Clay Cake and Creativity

A Ceramic Weekend Retreat

This exclusive weekend course offers a rare opportunity to stay in the picturesque and historic Ashbrooke House and work with two Royal College of Art Ceramicists. Myself and Helen Moore have been specifically chosen for our complimentary skills in both the form and finish of ceramics to offer expert guidance in approaching ceramics as a complete beginner or seasoned maker.

This time we're keeping the focus on ways of creating sculptural ceramics, in its broadest sense. The pieces you will be guided to create can range from sculptural vessel forms to figurative ceramics and it's open to total beginners or those looking to develop their skills further over a prolonged course with two highly qualified tutors at hand to offer guidance.

If you're restricted on time and aren't able to take advantage of a Ceramic Holiday - you can also book into just one day so you'll not miss out on the experience.

Click here for the brochure containing all the info, or visit Ashbrooke House Website to see all they have to offer.

What to expect:

Arriving in the stunning Ashbrooke Estate, you will be welcomed by Amanda Brooke's renowned home cooking, beside warm open fires with good old fashioned Irish Craic.

During the day you will explore traditional and contemporary ceramic techniques and processes, guided by two award winning and highly trained artists. You will receive expert 1-2-1 tutored advice on individual or guided projects developed to make best use of time.

The evening offers the chance socialise with like-minded individuals and to kick back and relax after a full day of creativity in one of the many luxuriously renovated rooms of Ashbrooke House.

This is an exclusive experience that might just be the perfect way to take a holiday with a loved one, or simply an opportunity to invest in yourself and your creativity. This course will be beneficial to those of all abilities – from complete beginners to seasoned ceramicists and will rejuvenate the mind, body and soul.

About:

Ashbrooke House is the Dower House for the Colebrooke Estate, which has been occupied by the Brooke family over 200 years. Formerly the home of Viscount and Viscountess Brookeborough, the house has recently been fully restored and refurbished to provide luxurious accommodation.

The Tack Room is located in the converted stables and has been restored to provide a fully equipped art room for up to 12 participants, providing weekend courses in a host of media which are tutored by the highest quality experts in their field.

Structure: 8-10 March

The Course:

The course will focus on sculptural ceramics, exploring form through handbuilding techniques such as coiling, slab building, paper clay, press moulding and using formers. This is an opportunity to enhance your skills and knowledge through an ambitious and supportive weekend retreat.

Saturday

Participants will get to know the tutors through an informal presentation, gain insight into the techniques the weekend will cover and how historic and contemporary artists use them.

Following this, the course will commence with traditional methods of coiling and slabbuilding combined with moulds and formers. These techniques can be applied to whichever sculptural form you choose, be it figurative, functional or abstract.

Sunday

Sunday will introduce students to porcelain paper clay, a material created by adding paper fibres into the clay body, allowing it to be worked in ways that don’t quite fit the usual ceramic norms. After being peeled off a plaster batt, this paper-thin clay creates beautiful translucent bowls, porcelain paintings or tea lights

The final two hours will provide students with the chance to explore surface decoration on their creations using slips and underglazes. The course ends at 4.30pm and is followed by tea and cake.

Following the course, all work will be fired and glazed, ready for collection (or delivery if based outside of Northern Ireland / Ireland, cost based on postage) in May.