Pottery Workshop
With james newbold and Liz hunter
10th - 15th May 2024
In this exciting pottery workshop you will experience the thrill of making and firing a variety of ceramic pieces exploring various construction and decorative techniques. With husband and wife team James and Liz as your experienced guides, and the magnificent barns and cowshed of Court House Farm as your studio, you will explore hand building and throwing techniques to construct different vessels, platters and small sculptural forms.
You will experiment with the playful possibilities of painterly surface decoration including sgraffito, monoprint and various glazes to add colour, pattern and texture to your work. We will take inspiration from the beautiful surroundings of the manor house and gardens, as well as investigating the local coastal landscape as a source of reference.
The workshop will culminate in an outdoor firing in a specially built gas fired Raku kiln in the courtyard. Choose from a wide range of beautiful raku glazes to finish your work and witness the excitement and alchemy of the ancient Raku process where pieces are removed from the heat of the kiln and plunged into organic matter creating beautiful, unpredictable and totally unique results.
This workshop is suitable for anyone interested in working with clay, from those just beginning to experienced potters wishing to extend their skills.
What’s Included
Accommodation in a stunning medieval manor (1300sAD) or adjoining Tudor Manor house (1500sAD) the opportunity to stay in a beautifully renovated country house, steeped in history
Fully catered, chef prepared meals: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner with selected wines and all refreshments.
Daily guided mindfulness sessions or low key yoga! (optional)
Inspiring and engaging talks from History of Art professional
Flower Picking and Arranging in our beautiful flower garden
Fulfilling conversation with like-minded individuals
A local visit or two to a nearby gallery, cultural spots - Brunels suspension bridge, and / or the nearby Clevedon Pier- the prettiest in England!
Time to potter to the shops, Marina and walk to the nearby estuary to see the beautiful sunsets.
More about James and Liz
James is a ceramic artist and teacher specialising in alternative firing techniques. With over 40 years of experience both as a maker and a teacher, and a fascination with fire, he has a wealth of knowledge of throwing, glazing and firing.
James’s work combines throwing and hand building techniques to explore his fascination with organic forms and the dramatic contrast between surfaces. He takes inspiration from the natural world, largely rock, shell and mineral formations, weather patterns and the elemental forces of nature, with the effects of heat and smoke on the materials he uses being central to his timeless aesthetic. The simplicity of his forms allow the dramatic contrast in tactile and visual qualities of surfaces to come to the fore. The occasional pinched, pulled, or torn element further reveals the intrinsic malleable qualities of the clay body, and the hand made nature of the piece. Specialising in a unique four part firing technique, he has built a range of firing chambers on order to perfect his distinctive finish
James trained in ceramics and 3D design at Loughborough University after which he sold most of his degree collection to Liberty's of London. He taught ceramics for 34 years and now produces work in his small studio in Bristol.
Liz is a painter, printmaker and art and ceramics teacher. She works in a variety of media including oil, mixed media, collage, geli print, and clay. Her work is inspired by the forms, textures and colours of landscapes and coastal areas. She works from photos, drawings and memories of places she visits, using gestural mark making to express something of her experience. The ever changing weather and atmosphere are a constant fascination and her large scale paintings often feature wild, mountainous places where she tries to capture a dynamic sense of these vast, largely untouched and potentially hostile domains. Her abstract print making and collages use shapes, contours and textures gathered from journeys like stones and shells gathered on a beach; Walks taken become lines through the page, views and glances pondered are overlayed on each other and merge to create multiple perspectives, sometimes dramatic, sometimes gentle. Liz studied Ecology at UEA and she continues to be interested in the natural world and our place in it. She works as a secondary art and ceramics teacher alongside producing her own work.
James and Liz 's work complements each other and they are now working on collaborative projects together. They divide their time between Bristol and their workshop set up in the barn at their rural farmhouse in the Pyrenees mountains in France. The energy and drama of this rich mountain wilderness provides much inspiration and a beautifully tranquil setting in which to work.
““What a fabulous few days we all had at Court House Farm! Every detail was so thoughtfully organised, and the welcome was warm and sincere. Court House Farm is an idyllic spot, but it wouldn’t be the sanctuary that it is without Helen and her team…. Truly a wondrous location and an experience that was both relaxing and energising – not a contradiction!!””
A LITTLE ABOUT COURT HOUSE FARM…
Which isn’t really a working farm at all! It’s more of a lovely cluster of charming historic buildings, the site originally dating from pre doomsday. The remaining Manor and smaller Manor are medieval and Tudor, dating from 1350, with some characterful outbuildings. (You may be making things in the cowshed- but no cows and clean!) we have 4 acres of land around the buildings with a little flower farm, and we are right in the heart of a small estuary sea-side town of Portishead in Somerset (with a lovely little high street, Marina and stunning coastal walks and the most fabulous setting suns). Do look at more information on the website and for photographs of the interiors and exteriors. During your stay, we will have some additional fun interludes and entertainment (we must show you our neighbouring little seaside town called Clevedon- with the prettiest Pier in England) and of course plenty of flowers!
FURTHER DETAILS
This is a 5-night residential retreat. (5 nights’ accommodation and full board).
The price is £2550 for single occupancy, own room with ensuite, £2350 for single occupancy own room sharing a bathroom, £2150 shared room (both attending the retreat booked together). Contact us if you would like a non-participating partner to attend).
If you are local and would like to attend the retreat on a day only basis the cost is £1,250. This includes all materials, delicious chef cooked lunch and early evening meal, plus wine, talks and visits. Please contact Helen for further details or to book at: at.courthousefarm@gmail.com
The booking deposit is £500. (please get in touch for other currency)
The balance will be due 8 weeks prior to the retreat. Payments can be made by Paypal or Bank Transfer, ( although we do charge for the Pay pal interest fee.)
The Course Fees are non-refundable once paid, but of course, if we cancel for any reason all payments will be refunded, or mutually agreeable alternative dates offered.
If you are coming from abroad or feel you may want to spend a day on either side of the retreat for rest and relaxation, do, please discuss this with us.
If you have a question or need further details please contact us using the button below.
“I’ve come away feeling really inspired, confident and ready to try new things. I had the best time and learnt so much which is exactly what I wanted to get out of the retreat.”