Pottery 101

Basics of Ceramics

Excited to learn something new?

Wondering if ceramics might be your next big love?

Looking for a way to unwind, reconnect with your creativity, and be part of a welcoming clay-wrangling community?

Look no further, friend—your pottery adventure begins right here!

At Studio Meraki, pottery is more than just a class—it’s a hands-on journey of self-expression, discovery, and good old-fashioned fun. Whether you're rolling out your first slab or sculpting something beautifully quirky, you’ll be supported every step of the way in a relaxed, inclusive space.

✨ Here’s what you can expect:

  • Weekly, guided sessions to build your skills and confidence

  • A variety of playful and practical projects—from mugs and vases to gnomes and garden treasures

  • A vibrant, supportive community where creativity and laughter go hand in hand

  • Time to unplug, be present, and rediscover the joy of making something with your own two hands

No experience? No worries. Just bring your curiosity and your willingness to get your hands delightfully messy.

So if you're ready to try something new, meet some great people, and create with purpose and play...
Studio Meraki is the perfect place to get started.

Let the clay-wrangling begin! 🎨👐💫

Your clay-wrangling journey starts here..

What's included?

 Full instruction and support

Join Michele for an exciting clay-wrangling adventure where you'll not only learn the basics of pottery but also bring to life some truly amazing projects! With small class sizes, you’ll receive all the support you need to unleash your creativity and craft your masterpieces!

 All materials included

Get ready to unleash your creativity in Pottery 101! We provide all the necessary equipment and materials for your projects, ensuring that every student has access to the tools and resources needed to dive deep into the creative process. Let your imagination run wild!

All glazing and firing included

Prepare for an exciting 8-week journey that covers all your glazing and firing, plus you also learn and explore the basics of hand glazing your work!

Project Journal

Embark on your clay-wrangling adventure with a project journal that captures every twist and turns! Track your creative progress, explore and document your favorite glaze colors, and jot down all the exciting changes you’d like to make along the way.

Set and achieve goals

Unlock your creative potential and dive into the world of hand-building! Each week, you'll tackle new techniques that ramp up in challenge, pushing your skills to new heights. By the end of the course, you'll have crafted 7 amazing pieces. Let the journey begin!

Flexible payment options

Enjoy the ease of our flexible enrollment payment options! Plus you have the option of Paypal and Afterpay at checkout, with the pay once enrolment. Making the start to your clay-wrangling journey smoother than ever.

Discover the amazing projects that await you in this
8 week course!

Collection of small ceramic bowls and cups in various colors displayed on a table next to a vase with pink flowers and a tissue box.
Decorative ceramic house with red roof, metal vintage-style keys, heart-shaped items, buttons, and beads on a burlap background.

  • Welcome to the start of your clay-wrangling adventure!
    Week 1 is about learning the basics of clay and starting with the technique of coiling, this clay building method is one of the basic foundations of pottery work. You can create all different kinds of pottery projects with this very simple technique.

  • Week 2 is the ultimate class for coiling design, you'll use various methods to create a sensational platter/ bowl and can also add designs to the coils.
    ~ Introducing ~ GLAZE time, this is your first introduction to glazing, where you will hand paint last week's coil pot.

  • This week is the start of slab work, it's another of our foundation techniques for clay wrangling, YIPPEE!  You will get to create a Windchime and you get to make it as simple or blingy as you like depending on how you are travelling for time.  Later, you also get to choose items for a windchime kit for the final constuction.

  • You will be stepping up our skills in slab work and creating a simple mug, and learning about the handle attaching techniques.  Once again, you get to manage the style and design of your mug, there are lots of different ways to decorate a mug. Handmade mugs are just the best :)
    ~ GLAZE time - paint pretties on your windchime from last week.

  • NEW PROJECT!

    Week 5 is an exciting class for slab work, you will create a garden flower bee/ honey-eater waterer.

    This week we start looking at tracing a clay pattern and learning about working with templates.

    These floweres are later attached to a garden stake that can be placed in your garden to support your local eco system.


    ~ Glaze time- pick your glaze colours for your mug.

  • This project combines all our previous learnings. Slab and coil techniques, also working with a pattern, decorating, and carving. This project is designed to hold a candle in the middle so the light can shine through the village windows, but fairy lights also look delightful.  This week we will also learn the fine details of smoothing and finishing off our pottery projects.

  • SURPRISE!!! I just simply love creating surprise jars.....   The jar we are making can be so versatile, you will learn about different types of jars and will be creating lids to match your jar.  They can hold lots of yummy things. Can be bright and decorative for indoor or outdoor. These little delights are simple to create and are so useful.

  • Welcome to the world of creative glazing. This class focuses on decorative hand-painted glazes using our completed projects from the previous weeks. Hand-painting glazes is a wonderful adventure, and the results are wonderful.  There are plenty of glazes to look at and glazes that have different effects that occur during the firing. 

    This class is all about adding the splashes of colour to finish your term projects ;)

Assorted handmade clay sculptures and decorations, including cones and cylindrical shapes, on a cloth with a large artificial pink flower in the background.

Projects ready to be fired

Friendship Flowers x

Village Candle Holder

Michele has curly hair wearing green sunglasses, holding a pink vintage phone, surrounded by a wall of orange and white flowers, expressing surprise.

Say hello to your instructor..

Greetings awesome peoples!

I have been working with clay for over 20 years and have a deep passion for creative arts and their impact on well-being. Throughout my journey, I have explored numerous artistic techniques and have witnessed the profound beauty and value they offer as avenues for expression and discovery.

I have worked and been involved in the disability field for almost 30 years and I’m a fun-loving neuro-spicy human, in a neuro-spicy household. My focus lies in supporting individuals facing challenging life situations, helping them navigate obstacles, and finding solutions through various creative practices. Having personally overcome a significant spinal injury that required me to relearn how to walk, as well as managing a chronic illness, I understand the complexities of returning to life after hardship.

I aspire to be a source of hope, utilising diverse techniques to enable positive transformation. With a strong emphasis on addressing feelings of overwhelm and tackling challenges, I provide practical tools and guidance to empower individuals on their unique journeys toward achieving their life goals and finding a flow.


"We are all Born Awesome, sometimes we just get lost and forget" ~ Michele

Contact Michele

 FAQs

  • Studio Meraki is a safe and inclusive space located in the hills of Kelmscott, surrounded by trees and birds. Offering various classes in a fun and relaxed environment. Pottery classes are small allowing the space to be able to learn in a cosy and comfortable community of like-minded humans :)

  • This course includes all your clay, firing & glazing for your projects. It takes 4-8 weeks to turn around your projects from start to finish, there will be some pieces that will only be available for collection after the course has finished on your "Graduation day". Your “graduation day” will be organised during your course. We appreciate your patience in this creative process.

  • We make every effort to ensure all work is completed and returned to you safely. On occasions, your pottery may break or crack in the kiln- this is unavoidable because pottery is a weird and wonderful delicate process that can have a mind of it's own.  If this does occur there is usually always a way to transform your piece so it is still a work of creative inspiration :) 

  • We are committed to providing a welcoming and positive experience for all, regardless of background, orientation, identity, or neurodiversity.
    We celebrate our unique differences and reinforce that respect to provide clear pathways to support fostering this inclusive mindset.

  • On completion of Pottery 101, you can join the Meraki Fellowship community, where you will get invited to VIP clay days and other exciting benefits.  There is also the option to attend the Pottery 102 - Intermediate clay-wrangling, where your projects will be slightly more challenging and will explore a wide variety of new pojects and techniques.

Words from clay-wranglers...

  • Person with short gray hair wearing a red shirt and black tie, looking at the camera.

    "This is a safe space for you to connect with your creativity and just be you. It's a beautiful comfortable place and I love being there. Michele has so much experience with clay and is a wonderful teacher who is able to both guide you and help you to connect with your inner creativity. Her passion and pure joy for pottery, people and life is beautiful."

    KELLEE

  • Smiling man with a goatee and glasses wearing a black shirt, sitting indoors near a "Welcome to Our Home" sign and a lamp.

    "Having done the first course, I recommend doing this class. Michele Wragg is a great teacher, sharing her knowledge and skills with an attitude of fun, joy and acceptance. I loved learning these skills, and making some cool items. Even when things didnt go as expected. "

    THOM

  • Woman smiling, holding a small handmade pottery bowl in a room with craft supplies and decorations.

    "Throughout the 8 weeks with Michele and the other participants you not only gather skills and knowledge , you meet yourself in each project. You yourself are like the clay slowly coming to life under your hands ... it teaches you about how you function in the world and that the need to be perfect is definitely not necessary."

    SANDRA