Christmas Trees 2024

Description

Ravn Clay's popular festive pottery workshop returns for its fifth festive year. We can't guarantee snow, but we can guarantee fun!

This ninety-minute pottery session, designed for the young and young at heart, will see you create individual or stacking trees using slabs of stoneware clay. Although simple in principle, it will involve some skill and imagination in joining and decorating your finished piece! We will work together to make the trees, and once finished, they will stay at the studio to be fired, glazed (in a single colour of one of the dipping glazes we have available) and then re-fired. All in time to be collected (or posted out) for Christmas!

I remember all the decorations coming out for Christmas - the sentimental, the expensive and the home made. It was an odd mix but fitting one - of baubles, Angels, tinsel, and Santa Claus figures made out of cardboard tubes, red crepe paper and cotton wool, lovingly glued together at nursery by us kids and resurrected each Christmas despite the wear and tear of their yearly outings. 

This workshop, to build and decorate Christmas trees, is in this tradition. Several trees can be built and decorated seperately, then stacked together - perhaps symbolising the coming together of family and friends which is perhaps one of the best parts of the season. Unlike the cotton wool Santa of old, these stoneware trees should stand the test of time and be a lasting memento of your time together in the pottery, and part of your Christmas Tradition for years to come.

The booking fee only secures you a seat at the table - you will need to pay on the day for what you make. Some people may just want to create one tree, while others (or families) may opt for a small copse that can be stacked or grouped together. It really is up to you. The tree form is a hollow triangular based pyramid with sizes going from approx 6cm to 16cm tall.

The booking structure is designed to allow people to make as many (or as few) of the trees as they want to. There is no minimum size or number - and you are only limited by the time you have available. 

On the day, participants will need to pay the following for each tree completed;

Please note - only the Extra-large and Huge Tree are suitable for BATTERY POWERED TEA LIGHTS - we do not recommend naked flames going into any of these small pottery trees.

For example - Jo Bloggs may come to a workshop and make just one HUGE tree. He will pay the £5.00 booking fee in advance, and need to pay £15.50 on the day (total £20.50). 

or...

The Bloggs family of 4 might make the 4 tiny trees to stack. This would be a booking fee of £20.00 and £32.00 to pay on the day - a total of £52.00 for the group, or the equivalent of £13.00 per participant. The minimum payable per participant is £13 (£5.00 deposit and £8.00 tree). 

A stacked tree of tiny, small and medium on the left; and large, extra large and huge on the right.

There are only eight places per session - that allows enough access to support for everyone to be successful! Also, as this is a creative class designed to be accessible for younger potters, a parent or guardian must stay with any participant aged 16 or under. Each ticket will enable one participant to build their Christmas Trees. If you are accompanying a younger potter, and want to join in, please book an additional space; if you will only attend to help them, no extra ticket is needed.

A word of warning - the kiln Gods can be fickle, and despite doing everything possible, some pieces will fail, crack or blow up (!) in the kiln. There are no guarantees in pottery, not even for seasoned potters. 

A second word of warning - working with pottery can be hugely addictive. You have been warned!

The New Ford Studio is housed on the ground floor of the old Reading Rooms - you will find it just up the road from Lady Waterford Hall. Nearby are many attractions and places to walk, shop and eat; how about a near by Narrow-guage Railway (that runs to Etal Castle and back), a working flour mill, a Village Shop & Tearoom, a heavy horse centre, a micro-brewery, or a Riverside cafe? 

https://w3w.co/lobster.rapid.clinking

TD15 2QG

Access to the studio is only via a set of external stone steps, and there is a single toilet available on site. The booking cost (£5.00) secures a spot at the maker's table; if you need to stay to support a younger participant, please make sure you have noted this when you book your ticket!

Please note - the cost includes all materials, tuition, glaze and firings. If you need your work posting out to you or someone else, please ensure you book an additional postage and packing ticket!

Remember, under 16s need a parent or guardian in attendance. You can assist and support your young person, but if you want to build your own tree(s), you'll need to book and pay for an additional space.

We look forward to seeing you soon. And festive whatnots to you all!