Taught by artist and Sooki Studio founder Natalia Ira Sookias, One Big Pot is the first workshop dedicated to the large-scale ceramic planters that have become a central part of her artistic practice. Over three weeks, Natalia will share the techniques and approaches she's developed through years of working at this scale.
This is a three-week workshop dedicated entirely to building one large pot—up to approximately 20" wide × 23" tall that occupies the entire space of our kiln.
Building large planters is one of my favorite ways to work with clay. They’re both sculptural and functional, with lots of room for play. I like to think of the planter as the body and the plant as the hair—each one shaping how you see the other.
Over the three weeks, I’ll share the methods I use to build large forms quickly and efficiently, with a particular focus on working economically with clay—building forms that are large, strong and robust without making them unnecessarily heavy. We’ll look at how thoughtful construction, reinforcement and internal support can give a large piece strength while keeping the walls relatively light and manageable.
The first two weeks will focus primarily on building. During the third week, we’ll finish our forms, refine surfaces and rims, reinforce anything that needs extra attention, and prepare the pots for a long, controlled dry.
Each student receives 50 lbs of clay. Part of the challenge—and the learning—is figuring out how to use that clay efficiently to build something large, strong and surprisingly light. Additional clay will be available to purchase if your particular form requires it.
We'll begin working at bench height and, as the pots get taller, move them onto individual dollies so they can be worked on, stored and moved safely without having to handle the pots themselves.
After the final class, your pot stays with us while it slowly dries. We'll continue checking and managing the drying process before firing.
Because of the scale of the work, each pot may take up essentially an entire kiln and will receive its own dedicated slow Cone 5 firing. Large pieces will be fired on a bed of silica sand to allow the clay to move as it shrinks during firing and help reduce stress on the piece to prevent cracking.
Standard pots will be fired through our regular studio firing schedule and will be ready for pickup by the end of January.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- 9 hours of instruction over three weeks
- 50 lbs of clay
- Large-scale building platform + individual mobile workstation
- All studio tools and equipment
- Storage throughout the workshop
- Post-class drying and monitoring
- One dedicated Cone 5 firing
- Your finished large ceramic planter
The workshop is limited to 10 people so there is plenty of time for individual guidance. Building at this scale brings up different structural and technical questions for every piece, and we want to be able to work closely with each person as their pot develops.
All experience levels are welcome. Some previous experience working with clay is recommended.
