Originating in 1994, H.O.T. Clay (Hand-Built Or Thrown) workshops at Idyllwild Arts have captured the spirit of creativity and craftsmanship inspired by the vision of Lora Steere’s first sculpture workshop at the inception of the Summer Program in the early 1950s, with small class sizes to maximize interaction with faculty in the company of Fred Olsen, Shiro Otani, Susan Peterson, Maria Martinez, Patti Warashina, Lana Wilson, Ingrid Lilligren, and Jeff Oestreich. Designed for adult students eager to learn new techniques or refine their skills, each week-long workshop offers a vibrant, hands-on journey including faculty demonstrations, insightful lectures, and ample studio time, concluding with an exciting kiln unloading and culminating exhibition.
Instructor: Michelle Solorzano
Spend a week bringing a figure to life! Using slabs, templates, and reference images, you’ll build a hollow form in parts, assemble and refine it, and finish with patterned surface decoration to tell a story.
Instructor: Forrest Lesch Middelton
Uncover your artistic voice through tiles and wheel-thrown forms. With Forrest’s guidance, explore image transfer, silk screens, embossments, and reduction cooling to create richly decorative, functional wares with fresh surface approaches.
Instructor: Milo Berezin
Create lively characters, patterns, and narratives on hand-built pottery! This workshop will introduce various soft slab building techniques including slab coils and press molds. Students will then explore illustrative decorating techniques on greenware using slip, underglaze, and customizable carving tools.
Instructor: Eric L. Stearns
This workshop is designed for artists familiar with throwing who want to expand their skills, develop a custom color palette using Mason stains, and experience the challenges of Raku firing.
Instructor: Kelsey Bowen
Come and learn how to create lively figurative sculptures full of emotion and movement!
Instructor: Daniel Garver
Slipcasting from start to finish! A broad introduction to moldmaking to expand your practice. We will cover a wide range of material including model making, simple press molds to complicated multipart casting molds, mixing casting slip, plaster, glazes, and more.
Instructor: Malia Peoples
Discover the intersection of ceramics and jewelry-making! Shape, layer, and decorate colored porcelain clay into earrings, pendants, and more. Practice assembly techniques and take home unique porcelain jewelry that is sure to surprise and delight.
