Throw Clay L A

Ever wondered how potters make those hollow ceramic rings that seem to defy gravity?

Join us this Thursday, June 11 at 6:00 PM for our next free Member Clinic 'Throwing a Hollow Ring' as Andy demonstrates how to throw a torus form—the classic double-wall doughnut shape.

Equal parts motion and stability, the torus is one of the most captivating forms in ceramics. While it looks complex, the process is more approachable than you might think.

What we'll cover:
• Dividing a centered mound during the throwing process
• Throwing two walls
• Connecting walls
• Using ribs to refine the form
• Trimming a hollow ring
• Managing moisture in closed forms
• Creative ways to use ceramic ring forms

Member Clinics are free for all Throw Clay LA members and focus on a single ceramic technique through demonstration and discussion. Whether you handbuild, throw, or sculpt, there's always something to learn.

No sign-up required. Just show up, watch, ask questions, and get inspired.

Not a member yet? Membership includes free weekly clinics, studio access, equipment use, glazes, and a creative community of fellow clay enthusiasts.

See you Thursday—or come in and make something beautiful anyway.

A potluck, a surprise, and a chance to celebrate one of our own.

Last Sunday, members, students, instructors, and staff gathered for a potluck and surprise send-off for Natalie before she heads to UC Davis to begin her MFA program.

Over the past five years, Natalie has been part of countless moments at Throw Clay LA—helping keep the studio running, supporting members, loading kilns, answering questions, and sharing in the day-to-day life of the community.

The afternoon was filled with food, laughter, stories, and the kind of conversations that happen when people spend years creating together.

Thank you, Natalie, for everything you've contributed to Throw Clay LA. We wish you all the best as you begin this next chapter and can't wait to see where your work takes you.

Potter's Wheel Basics is more than learning to throw a pot.

Over six weeks, students learn how to prepare clay, center on the wheel, create forms, trim, glaze, and finish their work while receiving personalized instruction each step of the way.

Every pot starts differently. Every student does too.

New sessions now enrolling. Link in bio.

Darting & Altered Forms

This week's Member Clinic explores darting—a technique used to alter both handbuilt and wheel-thrown forms by cutting and removing sections of clay, then bringing the walls back together to create a new shape.

We'll cover:
• How to cut a dart
• Making simple templates to mark cuts
• Parallel beveling
• Coaxing cuts into a new shape
• Slipping and scoring darts
• Identifying the ideal soft leather-hard stage

It's a versatile technique that can transform a simple round form into something entirely different.

Thursday, June 4 • 6–7 PM

Member Clinics are held most weeks throughout the year and are free for current Throw Clay LA members.

Not a Member Yet? Most members begin in one of our courses before transitioning to membership. Learn more through the link in bio.

Today is Natalie's last day at Throw Clay LA.

Natalie joined the studio nearly five years ago while she was still studying ceramics at Cal State Long Beach. What began during those early years grew into a body of work that helped shape an important part of Throw Clay LA.

Over time, she transformed our glaze program through countless hours of testing, refining, documenting, troubleshooting, and retesting. The glaze walls our members use today are the result of years of careful experimentation and attention to detail.

But beyond the glaze room, Natalie has been a valued part of the studio community. She has shared her knowledge generously, encouraged curiosity, and helped countless members better understand the possibilities of clay and glaze.

As she prepares to begin her MFA at UC Davis, we want to thank her for everything she has contributed to Throw Clay LA.

Congratulations, Natalie. We are excited to see what comes next and grateful that your knowledge, care, and creativity will remain part of this studio for years to come.

"What’s a Member Clinic?"

A New Post on The Art & Soul of Pottery.

One of the things that happens naturally in a pottery studio is that people gather around process.

Someone starts demonstrating a technique. A few people stop to watch. Questions start flying. Another member shares a trick they learned. Before long, the room turns into a conversation about clay.

Our newest blog post takes a closer look at the Member Clinics at Throw Clay LA. These informal demonstrations, discussions, and community gatherings help keep curiosity, experimentation, and learning moving through the studio and are held most weeks throughout the year.

Best of all, they are free for current TCLA members.

The post explores how clinics evolve, the kinds of techniques members explore together, and why these gatherings have become part of the rhythm of studio life at Throw Clay LA.

Read the full post through the link in bio.

Six + years ago, Throw Clay LA was still drywall dust, ladders, borrowed tools, and a few determined people trying to turn an empty former beauty salon into a pottery studio before opening day.

Family and friends painted walls, built tables, hauled materials, assembled wheels, and stayed late figuring things out one piece at a time. January 4, 2020 was the goal. None of us knew what the next few months would bring - Covid was just around the corner.

The studio opened, the world changed, and the clay community kept growing anyway.

Looking back at these photos now feels less like “before and after” and more like the beginning of something that became part of people’s weekly lives. Classes, memberships, friendships, routines, late nights, first bowls, first mugs, and thousands of pieces pulled from the kilns since then.

Today, the studio is full of clay, conversation, creativity, and community.

Grateful for everyone who helped build Throw Clay LA into what it is today.

TURNING 2D IDEAS INTO 3D FORMS

Member Clinic with Bella Wednesday, May 27th • 5–6PM

How do you take a flat design and apply it to a three-dimensional ceramic form?

This week’s clinic explores practical approaches to planning pieces and mapping surface design onto curved forms. We’ll look at grids, templates, scaling, distortion, and ways to create more intentional relationships between form and decoration.

Topics include:

• Planning forms based on function and proportion
• Translating flat imagery onto curved surfaces
• Using grids, pencils, and stencils for layout
• Understanding distortion on 3D forms
• Exploring stencil-based transfer techniques

Great for members interested in surface design, illustration, carving, and developing more cohesive ceramic work.

Not a member yet? For experienced potters, membership includes unlimited studio access, free technique clinics, shelf space, bisque firing services, and a vibrant community of potters working alongside you in the studio.

Learn more through the Membership link in bio.

NEW AFTER WORK ONE-TIME CLASS

Skip the post-work scroll and come make something with your hands instead.

BIG MUGS is a beginner-friendly handbuilding class focused on oversized mugs, expressive handles, texture, and functional forms in clay. A relaxed Tuesday evening creative reset in DTLA.

No wheel experience needed. Just clay, conversation, and big handmade mugs.

Tuesdays at 5:15PM at Throw Clay LA.

Small group format. Limited spots available. Book online, link in bio.