Things To Do In St Ives – Leach Pottery Experiences

I arrived a few minutes before 6 p.m. for my workshop with my old towel in hand and warm layers on and was greeted by Ellen Love, our teacher for the evening. She was very welcoming and encouraged me to go and look at areas of the museum while we waited for the last of the class to arrive. We all mingled together and marvelled at Bernard Leach’s stunning pieces in the museum.

Ellen then walked us through the old parts of the Leach Pottery building, past the kilns, to our workshop classroom for the evening. It had pottery exhibited behind glass cases for inspiration but I didn’t hold such high hopes for my first-ever experience with clay and also creating Christmas decorations.

We were introduced to the legacy of Bernard Leach, how he was influenced and the amazing connection with Japanese potters. There was a strong bond between British potters being inspired by Japanese potters but also how Japanese potters love Cornish clay. Our clay for the evening is the same that the professional potters use and that is stoneware clay from Doble’s in St Agnes, Cornwall.

Our first task was to take a slab of clay and place it on our wooden plate. Ellen explained that before we can start getting creative, we needed to smooth out the rough edges of the clay. If they are rough when it’s wet, they are even rougher and sharper once fired.

We were handed a kidney each and lovingly spent the first 15 minutes caressing the clay gently to smooth the top, bottom and side edges. It was a very mindful exercise and I flitted between tuning in to others conversations or simply tuned the chatter out and enjoyed the simple task of stroking the clay.

Once the clay was smoothed out using the kidney, we could then cut out shapes or discs that were to be the base of our decorations. I kept it pretty conventional and cut simple round shapes, while others who had brought along steel cutting shapes proceeded to create Christmas trees or foxes. Others went free-hand and created wonderful shapes in readiness for enhancing more.

We were told ahead of the start that we would likely create up to 8 pottery decorations so we each had 2 slabs of clay for the evening to caress and cut up. A damp sponge was an extra way to smooth out the rough edges on all sides.

At the start of the workshop, Ellen had mentioned the process we would follow:

1. smooth the clay
2. cut the shapes
3. paint the smooth shapes with slip
4. decorate with iron oxide
5. Put a hole in it for hanging

What is Slip?

In pottery, slip is a liquid or paste made from clay and water. Slip is used to join pieces of wet or leather-hard clay together. This process is called slipcasting. It  can be used to glaze pottery and decorate pottery by painting or dipping it. Pottery decorated with slip is called slipware. Slip can be used as a surface treatment in clay work.

This was the next stage for me after having smoothed and cut my discs. I even got a bit creative with a pipette and added a little character to some of my pieces of clay.

To add a bit of colour and contrast to each Christmas decoration that was starting to take shape, I used iron oxide which is essentially rust. Hence, a good idea to wear an apron and old clothes!

Iron oxide is used in pottery to create a variety of colours and effects. There are different sorts of iron oxide and each produces a different effect on the clay once fired and at different temperatures. We were given a pot of red iron oxide and this produces red terracotta colors at low fire, which progress to brown as the pottery matures.

To begin with I felt a little uneasy about handling it or using it but Ellen reassured us all that it can be wiped off with a sponge and we can start again if necessary.

After waiting for the slip to dry, I plucked up the courage to use the red iron oxide and got into my swing quite quickly! I created love hearts, traditional looking bauble type patterns and even somehow created something resembling a Japanese temple!

I wanted to make some Christmas decorations with names of three dogs we have lost over the recent years. I can’t wait to be able to hang them up in our tree and think fond thoughts of each one of them. They inspired me in life and continue to do so now.

Once I had finished with the iron oxide, the next step was to allow it to dry enough to then initial each piece and also put holes in each decoration ready to hang.

We needed to use the heat torch on some of the pieces as the slip had been painted on quite thickly and the iron oxide was still wet. Putting the holes in each decoration was strangely satisfying. I used a small gouging tool that excavated through the clay creating perfect holes.

Around the room, others in the class had created some gorgeous pieces of work. Some resembled something out of Barbara Hepworth’s garden and others were beautifully Christmassy. It’s such a wonderful experience to have at The Leach Pottery being surrounded by creatives or people who just want to hang out for two hours with friends and learn a new skill.

I certainly came away with an enhanced vocabulary as I had no idea what slip was before I arrived.

The workshop was excellent value for money and I really enjoyed learning new skills around like-minded people. I may even give their taster course on throwing a pot a go! 

I left my handmade Christmas decorations on a large wooden board along with others. The next stage is for them to be put in the kilns and then we can collect when ready. If you are on holiday in St Ives, The leach Pottery will post your wonderful pieces of pottery to you. Emma said it would likely be within a week so I’m getting rather excited now. I can’t wait to see how they turn out and whether they are going to be put on the front or the back of the Christmas tree!

I’ll share the finished articles with you as soon as they are ready…

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