About
About Us
about us
Hello, I’m Karen, and I love to sharing my passion for ceramics with people. Having always enjoyed ceramics, my own journey with clay started with going on as many part-time pottery and ceramics courses and exhibitions that I could -wheel throwing, hand-building, Japanese ceramic arts, raku – I ate it up with a passion. A few years ago, I set up Chapelside Ceramics from my home studio. I show and sell at a range of artisan and craft fairs across the country and offer pottery and ceramics workshops in the community.
When the chapel next door became available in 2023 it offered the perfect space to refurbish to make it into a pottery and ceramics studio for myself and others to work from, learn from and enjoy.
By sharing this special space and equipment it makes it possible for more people to experience the joy of creating with clay and the benefits it can bring to your sense of well-being. It excites me to set up this shared space where people can learn from each other, whether it be how to make that tricky glaze or how to set up your first stall at a market. I also welcome visiting experts from a range of clay disciplines to teach, exhibit and share their skills.
The studio
The Clay Chapel studio is quite a special space – filled with coloured light from the original stained glass windows, it is both modern and old and small enough for individuals to feel comfortable and big enough for a group to work companionably together.
There is also a lovely walled garden that is perfect for outside clay sessions, flower picking, raku firing, pit firing and lunches in the sun.
Equipment & Resources
- Shimpo Whisper pottery wheels
- Tables for hand-building and glazing
- Rohde electric kiln with regular firings
- Raku kiln ( spring /summer )
- slab roller
- Wall coil extruder
- Allocated shelving
- 3 clay types used – earthenware, stoneware and a quarterly ‘special guest clay’.
- Clay tools/forms
- Craft cupboard (mixed media work)
- A wide range of beautiful and interesting glazes!
Sustainable Practice & Community
We are striving to be as environmentally conscientious in our day-to-day practice as we can be. We also want the studio to be a place that local people feel particularly welcome -a place that promotes a sense of community.
Some of the ways we do this:
- Recycling clay
- Promote zero waste making
- Efficient kiln and kiln use
- LED lighting
- No throw away plastic use
- Discounts for people walking or using public transport
- Regular craft sessions for local people, drop ins, exhibitions and open events
- Outreach community work
- Fundraising