Instructor: Ryder Gordon
Monday - Friday
August 24 - 28
9am - 1pm
Open Studio: Mon - Thurs, 1pm - 4pm
5 sessions

Have you seen pottery videos all over the internet and think you can do it too? You can! Learn to throw on the potter’s wheel with potter Ryder Gordon. In this class we will learn throwing from the bottom up: wedging, centering, opening, pulling, shaping, etc. We will learn the basic shapes such as cylinders, bowls, and plates, then move to forms with handles (mugs, pitchers) and lidded forms. If time allows Ryder will demonstrate a compound form, the teapot, which will combine many of the skills learned throughout the week into a single conclusion.

Ryder will also discuss: what is clay? What is glaze? How do the kilns work and why is it important that we fire pottery? What is the history of pottery? Did all cultures practice pottery-making? How has modern technology influenced ceramics?

All levels welcome – Ryder will provide demonstration and instruction that will meet you at you skill level. Bring your enthusiasm for clay and get ready to get dirty!

One bag of clay provided with the class. All tools and other materials will be available in the studio for students to use (you may bring personal tools if desired) Castle Hill will bisque fire pottery when ready (drying takes several days).

Ryder grew up in the Boston area, where he was introduced to the potter’s wheel at a young age. He graduated with a degree in art education and ceramics from UMass Dartmouth. He has studied wood, gas, and soda firing with Chris Gustin and Chris Smith, as well as raku with Stephen Branfman (to name only a few!). Ryder has instructed and assisted at The Potter’s Shop and School in Needham, Peter’s Valley School of Craft, and Castle Hill Center for the Arts. Ryder’s work is defined by pushing the limits of what can be accomplished both on and off the potter’s wheel. He creates functional pottery with shapes that bulge, grow, and swirl as well as more decorative coil-built vessels. Ryder uses glaze and atmospheric firing to highlight his complex forms, creating dynamic surfaces.