Wild Fired is a new pottery studio, with a lot of experience behind it.
Started by potter and teacher Stephen Wood, our studio is home to a growing community of
potters
and artists who find space here for their creative practice, and time to fit creativity into
their everyday lives.
We offer high quality, small group pottery courses, as
well as workshops of different kinds, and
memberships. Wild Fired is a creative and
collaborative
space
for people to gather together and express
themselves with clay. We are an LGBTQI+ safe
space and everyone is
welcome.
Stephen Wood has spent decades helping people to express themselves artistically. We take a
mindful, informed, person centred approach in our classes, honouring technique and best
practice, with plenty of room for self expression, whilst still making each other laugh and
unwind.
We run regular courses for beginners, which are
welcoming, hospitable and open to everyone. You
can have your first encounter with clay here, and there is space for you to develop your
pottery
as well, on one of our other courses. Potters with a bit more experience can join our
community
through one of our flexible memberships.
In addition to our range of regular classes, in some of our workshops we are trying out new
approaches, where potters meet psychotherapists, or archaeologists, or poets or musicians,
to
work with clay yet open to what happens when insights and practices from different
disciplines
overlap. These encounters are unique creative opportunities.
The name, Wild Fired, sounds like a very active, youthful, ascending kind of a name. And
there
is that element to what we do - coming up with new ideas, trying out new approaches,
changing
and growing. Wildness is dynamic, and yet there’s also a deep stillness and profound silence
and
age in the wild too: in the mountains, amongst trees, we find a space where we have time to
breathe, return to ourselves and delve deeper into the sources of our own inspiration. When
we
look around, the world seems so dark sometimes; life is so busy, and most of us are driven
out
of our minds by hurry and phones and all the rest of it. Working with clay is a strong way
to
get grounded, find some perspective, and be empowered. Contact
us.
| Monday | 1pm - 8:30pm |
| Tuesday | 1pm - 8:30pm |
| Wednesday | 1pm - 8:30pm |
| Thursday | 1pm - 9pm |
| Friday | 12pm - 5pm |
| Saturday | 11am - 6pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
We are building a community through clay – a place of teaching and
learning, somewhere for people to meet and retreat, connect with others, laugh, enlarge
their spirits, cultivate their imaginations, and welcome a more spacious sense of who
they
are.
Our fully equipped pottery studio has more resources than a home studio and a
friendly inclusive atmosphere that will help you feel at home.
Our classes are taught by Stephen Wood, who is an experienced pottery teacher. Groups
are
small, usually with a maximum of eight participants, so there is a good teacher-student
ratio with lots of individual attention.
Click on a course title to learn more about our classes.
Not knowing what you’re doing can be a joyful state to be in.
Being a
beginner is the threshold of learning new things, and often the start of a rich,
interesting
journey. Welcome!
Our beginner’s course consists of two parts which are available as individual
modules. Taking Part 1 doesn’t require you to take Part 2 but they are
designed as two parts of a
whole.
You’ll glaze and take home everything you make on these courses. The clay is
a good high fired stoneware suitable for everyday use, and both the clay and the glazes
are
food safe.
| Skill Level | Absolute Beginner |
| Sessions | 6 Sessions over 9 weeks |
| Session Length | 2 . 5 hours |
| Topics | Handbuilding & Wheelthrowing |
| Cost | £250 |
Shake hands with the clay on our six-class introductory module. Amongst other things, it’s an invitation to start thinking and feeling like a potter. We'll cover the essentials of hand-building, sculpture, wheel-throwing, and glazing. Each class explores a different aspect of the process and gives students a thorough grounding of the basics of pottery.
| Skill Level | Completed Beginners 1 or course equivalent |
| Sessions | 6 Sessions over 9 weeks |
| Session Length | 2 . 5 hours |
| Topics | Handbuilding & Wheelthrowing |
| Cost | £250 |
Develop your pottery skills and deepen your relationship with the clay on this six-class module. You’ll have the chance to practise what you already know and learn a wider range of techniques and how to apply them for more satisfying results time and time again. You’ll also be offered further reading suggestions and ideas for ongoing growth.
| Skill Level | Absolute Beginner |
| Sessions | 6 Sessions over 7 weeks |
| Session Length | 2 . 5 hours |
| Topics | Wheelthrowing |
| Cost | £250 |
Perfect for those who have only had experience in hand-building or simply want to have more focused learning on the wheel. You will learn the essential necessary techniques to throw a pot on the wheel, including different forms, how to trim & refine a pot's shape, adding a foot-ring, and glazing.
| Skill Level | Absolute Beginner |
| Sessions | 1 Session for up to 3 people |
| Session Length | 3 hours |
| Topics | Wheelthrowing |
| Cost | £200 |
These classes make ideal gifts - get a taste for wheelthrowing in
this 3 hour session for up to 3 people.
You'll be taught how to wheel-throw and you'll have the opportunity to make a pot of your
own, if not two. We will trim and glaze your pots for you afterwards, and you'll be invited
to come and pick them up once that's completed.
| Skill Level | Some Experience Required |
| Sessions | 2 - 8 Sessions per month |
| Session Length | 3 hours |
| Cost | £80 - £320 per month |
If you are interested joining our membership program, please get in touch.
Memberships are suitable for people with prior experience of working
with
clay, and are meant to provide returning students with an opportunity to further develop
their
pottery through our Open Studio sessions. They allow students to engage with the clay in
their
own way, at their own pace, whilst being part of a facilitated group and benefiting from the
help and encouragement this provides. If you’re new to clay or need detailed tuition, we
recommend starting with our beginner’s courses.
We offer a range of membership options based on how much time you want to spend in the
studio,
which can be adjusted at any time. We've structured our memberships to allow for
fortnightly,
weekly, or twice-weekly sessions. You don't have to stick to a strict schedule - we offer
several Open Studio sessions throughout the week to accommodate different schedules, and
it's
entirely up to you how you use your hours.
Using our scheduling app, you'll be able to reserve a wheel or hand-building slot up to 30
days
in advance, so you can plan your studio hours at the beginning of the month if that's your
cup
of tea. Sessions are usually smaller, between five to ten people, depending on the day.
Our Earthworks programme brings together pottery,
archaeology, art
and
self-reflection in a unique and inspiring series of seasonal workshops. The
themes and
topics reflect our interest in materials, time, ancestry, and mystery.
Throughout the autumn of 2023, Stephen Wood, Maya Hoole, and Kitt Bunney, guided
a small
group through the study of bronze-age Beaker pottery. Watch the video from our
first
workshop, Enduring Earth, here.
Each course is promoted individually, to express an interest please email us
Clay Sanctuary is a new 6-week course made for people who need a
gentle, guided creative space in their week. We work with clay to create fun hand-built
projects, and the course is accessible to everyone - whether you're a complete beginner
or a seasoned potter who needs a warm, encouraging space to get back into
making.
Clay Sanctuary is a relaxing, creative space, there's no expectation and no pressure -
the tuition and project ideas are only there to serve as a guide, and you are welcome to
come and explore clay and making at your own pace.
The course consists of 4 weeks of making, a week's break, and then 2 weeks of pottery
painting where you will have the opportunity to decorate your creations with
underglazes.
The classes are facilitated by Kitt Bunney, a potter and designer, who has helped shape
Wild Fired from
the beginning.
Jointly facilitated by potter Stephen Wood and
psychotherapist Dr Jan
Barfoot, these are small group classes where we use clay to explore inner world
themes
and
make space for personal insights alongside the clay work, in a small group
setting.
Each course is promoted individually, applications by email are welcome.
Wild Fired is a pottery studio run by the people who use it. We
make
decisions together. We are different from a co-operative but share many of the same
values
and
intentions that you would expect a co-operative to have. Our work is for the
community and
has a
strong social ethos. We are committed to growth, learning and healing.
We are all potters, though each of us contributes in a particular way to help run
the
studio. We
all met here and are part of the pottery community that the studio shelters and
supports.
