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Wood Firing Workshop - Fall 2026
This five-week Wood Firing Workshop will introduce students to traditional wood-fired ceramics. During this beginner friendly hands-on workshop, participants will learn about kiln loading, firing techniques, and the unique surface effects that come from wood ash and flame.
The hand-building and throwing portion of this workshop will focus on forms using clay bodies that instructors have found to perform well in a wood-fired kiln. Participants are encouraged to experiment and develop their own forms throughout the five-week course.
Participation in the loading, firing and unloading days is mandatory.
Workshop Overview
Instructors: Yuki Watanabe & Josephine Tsang
Duration: 5 Weeks, September 13th-October 26th
Prerequisite: Participants must be comfortable centering 2 lbs in order to keep pace with the throwing portion of the class.
Fee: $775, $650 for members
Day 1: Introduction to Wood Firing Lecture & Kurinuki Cup Hand-building - Sunday, September 13th 10AM-4PM
We will meet at the studio for an introduction to what is wood firing, the history of wood firing and types of kiln designs before traveling as a group to the firing site to tour the kiln. After a lunch break, we will return to the studio for a workshop on hand-building kurinuki cups.
Day 2: Throwing Off the Hump - Saturday, September 19th, 10AM - 1PM
Introduction to throwing off the hump with a focus on repetition and creating multiple sets of the same size as well as creating textures on surfaces while in the throwing stage.
Day 3: Trimming Techniques - Sunday, September 26th, 10AM-1PM
Reviewing trimming and introducing techniques to trim the sets thrown the day before quickly off of a chuck. Instructor will be using Korean trimming tools and demonstrating Korean trimming techniques.
Day 4: Stacking and Throwing Tall Pieces (Part 1) - Saturday, September 26th, 10AM-1PM
Introduction to stacking and throwing in order to construct taller sized vessels. Participants will be throwing the base(s) and upper portion of their vessels during this class.
Day 5: Stacking and Throwing Tall Pieces (Part 2) - Sunday, September 27th, 10AM-1PM
Constructing our vessels by connecting our base cylinder with the upper cylinder before finishing off the rim.
Day 6: Using Flashing Slips and Glazing - Saturday, October 3rd, 10AM-1PM
Introduction to flashing slips and how to use them for surface decoration. All slips and glazes will be provided during this workshop.
Day 7: Loading the Kiln - Friday, October 16th, 9AM-5PM*
Introduction on the proper preparation of bisque ware to be loaded into the kiln. Participants will load the kiln together with the instructors and close off the kiln door. *Please note loading may go past 5PM.
Day 8/9: Firing the Kiln - Saturday, October 17th - Sunday, October 18th
Each student will participate in a 6 hour firing shift. The shift lead will introduce students to stoking the kiln, what to look for during the firing and the logic behind the different goals/stoking techniques that each shift utilizes in order to successfully fire a wood kiln.
Day 10: Unloading the Kiln, Clean Up & Pot Luck! - Saturday, October 26th - 10AM-4PM
Participants will unload the kiln together and review the results of the firing. We will talk about how different areas of the kiln can produce varying results of surface design. After a group review of each firing section, we will clean up the firing site and celebrate with a pot luck!
Class Policies
Each student will receive approximately 1.5 cubic feet of space in the kiln. A cubic feet is calculated as a 12”wx12”hx12”d square. We encourage participants to bring extra pieces but to be prepared that not all of their pieces may fit into the kiln.
Class fees cover instructed class time, use of tools and equipment, firing, slip/glaze materials and 2.5 bags of clay (clay body is chosen at the discretion of the instructor to enhance results of the wood-fire). Additional clay is available to be purchased at $35 per bag.
To cancel this class, please email us to request cancellation. Due to the extensive planning that is involved in wood firing, the cancellation request must be received at least one month prior to workshop start. If the cancellation request is received one month prior to the start of the workshop, a refund (minus $20 processing fee) will be granted. We are unable to accommodate cancellation requests received less than one month prior to workshop start unless a replacement is found.
No make up classes are available if you miss a session.
Any items left behind 15 days after the final class meeting may be discarded. Reasonable attempts will be made to contact you for pickup prior to staff discarding said items.
Open studio hours are included in this class at select times.
Classes are subject to change if the minimum student quota isn't met (12 students).
Members please email for a discount code.
This five-week Wood Firing Workshop will introduce students to traditional wood-fired ceramics. During this beginner friendly hands-on workshop, participants will learn about kiln loading, firing techniques, and the unique surface effects that come from wood ash and flame.
The hand-building and throwing portion of this workshop will focus on forms using clay bodies that instructors have found to perform well in a wood-fired kiln. Participants are encouraged to experiment and develop their own forms throughout the five-week course.
Participation in the loading, firing and unloading days is mandatory.
Workshop Overview
Instructors: Yuki Watanabe & Josephine Tsang
Duration: 5 Weeks, September 13th-October 26th
Prerequisite: Participants must be comfortable centering 2 lbs in order to keep pace with the throwing portion of the class.
Fee: $775, $650 for members
Day 1: Introduction to Wood Firing Lecture & Kurinuki Cup Hand-building - Sunday, September 13th 10AM-4PM
We will meet at the studio for an introduction to what is wood firing, the history of wood firing and types of kiln designs before traveling as a group to the firing site to tour the kiln. After a lunch break, we will return to the studio for a workshop on hand-building kurinuki cups.
Day 2: Throwing Off the Hump - Saturday, September 19th, 10AM - 1PM
Introduction to throwing off the hump with a focus on repetition and creating multiple sets of the same size as well as creating textures on surfaces while in the throwing stage.
Day 3: Trimming Techniques - Sunday, September 26th, 10AM-1PM
Reviewing trimming and introducing techniques to trim the sets thrown the day before quickly off of a chuck. Instructor will be using Korean trimming tools and demonstrating Korean trimming techniques.
Day 4: Stacking and Throwing Tall Pieces (Part 1) - Saturday, September 26th, 10AM-1PM
Introduction to stacking and throwing in order to construct taller sized vessels. Participants will be throwing the base(s) and upper portion of their vessels during this class.
Day 5: Stacking and Throwing Tall Pieces (Part 2) - Sunday, September 27th, 10AM-1PM
Constructing our vessels by connecting our base cylinder with the upper cylinder before finishing off the rim.
Day 6: Using Flashing Slips and Glazing - Saturday, October 3rd, 10AM-1PM
Introduction to flashing slips and how to use them for surface decoration. All slips and glazes will be provided during this workshop.
Day 7: Loading the Kiln - Friday, October 16th, 9AM-5PM*
Introduction on the proper preparation of bisque ware to be loaded into the kiln. Participants will load the kiln together with the instructors and close off the kiln door. *Please note loading may go past 5PM.
Day 8/9: Firing the Kiln - Saturday, October 17th - Sunday, October 18th
Each student will participate in a 6 hour firing shift. The shift lead will introduce students to stoking the kiln, what to look for during the firing and the logic behind the different goals/stoking techniques that each shift utilizes in order to successfully fire a wood kiln.
Day 10: Unloading the Kiln, Clean Up & Pot Luck! - Saturday, October 26th - 10AM-4PM
Participants will unload the kiln together and review the results of the firing. We will talk about how different areas of the kiln can produce varying results of surface design. After a group review of each firing section, we will clean up the firing site and celebrate with a pot luck!
Class Policies
Each student will receive approximately 1.5 cubic feet of space in the kiln. A cubic feet is calculated as a 12”wx12”hx12”d square. We encourage participants to bring extra pieces but to be prepared that not all of their pieces may fit into the kiln.
Class fees cover instructed class time, use of tools and equipment, firing, slip/glaze materials and 2.5 bags of clay (clay body is chosen at the discretion of the instructor to enhance results of the wood-fire). Additional clay is available to be purchased at $35 per bag.
To cancel this class, please email us to request cancellation. Due to the extensive planning that is involved in wood firing, the cancellation request must be received at least one month prior to workshop start. If the cancellation request is received one month prior to the start of the workshop, a refund (minus $20 processing fee) will be granted. We are unable to accommodate cancellation requests received less than one month prior to workshop start unless a replacement is found.
No make up classes are available if you miss a session.
Any items left behind 15 days after the final class meeting may be discarded. Reasonable attempts will be made to contact you for pickup prior to staff discarding said items.
Open studio hours are included in this class at select times.
Classes are subject to change if the minimum student quota isn't met (12 students).
Members please email for a discount code.