Ceramics with Mags Gray Short Course

Program Overview

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This 6-week evening course is designed to provide beginners with the basic skills required to hand build with clay. Throughout the duration of the course, you will focus on a number of different processes that will provide you with the basic skills required to construct your own three- dimensional form.

Program Outline

Throughout the duration the course you will be taught a number of basic hand building skills these involve: wedging clay, forming a pinch pot and hand building a coil pot. You will also be taught the process of rolling and cutting slabs of clay along with the basic skills required to construct of a 3D form. In addition to this you will be guided through the process of slump/hump moulding and will learn how to construct slab pots and learn how to form a 3D pot with base.

Whilst gaining an understanding of why clay is wedged you will also be taught how to apply texture and you will be introduced to the use of coloured slips as decoration.

Additionally, you will learn how to prepare your work, ready for bisque firing - a fundamental step that essentially turns clay into ceramic ware. This is achieved using the kiln located in our purpose-built ceramics workshop. Following this you will learn how to apply a clear glaze to your work ready for a second firing called glaze firing.

Furthermore, you will be introduced to a demonstration of advanced decorating techniques and skills involving under glazing, ceramic pencils, sponge application and resists.

Through the skills learnt you will create several small pieces before designing and constructing your own three–dimensional form.

Disclaimer

The University regularly reviews its courses. Course content and structure may change over time. See our

course and module disclaimer

for more information.

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Learning Methods

This course will be delivered on campus from 18:45 – 20:45 every Monday for 6 weeks. Please note there will be no class on Monday 17 April and Monday 8 May as they are Bank Holidays.

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Activity Summary

Minimum of 8 students, maximum of 10 in the group

12 hours of teaching in total over 6 evenings, 18:45 – 20:45

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Independent Study

Students are encouraged to create and maintain a personal sketchbook which reflects their own creative practice involving the documentation of processes, inspirations, learnings and basic sketches.

Participants are asked to conduct research into shapes and decoration in particular to inform their own final piece. A collection of ceramics focussed books are provided to use during each class as a means of research.

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Assessment

This course is not formally assessed.

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Staff Delivering on this Course

Ceramist Mags Gray hand builds her work and takes inspiration from new sources each year. An alumnus of Gray’s School of Art, the ceramicist spent two years as a ‘Maker in Residence’ within the ceramics department at Gray’s where she has since taught short courses following her graduation.

Based at Deemouth Artist Studios in Aberdeen, the work of Mags Gray Ceramics includes creating both contemporary and functional pieces that involve quirky surface designs. The artist also creates social and political statement pieces that ultimately reflect hard hitting narratives whilst retaining an aesthetically pleasing quality. The Artist’s work can be found as part of RGU Art and Heritage Collections and is also part of the collection at Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums.

Mags Gray Ceramics

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