Welcome to the May Newsletter

We hope your enjoying the longer and lighter days as they offer even more hours to create beautiful work with such a special light!

It is the season for making bird baths, garden sculptures, planters or beakers, for those chilled refreshments or large platters and salad bowls for BBQ’s, these warmer and more greener days offer endless inspiration for seasonal makes!

Alongside our provision for classes, workshops etc we also do some behind the scenes work for outreach.

For the past few years we have been supporting Gloucestershire Hospital Education Service | Gloucestershire Hospital Education Service in firing the work created by their students. This year we have also donated a table top wheel to them to support their ongoing learning and development as well as providing free glazing and firing of there pots. We look forward to seeing what great pots are made on the wheel!

Another of our outreach projects is to offer in school workshops for primary and secondary schools. This month we visited Gotherington primary school Gloucester, giving a workshop in making terracotta pinch pots as they were studying Greek pottery. It was a great morning where the children got to make their own pots and decorate them with black underglaze. We will return the pots once glazed and fired so they can add them to their projects and have a pot to keep.

This month we are hosting our first Meet & Make on the last Sunday of each month. This workshop is designed for people to meet new friends. Working from home, relocation, change of circumstance can all have an impact on how we connect socially, so this workshop hopes to provide a creative space for new friendships to be found whilst also making a mug! It’s a pay what you can workshop with a minimum contribution of £5 ( normal cost would be £30pp) refreshments are also provide. We have two spaces left on the May date, please email info@stroudpottery.co.uk to book your space for this month or for June.

WORKSHOPS & TASTER SESSIONS

Emily Joy is running these two lovely workshops in June and another in July.

Botanical plaster wall plaques is a wonderful process of gathering foliage from the garden or selecting from the already cut flowers and grasses and creating a composition by pressing them into a clay slab, plaster is then poured and once set a stunning bas relief of your composition is revealed. July’s workshop is all about learning the art of Sgraffito creating a series of folk art inspired tiles.

Please scan the QR codes for further details and enrolment.

Classes are now open for enrolment starting in June 2026

Please contact the tutor below for information as spaces are available

Potter of the month

Each month we shall pick out a piece of work made by either a student or member to celebrate.

This months member is Joy

And what a joy her work is!

Joys approach in her making is so considered, paying great attention to detail experimenting with design using formed ribs and her natural throwing skills. Not only are these mugs beautifully thrown, Joy has an eye for surface decoration, choosing the subject to suit the form.

Great work Joy, we look forward to seeing more of your beautiful work appear from the kiln :)

Exhibitions to visit:

Newsletter - Cotswold Sculpture Park Ltd

Miserden – Cotswold Sculptors Association

Events | Artists' Cooperative

Potfest – Home of the UK's largest ceramics and pottery festivals