The Vitality of Clay: Ceramics for Regenerative Practice
A Summer School for Ceramic Artists and Earth Material Practitioners
How can understanding a clay’s own intelligence transform your practice? Three renowned artists share geology-informed approaches, material innovation, and regenerative frameworks through demonstrations and intimate discussion. For practicing artists and intermediate/advanced students seeking specialist knowledge that goes beyond technique. Two intensive days, 17–18 January at Slow Clay Centre. Limited spaces available.
There’s something about the start of a new year that invites reflection. Maybe you’ve been thinking about your material footprint—the glaze chemicals, the energy use, the waste. Or maybe you sense your practice could go deeper, but you’re not quite sure how.
This summer school is an invitation to spend two days with that question. To step back from production and think carefully about where your practice is heading and what it could become.
You’ll spend this time with three ceramic artists whose work is shaped by a deep respect for materials and earth: Pattie Beerens, Pie Bolton and Claire Ellis. Through demonstrations, conversations, and shared experiences, they’ll offer different ways of approaching a fundamental question: What does an environmentally regenerative ceramic practice look like for you?
This isn’t about “greening” what you already do. It’s about rewilding your relationship with materials—learning to work with clay’s own intelligence, understanding the geology beneath your feet, and finding creative possibilities in what others call waste.
Join Pattie Beerens, Pie Bolton and Claire Ellis as they lead you in connecting deeply with earth systems. Two days: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 January 2026.
Schedule: The three artists will guide you with a Geology walk (Pie Bolton), an outdoor environment responsive sculpture (Pattie Beerens) and a practical approach to using post industrial waste for glazes (Claire Ellis). Through their demonstrations, presentations and discussions they share their journey with clay.
Day 1: Saturday 17 January
Session 1: 9am- 12.30pm Pie Bolton Geology Walk. Meet at Dights Falls, Yarra Bend Park. (Note: some walking on unsealed tracks)
Session 2: 1.30-5pm Pattie Beerens. At Slow Clay Centre.
Day 2: Sunday 18 January
Session 1: 9-12.30pm Pattie Beerens. Continuation from Saturday. At Slow Clay Centre.
Session 2: 1.30-5pm Claire Ellis. Waste materials as glaze/clay resource. At Slow Clay Centre.
Don’t miss these three artists! Places are limited.
Slow Clay Students Early Bird: $345
Concession: Full time student/Unemployed cardholders: $355
Normal Price: $375 (50% deposit/Balance due 3 weeks before)
Slow Clay Centre
13 Keele St, Collingwood, Victoria
Tel: 03 99437844
Email: info@slowclay.com
The Summer School will be held in person at Slow Clay Centre – for the best and most meaningful and fun learning!
About: Our Studio Practice Program (SPP) Seasonal Schools are targeted to serious students of ceramics who are looking to be inspired and/or fill some gaps in their learning. We are passionate about creating new topics of interest for students to explore and love to bring together multiple artists for different perspectives. Please get in touch if you have some ideas for workshops! We’d love to hear from you!
*Prerequisites: We reckon if you’re passionate about clay and you’ve been learning ceramics in a weekly class for a year or more or so you’ll be super ready for this. Think about it like a mini Clay Festival! No requirement to do anything except soak it all in! But feel free to call us to discuss your needs first: 03 99437844
Bookings: Reserve your spot with 50% non-refundable deposit. Pay by credit card online (see buttons on left) or through our office on 99437844.
Reviews: “The Studio Practice Program at Slow Clay Centre is one of the best pottery related experiences I’ve had so far, it was a week packed with information with great teachers and guidance.”
“A great opportunity to pause and reflect on what motivates and inspires my practice”
“I loved my subjects. They tapped into a lovely creative headspace. As a creative professional, I did not think it was going over old ground as there is no limit to how much help we need generating creative ideas and getting unstuck.”
“I was most stimulated by the unlocking of new creative territories via my special object…”
“I was left itching to explore some of these ideas!”
Terms and conditions: A full refund is always given if we cancel. We do not give refunds for any other circumstances however we know life doesn’t always go to plan so please consider purchasing the refund insurance at the check out gateway when you book online (Note refund insurance is not available when you book direct through our office). If you do not purchase refund insurance and we cannot find a replacement for you your fees paid will be forfeited. You are welcome to spread some love and give (or sell) your ticket to a friend – just let us know please. If we find a replacement we will create a credit note for your fees paid valid for two years. If we cannot find a replacement we will keep your payment but we can offer keep you in mind to offer you a spot in any future courses if there’s a vacancy. We will deduct the agent’s booking fees regardless.
Contact: Tel 03 99437844 Email: info@slowclay.com
Pattie Beerens — Multi-Award Winning Artist
Pattie works with clay through what she calls embodied practices—moving from control toward collaboration. Her ‘clay weaving’ approach demonstrates what it means to work alongside clay’s own tendencies rather than imposing your will on it. She invites us to consider: What if the materials we work with aren’t inert substances to be shaped, but active participants in making?
Pie Bolton — Geologist, Ceramic Artist, Klytie Pate Award Winner
Pie bridges geology and ceramics in her practice. She’ll lead a walk through Collingwood, helping us read the landscape and understand the sediments, deep time, and earth processes that shape the materials we work with. Her approach offers a kind of geological literacy that changes how you see every material decision—revealing the preciousness and agency of earth itself.
Claire Ellis — Innovation Award Winner
Claire makes glazes from things most people discard: bluestone cutting sludge from a local quarry, crushed bisqueware from unclaimed pots, sink sludge collected from tool cleaning, wood ash from a pizza restaurant. With a chef’s approach to supply chains and experimentation, she demonstrates practical ways to work with local and waste materials—reducing reliance on commercial suppliers while discovering unique surface possibilities.
Not interested this time? See examples of past subjects below and get on our mailing list to be informed before the next one!
- Spring School ’25: Unconventional Clay with Aaron Scythe, Trudy Golley, and Paul Leathers
- Spring School ’24: Thinking Tools for the Journey with Shannon Garson, Ben Richardson, and Jane Sawyer
- Winter School ’23: The Middle Glazes with Matt Katz
- Spring School ’22: Ceramics and Culture with Gary Mcphedran
- Winter School ’22: Surfacing with Janet DeBoos. Mould Making for Slip Casting with Gregory Bonasera
- Developing Personal Expression with Prue Venables/Pilar Rojas
- Setting Up Your Ceramics Studio with Jane Sawyer/ Alana Casey
- Clay, Kilns & Firing with Judith Roberts/Robert Barron/Pie Bolton/Janet DeBoos
- Ceramics in Context with Gary Mcphedran
- Glaze Development with Greg Daly/Pilar Rojas
- Concept and Meaning with Jane Sawyer
- Surface Design with Prue Venables
- Contemporary International Ceramics with Jane Sawyer
- Drawing for Design and Expression with Sarah Tomasetti
- Unleashing the Inner Critic with Jane Sawyer
- Design Basics with Simon Lloyd
- Design for Slip Casting with Somchai Charoen