Description
Combining Wheel Throwing and Handbuilding: Sculptural Vessels with Tim Copsey
A Two-Day Masterclass with Tim Copsey
County Hall Pottery, London
Dates: 14–15 November
Times: 10:00am–5:00pm
Price: £300 per person
Times: 10:00am–5:00pm
Price: £300 per person
Optional Follow-on Sessions: Glaze Your Work booked separately
Join ceramic artist Tim Copsey for a two-day masterclass exploring hybrid making: the combination of wheel-thrown and handbuilt elements within a single ceramic piece.
Taking inspiration from natural forms, patterns and landscapes, participants will learn how to construct distinctive sculptural vessels by joining, altering and building upon thrown components. The workshop will introduce a practical range of techniques while encouraging experimentation with form, surface, movement and function.
Tim will share how the textures, rhythms and structures found in the natural environment can be translated into ceramic forms. Participants will use these observations as a starting point for creating a small body of individual vessels that balance sculptural expression with the possibility of use.
Course Overview
This two-day masterclass focuses on expanding the possibilities of wheel-thrown forms through handbuilding, alteration and assembly.
Participants will begin by throwing a range of components before exploring how these can be cut, joined, stretched, compressed and combined with handbuilt elements. Natural forms and patterns will guide the development of each piece, from its overall silhouette to the treatment of its surface.
Through demonstrations, guided exercises and individual support, Tim will encourage participants to move beyond conventional vessel shapes and develop a more intuitive and experimental approach to making.
The workshop will also consider how sculptural vessels can retain a relationship to function, particularly in connection with flowers, plants, display and the spaces they inhabit.
Learning will take place through demonstration, repetition and supported studio practice. There will be time to test ideas, respond to the behaviour of the clay and refine work across both days.
All work made during the masterclass will be bisque fired as part of the course fee. Once fired, participants may take their pieces home to glaze and fire independently or book a separate glazing session at County Hall Pottery.
What You Can Expect
Day One
-
Introduction to Tim’s practice and sources of inspiration
-
Demonstrations of throwing forms for alteration and construction
-
Creating wheel-thrown and handbuilt components
-
Cutting, joining and reshaping thrown forms
-
Beginning the development of hybrid sculptural vessels
Day Two
-
Continuing, assembling and refining work
-
Combining thrown and handbuilt elements within the same piece
-
Exploring surface, texture and pattern inspired by nature
-
Considering movement, balance, function and display
-
One-to-one guidance and group discussion
What You Will Learn
-
How to combine wheel-thrown and handbuilt components
-
Techniques for cutting, altering, joining and assembling thrown forms
-
How to develop more sculptural and unconventional vessel shapes
-
Approaches to translating natural forms and patterns into clay
-
Ways of integrating form, surface and function
-
How to develop a group of related pieces from a shared starting point
Optional Follow-on: Glaze Your Work
Participants may book a separate glazing session at County Hall Pottery after their work has been bisque fired. During this session, you will be able to glaze selected pieces made during the masterclass for a final stoneware firing.
Further information and booking details will be provided separately.
What You Will Take Away
-
A small body of individual hybrid vessels combining thrown and handbuilt elements
-
Practical techniques for developing sculptural forms from wheel-thrown components
-
A broader understanding of how natural structures and patterns can inform ceramic work
-
Greater confidence in combining different construction methods
-
The option to glaze your work at County Hall Pottery or take it home for independent finishing
Finished work should fit within a total allocated firing space of approximately 40 × 40 × 40cm.
Work will be ready to collect approximately three to four weeks after the masterclass.
About Tim Copsey
Tim Copsey is a practising ceramic artist whose work responds to the landscape and changing seasons of the Peak District.
His practice explores texture, movement, pattern and surface, drawing inspiration from waterfalls, peat pools, rock formations and the physical processes that shape the natural environment. Through thrown, altered and handbuilt forms, Tim creates expressive vessels that move between sculpture and function.
Tim has a longstanding relationship with Ikebana and regularly collaborates with Ikebana practitioners through commissioned vessels and co-led workshops.
Key Information
Dates: 14–15 November
Times: 10:00am–5:00pm
Location: County Hall Pottery, Belvedere Road, London
Level: Intermediate. Participants should have previous wheel-throwing experience and be able to centre clay and throw a basic cylinder independently.
Clay: Stoneware
Class Size: Maximum 10 participants
Materials: Clay, use of tools and bisque firing are included
Firing Allowance: Work must fit within an allocated space of approximately 40 × 40 × 40cm
Optional Sessions: Glazing and Ikebana workshops are booked separately
Collection: Bisque-fired work will be ready to collect approximately three to four weeks after the course
Times: 10:00am–5:00pm
Location: County Hall Pottery, Belvedere Road, London
Level: Intermediate. Participants should have previous wheel-throwing experience and be able to centre clay and throw a basic cylinder independently.
Clay: Stoneware
Class Size: Maximum 10 participants
Materials: Clay, use of tools and bisque firing are included
Firing Allowance: Work must fit within an allocated space of approximately 40 × 40 × 40cm
Optional Sessions: Glazing and Ikebana workshops are booked separately
Collection: Bisque-fired work will be ready to collect approximately three to four weeks after the course
