Where are you located?

My little studio is in a tiny old building called the ReCoop at Plainsong Farm in Rockford, MI. My family lives on site and I’ve always wanted to use this sweet space as an art studio. Don’t be confused when you type in the address and it shows “Plainsong Farm” - you’re headed to the right place! See you soon :)

Why can’t we take our projects home right away?

If you or your child has participated in a one-off class where we dream, create, and glaze all at once, you may wonder why it takes a while to get that email to pick up your finished project. Here’s the scoop:

Each piece has to fully dry, go through a 10+ hour bisque fire in the kiln, cool, get a layer or two of clear glaze, go back in the kiln for a 12+ hour glaze fire, cool, and be carefully removed before that pick-up email goes out. As a one-woman show, you can see how this process takes a while! I promise I will get you your projects as soon as I can.

Can I make whatever I want?

Yes & no :) There will be specific generalized projects we will work on in each class that will give you a framework for your creativity. Each project has a goal of teaching specific skills and techniques to help you grow in your understanding of working with clay. However, within that framework, you have the chance to dream up an entirely original design! So whether we’re making chimes or teapots or berry bowls, everything from shape and theme to surface design and glaze choices is wide open.

Oh no! My finished piece broke in the kiln - why and what can I do about it?

Ceramics is a beautiful practice in letting go. There are a number of reasons that student (and professional!) work won’t make it through the multiple stages of the process and land in one piece. If the clay is not properly wedged at the very beginning, air bubbles can get trapped and later explode in the kiln. The same thing happens if parts of the project are too thick and still contained moisture during the firing process which then turns to steam under the intense heat and again…explodes. Or maybe someone else’s piece explodes and yours was in the kiln next to it and ends up as collateral damage. If a connection point where two different pieces of clay are joined is not done thoroughly or with the proper technique, you can have parts like handles fall off. Or maybe the piece dries out too quickly and cracks in ways that are irreparable. Sometimes you try to make a food-safe cup but the top glaze doesn’t melt uniformly, and “crazes” or forms “pinholes” and it is no longer safe to put food in. I have a number of would-be cups and bowls that now hold paintbrushes or jewelry. So we take deep breaths, sit in the disappointment for a moment, and then try to learn from the mistake for the next time. I will do my best to salvage any project your student makes with glue or glaze or by giving them back the pieces to make into a mosaic. But I can’t guarantee they will have a fully complete piece to take home, as I only have partial control over the process.

Why don’t you have as many glaze options as other studios?

Because my studio is TINY and we’re working with much smaller classes. As we grow and expand, there will be more capacity to build out a more thrilling collection, but for now we have all the basic underglaze colors and a lovely, albeit small, cache of top coats.

Can my not-quite-7 year old join the 7-15 class?

Let’s talk about it! I’m happy to receive emails with questions about squeezing another interested student into class. It really depends on the kiddo - and you’re going to know more in this case than I will. I’ve met a variety of 6 year olds with different attention spans! If they can engage fully in a project that requires focus, imagination, application of ideas, and physically sitting in one place for 1.5-2hrs, than I’m more than happy to include them.

Why are there no group wheel classes?

I don’t currently have enough wheels to offer group classes. This is a goal for future years and you’ll be the first to know!