Intro to Wheel Throwing: Dinnerware Sets in Denver, Sundays

Learn the wheel by making a set you'll actually use. Intro to Wheel Throwing: Dinnerware Sets is six Sunday afternoons on the wheel for absolute beginners and anyone coming back to clay. You'll start with the first moves, centering, opening and pulling, then put them to work on plates, bowls and mugs for a matching dinnerware set you'll reach for every day.

Your teacher is Ethan Billings, a full-time ceramic artist with a BFA from Alfred University who works in functional ware and sculpture. In a small group, Ethan works with each student at the wheel, so you learn at your own pace. Along the way you'll trim your pieces, pull and attach handles, and finish by glazing your set from our glaze library. How many pieces end up in your set depends on your pace, and that's part of the fun.

Included: clay, tools, apron, our glaze library and all firing for class, plus student Open Studio during your course, so you can practice between classes. Finished pieces are ready for pickup within a week of your last class.

Never touched clay? This class is built for people with zero experience with ceramics, and if it's been a while since you took a class in high school, it's also a great refresher and place to start.

Sundays with Ethan Billings

1:00 to 3:30 PM

• Nov 1
• Nov 8
• Nov 15
• Nov 22
• Nov 29
• Dec 6

Plus Sun, Dec 13: make-up and glaze session (included), to catch up on a missed class or finish glazing your pieces

$325 for all six classes

What each week covers

1. Week 1: Centering. Getting the clay steady under your hands.
2. Week 2: Opening and pulling. Creating the inside of the form and lifting your walls with control.
3. Week 3: Bowls and mugs. Putting centering and pulling to work on the first pieces for your set.
4. Week 4: Plates and trimming. Throwing plates and trimming your pieces from the first weeks.
5. Week 5: Handles and repeating forms for your set. How to pull a handle and attach it, and making forms that match.
6. Week 6: Glazing your set. Glazing your pieces from our glaze library. We take it from there.

Your teacher sets the pace, so the order can shift a little.

Open Studio

Student Open Studio is included during your course, so you can practice between classes:

• Mondays, 10 AM to 6 PM
• Fridays, 10 AM to 6 PM
• Saturdays, 10 AM to 6 PM

There's no need to reserve. Wheels, tools, glazes, shelving and firing are included, and clay is available for purchase on the table near the aprons.

Students don't get a keycode. Studio members have 24/7 keycode access. More about Open Studio

Good to know

• Where: Claya, 3440 Walnut St in RiNo. Street parking near 38th and Blake.
• Questions or want to see the studio? Stop by during Retail Studio Hours, Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM, Sunday by appointment.
• Wear clothes you don't mind getting clay on and keep nails short if you can. Aprons are provided.
• Need to cancel? 5 or more days before the first class: refund minus a $12 fee. Closer in: 6-month store credit. Once the class starts: no refund or credit. See cancel or switch a class.
• Want to keep going afterward? Extended Founding membership is $140/month with a 2-month minimum, and members get 24/7 keycode access after setup.
• Compare every session on the pottery classes in Denver page, or read the classes FAQ.