For our spring team building event last month, we ventured up the road to Ettington for an afternoon up to our elbows in clay at The Ceramics Studio. In two teams (Mardy Mintons and Wedgwood Wangers) we completed a couple of challenges on the wheel (one blindfolded!) and then got stuck into the main event.

Each team had to make and glaze a tea set, with 8 hand-built mugs, 4 thrown bowls and 4 thrown plates, plus a spout, handle and lid for the teapot body provided. Bonus points for a tray or cake stand.

In throwing terms, the teams were pretty evenly matched. The Mardy Mintons went for a contemporary splatter approach to glazing (which clearly paid off, see photos below) while the Wedgewood Wangers kept it simple and, er, rustic.

By the end of the day we were (mostly) pretty pleased with our endeavours, but the proof would be in the firing… and nothing exploded. Hooray! Unpacking the pottery was delightful and hilarious in equal measure, and the clients lucky enough to be served tea and coffee in our handmade tableware were very good sports.

Organising team Tom, Lisa, David and Russ did a brilliant job (shoutout to Anna too, who oversaw a phenomenal picnic). A huge thank you to them, and to Leyla and Rhian at The Ceramics Studio – great teachers and creators of really beautiful ceramics too.

Here we are having a go at throwing blindfolded…

A slightly frenetic time-lapse filmed by Chloe, who apologises for fidgeting…

Here, the Mardy Mintons get stuck in with splatter glazing…

A few of our early attempts, before firing…

…and some more successful output after firing!

Here’s some work by our fantastic instructors: a kilnful of white and blue porcelain vessels by Rhian, and a tactile, textured, sculptural work by Leyla. As you can see, we’ve got a long way to go!

We highly recommend a visit The Ceramics Studio during this year’s Warwickshire Open Studios – Saturday 18th June to Sunday 3rd July. 

And we leave you with a time-lapse of Steve throwing a pot…

Written by Chloe Marshall