Description
Clay Flowers Workshop with Yasemin Gava
County Hall Pottery, London
Dates: 3 May (16:00–18:00) or 4 May (15:00–17:00)
Price: £40 per person
Capacity: 12 participants per session
Join County Hall Arts resident artist Yasemin Gava for a hands-on workshop exploring handbuilding techniques in stoneware. Participants will create individual clay flowers that form part of a larger collaborative installation, combining technical skill with creative reflection. The session encourages exploration of form, surface, and personal meaning, making it suitable for all levels.
Participants will learn how to shape, assemble, and stabilize clay forms, while experimenting with coloured slip as a surface treatment. Emphasis is placed on process, encouraging reflection on themes of change, growth, and transformation as expressed through clay. Conversation and shared making are central to the session, fostering a collective creative experience.
After the workshop, Yasemin will fire the flowers and mount them on slender metal stems to create a temporary installation within County Hall. The installation will remain unseen until the start of the Summer Festival as part of the Four Seasons programme.
Course Overview
This workshop focuses on handbuilding small-scale forms in stoneware and using colour slip to explore surface treatment. Participants are encouraged to experiment with structure, thickness, and stability while reflecting on how ceramics can convey personal and collective ideas. Learning takes place through making, with emphasis on process, experimentation, and collaborative engagement.
What You Can Expect
Session Content
- Introduction to handbuilding techniques for small-scale clay flowers
- Guidance on form, structure, and stability
- Surface decoration using coloured slip
- Group discussion and reflection on themes of change and transformation
- Hands-on making with attention to individual and collective contribution
What You Will Learn
- Basic and advanced handbuilding techniques in stoneware
- Approaches to structure, thickness, and stability in small-scale forms
- Use of coloured slip as a surface treatment
- Collaborative making and creative reflection on thematic ideas
What You Will Take Away
- Practical experience of handbuilding and surface application
- A deeper understanding of clay behaviour through process
- A contribution to a collective installation piece
- Opportunity to collect individual flowers after the exhibition period
About the Teacher
Yasemin Gava is County Hall Arts’ resident artist, working across ceramics and painting. Her practice focuses on process-driven experimentation and collaborative making. In this workshop, she guides participants in combining individual creativity into a collective installation, exploring both technical and conceptual aspects of ceramic art.
Key Information / Practical Details
Dates & Times:
- 3 May: 16:00–18:00 or 4 May: 15:00–17:00
Location: County Hall Pottery, Belvedere Road, London
Level: Open to all levels
Clay Type: Stoneware
Class Size: Maximum 12 participants
Materials: All tools and materials provided









