caitlin j clarke
potter, artist, designer, teacher & maker
OPEN FOR:
01. Ceramics, lighting & tableware commissions
02. Teaching & workshops
03. Public works, community engagement
04. Stockists & retailers to work with
05. Exhibitions & markets
06. Collaborations & partnerships
07. Website, logo & other graphic design
contact via social, email or web
Courses & workshops
Join Caitlin in her Lostwithiel Studio to for a relaxed and informative 8 week course where we learn the fundamentals of handbuilding, working towards making a series of useful homewares, whilst learning confidence with clay and all the different techniques, all glazed with Caitlin’s bespoke glazes.
Monday nights from 6.30-9pm
Learning clay preparation, pinching, slab building, slump moulds, tile making, coiling, surface decoration, combining the techniques, and then glazing.
Over the 8 weeks we would aim to make and fire up to 6 pieces to take home at the end of the course, (plates, bowls, spoons, mugs or goblets, vases etc).
Workshops will be run in Lostwithiel, PL220HG.
All clay, tools and glazes are provided. I provide carefully selected hand made glazes. Underglazes and slips are also available.
Highlights: Lowest price for workshop in comparison, unlimited tea and coffee, beautiful glazes, friendly and supportive atmosphere, free parking on site, bespoke workshop space & further workshop opportunities after completion available.
Overview of course:
Week 1: Preparation, storage and stages of of clay, learning pinch pots
Week 2: Making tiles and slump moulds, surface decoration techniques
Week 3: Slab building
Week 4: Coiling
Week 5: Combining the techniques to make your own project with 1kg of clay
Week 6: Refining our work
Week 7: Glazing
Week 8: Gathering to unveil the finished ceramics, dinner together
Outcomes:
Skills development: New or refreshed understanding of handbuilding, how to use clay effectively and the process from fresh clay to finished item
6 or so handmade pieces to bring home!
Wellbeing: 2.5 hours a week to tune out, be around likeminded people and get creative
Social connections, small classes of 6 or so people, fresh tea and a wholesome dinner at the final class fosters a sense of community
A chance to join further classes with Caitlin upon completion.
Join Caitlin for a relaxed and informative 9 week course where we dive into some more complex techniques in handbuilding, understanding the technical aspects of clay and glaze, more in-depth learning about different techniques whilst working towards making a series of useful homewares, learning confidence with clay, glaze.
NOTE: This course is intended as a ‘level two’, I would recommend if you are new to clay taking the ‘level 1’ course which is called The essentials of handbuilding. It runs concurrently to this course.
KEY INFORMATION:
9 week course, August 18th - October 13th. Tuesday nights 6.30pm- 9pm.
£300, this includes foraged clays, glaze materials and access to glaze recipes.
Printed out practical information about glazes, slips and clays.
Over the 9 weeks we would aim to make and fire up to 6 pieces to take home at the end of the course, (plates, bowls, spoons, mugs or goblets, vases etc).
All clay, tools and glazes are provided. I provide carefully selected hand made glazes. Underglazes and slips are also available.
Workshops will be run from my studio in Lostwithiel, PL220HG.
Highlights: Lowest price for workshop in comparison, unlimited tea and coffee, beautiful glazes, friendly and supportive atmosphere, free parking on site, bespoke workshop space & further workshop opportunities after completion available.
Overview of course:
Week 1: Investigating clay, making test tiles of St Agnes clay, Scarva clay, Porcelain, Grogged clay and Wild clay. Making slips out of these clays, learning about clay additions.
Week 2: Exploring Marbling and Nerakomi. Making our own nerakomi clay pattern and using it as a slump mould. learning about ‘wabi-sabi’ and japanese pottery techniques
Week 3: Learning Kurinuki (Subtractive Carving), learning how to carve beautiful shapes out of solid blocks of clay.
Week 4: A figurative class with artist Emily Roberts, making faces, hands.
Week 5: Project with 2kg of clay, exploring building bigger objects or working on a series of objects at the same time. Honing in our technical abilities (eg. 3 plates or a large centrepiece coiled vase)
Week 6: Finishing off 2kg project - your pottery is bisqued
Week 7: Glazing week 1, applying our own slips and stains, understanding the components of glaze. Applying these to our test tiles from week one. I’ll put these in a glaze fire and we can examine them together on week 8, to inform out glazing
Week 8: Glazing week 2, glazing our work, mixing more than one glaze - applying these to our big project and work with Emily
Week 9: Gathering to unveil the finished ceramics, dinner together, talking about next steps in your pottery journeys
Outcomes:
Skills development: grow confidence in handbuilding, making pottery effectively and knowing the science behind clay and glaze.
A solid understanding of what clay and glaze is, and how to bend the rules or be more creative with it as a material
6 or so handmade pieces to bring home!
Social connections, small classes of 6 or so people, fresh tea and a wholesome dinner at the final class fosters a sense of community
A chance to join further classes with Caitlin upon completion.
Join Caitlin in her Lostwithiel Studio to for a relaxed and informative 4 week course where we learn the fundamentals of handbuilding, working towards making a series of useful homewares, whilst learning confidence with clay and all the different techniques, all glazed with Caitlin’s bespoke glazes.
Monday nights from 6.30-9pm
Learning pinch pots, slab building, coiling, surface decoration and then combining the techniques.
Caitlin will then bisque and glaze all the pots for you, to be returned to you before Christmas.
Over the 4 weeks we would aim to make and fire up to 4 pieces to take home at the end of the course, (plates, bowls, spoons, mugs or goblets, vases etc).
Workshops will be run in Lostwithiel, PL220HG.
All clay, tools and glazes are provided. I provide carefully selected hand made glazes. Underglazes and slips are also available.
Highlights: Lowest price for workshop in comparison, unlimited tea and coffee, beautiful glazes, friendly and supportive atmosphere, free parking on site, bespoke workshop space & further workshop opportunities after completion available.
Overview of course:
Week 1: Learning pinch pots
Week 2: Slab building
Week 3: Coiling
Week 4: Combining the techniques to make your own project
Outcomes:
Skills development: New or refreshed understanding of handbuilding, how to use clay effectively and the process from fresh clay to finished item
4 or so handmade pieces to bring home!
Wellbeing: 2.5 hours a week to tune out, be around likeminded people and get creative
Social connections, small classes of 6 or so people, fresh tea and a wholesome dinner at the final class fosters a sense of community
A chance to join further classes with Caitlin upon completion.
Featured products
A sculptural Ikebana with a sealed lid decorated with various holes for intentional arrangements. Carved with woodcarving tools, the glaze sits and moves on these pieces in an interesting way. Fill these with water through the holes. You can achieve height with these forms, so enjoy experimenting.
From the Floral Society: The Moribana style of ikebana emphasises the harmony between the natural elements, such as water, land, and plants.
Specifications:
Cott is glazed with crackle Kuan outside, and clear ash crackle on top.
Size: 7.5cm height x14 cm width x 15cm length.
Electric Fired.
Please note: This item will be shipped after the 20th of September, once the candle exhibition has closed. Thank you.
A wall vase for hanging your flowers high. This can also hold candles and other detritus if you wish. Carved with woodcarving tools with melted glass in an inner circle.
Specifications:
Glazed with walnut Tenmoku and Milk chocolate.
Size: 20cm tall x 20cm wide, 4cm deep
Made with strong clay, Leaf Shadow sits on your wall hanging on a nail through a hole in the top of the piece.
Includes recycled glass supplied by Georgie and Cam at Ripe Cider, and sea glass collected from walking the beaches of the South coast of Cornwall.
Please note: This item will be shipped after the 20th of September, once the candle exhibition has closed. Thank you.
A plate with five teardrop spots for candles to sit. An opportunity to reflect in the glow of clay, ash, and glass.
Specifications:
Musk Melloe is glazed with Milk Chocolate glaze and melted glass.
Size: 5cm height x 18cm widest x 18cm length.
Electric Fired.
Please note: This item will be shipped after the 20th of September, once the candle exhibition has closed. Thank you.
A unique wall-hanging candle holder made with an interior of melted recycled glass & sea glass; a rich mix of amber browns, bottle greens and small patches of frosted glass or bubbles frozen in the kiln from the interaction between the materials. When lit by a candle this interior reflects the light to illuminate the interior of the sconce and the wall behind. A choice of glazes feature natural materials foraged from the Devon and Cornwall landscape of my kin; wood ashes, crushed stones and wild clays.
The Shell Sconce is a functional piece of art intended to act as both a source of lighting, and a mirror. Made for an intentional evening, to add atmosphere and warmth into a home.
Please note: The Shell Sconce is also available for pre-order here. The lead time is 4-6 weeks.
Specifications:
Size: 20cm tall x 14cm wide, 7cm deep.
Glazed with Mora Farm Ash glaze.
Made with strong clay, the Shell Sconce hangs on your wall via a simple wire loop system, with a raised back to help sit comfortably on the wall.
Features recycled glass supplied by Georgie and Cam at Ripe Cider, and sea glass collected from walking the beaches of the South Coast of Cornwall.
Please note: This item will be shipped after the 20th of September, once the candle exhibition has closed. Thank you.
Put it to your ear
you might hear the sea.
A quiet ocean
A scrying glass
Reflecting back
You and your story and all of their stories
That are you
And them
And the stilled sea.
“Moulding clay with her hands, Clarke’s earthworks were created as an artistic rather than civic pursuit, yet a slippery parallel seeps through this common desire to dig, sculpt and transform raw materials from the earth—changing them irreversibly.”
Deep time submerging
Andrea Bell, The Art Paper, SOIL 2022
Garden of clay - a film by Martin Sagadin
For Legacies, Circuit Artist Moving Image / 16 min 12 sec / Single channel / Digital Video / Colour / Sound
Caitlin sculpts clay in her studio while telling stories about her predecessors. The work is an affirmation of the artistic process as a circular gesture, one that starts and ends with a gift from and to the earth.