So you've been using glazes for a while but do you know what they're actually made of? Or how to mix one from a recipe? Or what the different materials contribute to the fired glaze? If not, here's your chance to learn!

In this workshop, Clay Center founder and former Tulane ceramics professor Michelle Swafford will demystify ceramic glazes by covering the following:

The raw materials used in glazes: What they are, where they come from, and what they contribute to the fired glaze. You'll even be able to see some in their natural form in Michelle's nerdy rock and mineral collection!
How to use free glaze calculation software to find and adjust glaze recipes and batch sizes.
How to mix a glaze from a recipe, including the specific tools and equipment you'll need.
How to stock your own glaze materials pantry, and where to buy the materials.

During the workshop, students will be able to mix a 100 gram test batch of a cone 6 glaze recipe. We'll have some recipes on hand or you can bring one of your own. If you have one you want to try, please email it to info@nolaclay.org ASAP to make sure we have the materials for it.

Course Level

This course is appropriate for adult students at the following levels:

Intermediate: Please note that this is NOT a beginner-level workshop. If you're relatively new to ceramics or just want to improve your glaze results, please consider taking our Glazed and Confused workshop instead.

Good to know

Students will be able to mix a 100 gram test batch of a cone 6 glaze recipe. If you have a recipe you want to try, please email it to info@nolaclay.org so we can let you know if we have the materials for it.
We will have bisque test tiles to use but feel free to bring your own bisqued test tile if you want. It just must be made of a clay body that can be fired to cone 6.
We'll provide some documents to take home but please bring a notebook or sketchbook to take notes in as well.
If you've never been to the Clay Center, please click here to review our location and parking information.
If you have any questions at all, please just email us at info@nolaclay.org.

Workshop: Glaze Mixing and Materials