The course is designed as a total immersion experience. Students will gain insight and experience into the major processes involved in working with clay as a creative medium. The course is taught within the environment of Heartwood’s Ceramic Studio. Each student will be assigned a wheel and workbench to form a personal workspace within the classroom.

This class offers a unique opportunity for students through a selective and limited enrollment process. Both the Fall 2021 class and the Spring Class of 2022 will be limited to three students each. Early applications are encouraged.

With a student-to-teacher ratio of 3:1, students can anticipate a great deal of assistance from the instructor as they develop the basic skill sets they will be guided through. The emphasis will be on designing and forming functional/utilitarian ceramics.  

Demonstrations & group instruction will be held Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, with follow-up demonstrations and lectures held in the afternoons from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Students can expect to learn about all of the following and more…

• Clay bodies and their preparation.
• Handbuilding Techniques
• Wheel Forming Processes and the tricks that go with them.
• Trimming Techniques.
• Glaze formulas, preparation, and processes for applying them
• Commercial glaze products and their applications.
• Loading and Programming Electric Kilns for Oxidation firing to Cone Six.    
• Design considerations for managing workflows within a studio.
• Eco-consciousness in studio operations.
• Internet resources and real-world opportunities for further study.

Those interested in applying for the program are encouraged to apply early. Applicants should send a letter of interest describing any previous experience they have and what their goals are. A letter of recommendation is encouraged. Additional materials that can be included are a few jpegs of work you have completed or work that you admire. These application materials should be sent to [email protected] for review.

There is no application fee.

DO NOT send Tuition Payments. 

Billing arrangements will be made for students after they have been selected for the program through our Business Office.

About the Instructor:

George Lea began his studies of ceramics over four decades ago at Oklahoma State University. He subsequently studied with some of America’s leading Ceramic Artists ( notably at the Penland School of Craft ). Among those he has studied with are Paulus Berensohn, Paul Soldner, Ron Meyers, Michael Simon, Bruce Gholson, and Cynthia Bringle. He has taught for numerous community art centers as well as for two state art councils. His work has been shown both nationally and internationally and exists in numerous private collections. His love of ceramics, and the desire to pass the knowledge and skills on to a new generation, led him to create the curricula for this course.

Costs: