

  • Make sure that you can find your "Booking Confirmed" email after you register - it will have your member page link for May in it.
  • Registration will go live for everyone else on April 15th at 7am.
  • HERE is the link to the Early Registration Page.

April Class & Workshop Schedule (a.k.a. when to come & practice, and when to avoid)

NOTE: this will be updated as we get bookings for parties, etc, so please check before you come into the studio to practice! You can just find the day you're thinking of practicing below and see if there are any class conflicts.

Sunday Classes:

  • Try Clay Handbuilding from 2-4pm (Every Sunday)- No space in the handbuilding room for practice from about 1:30pm to 4:30pm to allow for set up & clean up for class.

  • Beginning Wheel from 7-9pm: No space to practice on the wheel.

Monday Classes:

  • Handbuilding from 10am to noon: We ask that you leave the handbuilding space to the class to not interrupt.

  • Handbuilding Class from 1-3pm. We ask that you leave the handbuilding space to the class to not interrupt.

  • Youth Wheel is from 4-6pm on Mondays. Even though there's technically wheel space, you do NOT want to be there, haha.

  • Advanced Beginner Wheel from 7-9pm: While there are free wheels, it is distracting for other folks to be practicing on them during class time, so please choose another time to practice.

Tuesday Classes:

  • Intermediate/Advanced Handbuilding from 10am to noon: No available handbuilding space to practice.

  • Intermediate/Advanced Wheel from 7-9pm: While there are free wheels, it is distracting for other folks to be practicing on them during class time, so please choose another time to practice.

**There is an extra Tuesday in April, so we won't have classes on 4/1 for handbuilding and we won't have classes on 4/29 for the wheel - the space is available for practice during usual classtimes that day.

Wednesday Classes:

  • Intermediate/Advanced Wheel from 10:30am to noon thirty: No available wheels for practice.

**There is an extra Wednesday in April, so we won't have classes on 4/30 and the space is available for practice during usual classtimes that day.

Thursday Classes:

  • Beginning Wheel from 10am to noon: While there are free wheels, it is distracting for other folks to be practicing on them during class time, so please choose another time to practice.

  • Beginning Wheel from 7pm to 9pm: No available wheels for practice.

Friday Classes:

  • Try Clay on the Wheel from 7-9pm (Every Friday)- No free wheels for practice from about 6:00pm to 9:30pm to allow for set up & clean up for class.

Workshops & Parties booked (so far...this is updated frequently, so please check often)**

  • Saturday, April 12th 1-4pm, Glazing Workshop - no glaze space and please be extra quiet if you plan on working on the wheels so the workshop can hear the instruction.
  • Saturday, April 19th from 1-3pm Coffee Talk in the Handbuilding Room. Usually no free table space.
  • Thursday, April 24th from 6-9pm in the handbuilding room - we'll be spreading out and painting signage for the Volunteer Fair this weekend. Thank you for giving us space to do something to help out!
  • Wednesday, April 30th at 8pm - Good Dirt Pottery Throwdown Club - usually meets in the wheel room, but you can absolutely use the wheels. Just be aware it might be kinda noisy.

Studio Rules to know (a must-read for newbies and not wrong for everyone to review!)

  • The studio is open 24/7 for practice, BUT, please don't come to practice on the wheel during a wheel class, or come to use the handbuilding room during a handbuilding class. (There is a whole dropdown/teal heading above with the class schedule so you know when to come in). Even if space is available during that time, it's so distracting to the folks in the class trying to learn, hear their instructor and concentrate. There's plenty of time to practice aside from our scheduled classes.

  • The door code for March is 091514

  • Please be sure to clean up thoroughly when you leave - Leave it better than you found it. We've been having some issues in this department, so remember that anything you use (wedging tables, sink, tools, sponges) needs to be cleaned up- please don't pig up a communal space. Wet clay is perfectly safe, but dry clay dust can harm our lungs, so please be sure to contribute to a clean and healthy environment for all of us.

  • Check the bisque and glaze shelves every single time you come in so your work doesn't get thrown away We'll be doing monthly culls and if you don't want your stuff recycled, please keep an eye out for it. We don't have the room for stuff to just sit there and gather dust.

  • We're a teaching studio, not a place for folks to run a business out of. We're perfect for anyone who wants to learn, be in a shared creative space, and make work for themselves/friends/family, but we don't have the kiln capacity to support a store/loads of markets etc. If that's what you need, we can help you either set up a home studio (we get 30% discount off of kiln retail) or point you in the direction of a studio that can fire a high volume of work. We don't price per shelf fired or put exact limits on what you can make and we're not interested in micromanaging or nickel and diming you. The last time we changed our prices was a 11 years ago, and we want to keep that price low and accessible to everyone. That works as long as everyone is considerate and doesn't take advantage.

  • We do not allow outside clay. Often the clays that folks want to bring in are dark/black clays which often bloat or even liquify, or speckled clays, which use manganese, which is a pretty dang unsafe material. Clays fire to specific temperature ranges, and clays with certain materials mixed in can be harmful to general studio health, can ruin an entire container of reclaim, can destroy the kiln and other work in it. If you would like to bring in outside clay, 1) we have to vet it first to make sure it will work and 2) it costs $22/bag to fire that clay at the studio, in order to cover the glazing materials and labor costs that everyone else is already paying when they buy clay from us.

  • We DO allow commercial glazes, but you have to run them by us first! Send us a link to what you want to buy so we can make sure it works with our firing schedule.

  • The greenware shelf is only for bone dry or mostly bone dry pieces, and not wet work. If you have to move a piece to fit yours on the shelf, be EXTREMELY gentle. Greenware is super fragile and bumping, stacking, picking up by a handle (gasp -NO!) are all no-nos.

  • The white "overflow" shelving in the wheel room is a place you can put larger work temporarily (ie a week or less) as you work through the steps - trimming, handles, etc. It's not meant to be additional storage.

  • All glazed pieces need the bottom wiped off (even if you used wax! Wax doesn't make glaze disappear in the kiln) and wiped back (this means don't glaze all the way to the bottom, "cut" it back.

  • Wet clay is safe...dry clay dust is not. Remember to clean up the sink area, around the glazing buckets, at the wedging table and around your wheel, all the handbuilding tools...everything you use. And, please don't just let trimmings/clay sit on top of the relcaim screen. You have to push it through when it's wet.

  • Registration opens on the 15th at 7am. Beginning Wheel Classes & Workshops tend to fill up by 8 or 9am the same day. There will be both a QR code at the studio as well as a link on this member page when early registration opens just for our students & members on the 14th each month, around midday/early afternoon

  • We're a community. This means we need to be kind to one another, help one another and take care of each other - including our shared space. Be respectful of each other and the equipment and studio that we all use. Anyone being punky first gets a good old fashioned Come-To-Jesus, and then...well, I don't know. We've never gotten that far. Let's keep it all lovey-dovey.

Glazing Guide (if you're feeling lost about how to do it)

  • HERE is a link to our to-the-point glazing guide, which should be good support for you and help jog your memory. It is NOT meant to be a stand-in for learning how to glaze. If you are unsure, please reach out and/or book a private lesson. Incorrent glazing can literally destroy shleves full of other's work and damage the kiln.

Buy Additional Clay

  • Online:

You can just use the button below and a bag of clay will be added to your cart for checkout.

  • At the studio:

You can purchase more clay at the studio 2 ways: by scanning the QR code above the clay boxes or leaving us a check/cash in the office. If you are paying in cash/check, since we aren’t charged any processing fees, we’re happy to just eat the sales tax cost ourselves and a bag of clay purchased this way is only $35.

Social Links (IG, FB, YT, Private Facebook Group & Dates We'll be going live on IG)

I've been silent on social for a good while - depression meant that I had to ditch it to start to heal and become sane again. Hopefully, I'll feel up to start posting again soon.

  • A Private Facebook Group for Members: HERE. This is a place to connect with each other, share your work, ask each other questions and cheer one another on.

Private Lesson Scheduling & Payment Link

  • If you'd like to schedule a one-on-one private lesson with Rob to sort out issues, learn a new form, or just troubleshoot your technique, email us and we can set up a time to work with you.
  • If you need to pay for a private lesson, just click on the button below to add a 1-hr lesson to your cart and checkout.