Workshops

Workshops & Friday Night Events

Our workshops enrich the Ruby's community by providing a forum for both outside and in-house artists to share their art-making process. We host several workshops each year and they are typically held on Sunday mornings. Past presenters include Vince Montague, Dick Lumaghi, and Miki Shim.

Friday Night Lights are evening events where community members or invited artists give slideshow presentations about their clay adventures, including residency programs, travels abroad and fun local projects. These often include a demo.

Email your workshop questions to workshop@rubysclaystudio.org

Upcoming Events:

Enhancing Your Wheel-Thrown Pot

Workshop led by Hsin-Chuen Lin

Ruby’s is pleased to offer a hands-on workshop with master teacher Hsin-Chuen Lin

Registration opens on Wednesday, May 6th at 7pm.

Fee: $65 *

Limit: 11 participants

Event open only to current Ruby’s community members.

Sliding scale fee offered by using coupon codes during registration:

WS25%OFF for $49 fee

WS50%OFF for $32.50 fee

WS75%OFF for $16 fee

Honor code applies

*This event is being offered at a reduced rate thanks to a generous donation to the Ruby’s Workshop Committee to help enrich our community programming.

Workshop Details:

This hands-on program is specifically designed for wheel throwers seeking to refine their techniques for enhancing and decorating the surfaces of their pottery.

Hsin will impart his meticulous methods for enhancing wheel-thrown surfaces, including chattering, sgraﬃto carving on the leather-hard surface** and applying roller textures to freshly-thrown cylinders prior to 'volumizing'.

Participants will have ample opportunity to experiment with the provided tools to achieve chattering/carving textures and can expect to receive direct guidance from Hsin. Time-permitting, additional techniques can be tailored to individual interests upon request.

Schedule includes a 30 minute lunch break.

No firings are included in this workshop.

**Participants will need to bring a few leather-hard pieces to practice chattering and sgraffito—bowls, mugs, vases are appropriate.

Artist Bio:

Hsin-Chuen Lin, a Taiwanese-born ceramicist, studied at the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei and holds a Master of Fine Art degree from the University of Iowa.

Working in clay has been Lin's passion for almost 40 years. His form has evolved since he came to U.S. in 1988. His inspiration comes from eastern culture, in particular Chinese Shan and Zhou dynasties' bronzes as well as Song dynasty's elegant pottery. He also was influenced by the American contemporary ceramics, embracing freedom and spontaneity in making pots. He works mainly on a potter’s wheel. His beautiful vessels are first thrown, then torn, punched, squeezed, decorated, and finally fired in gas and wood fired kilns, raku or saggar, depending on what he wants to express.

Based in Fremont, CA, he teaches at various community and arts centers and maintains a prolific online presence sharing teaching videos on YouTube.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/hsinchuenlin/

Questions? Email workshop@rubysclaystudio.org

The studio reserves the right to cancel the workshop if there are not enough registrations, in which case refunds will be issued.

*When registering for a workshop we recommend using Chrome or FireFox. If you use Safari, turn off tracking to see the registration button.

NOTE: When registering for a workshop we recommend using Chrome or FireFox. If you use Safari, TURN OFF “PREVENT CROSS-SITE TRACKING” and “BLOCK ALL COOKIES” to see the registration button. Registration button may not show if TRACKING in enabled.

Refund Policy

Payments are non-refundable and non-transferable. Circumstances that may allow for refunds are:

1. A physician's note stating a condition that prevents the student from working in clay or at the studio.

2. Instances of extreme, unexpected hardship. This may include the death or serious illness of someone close. Exceptions are granted at the discretion of the manager. Changes in a student's priorities, job or vacation plans do not constitute the means for a refund. Having stated this, studio managers will attempt to assist students by granting partial refunds if a replacement student can be found for the class. When replacements are found (which must be before the third class), students are granted a refund equal to the pro-rated amount paid by the new student, less a $50 fee for accounting.

Registration & General Information

Please read this! it may affect whether you get into the workshop of your choice.

1. Ruby’s doesn't accept early registrations.

2. All registrations for the workshops will begin online. We encourage you to make arrangements to register online when registration opens.

3. Please be aware that your choices on the registration form are binding and you will be charged for any workshop (including alternate choices that you make). Do not register for a workshop you are unlikely to take. If you must drop, please notify management as soon as possible. Review our refund policy.

Introduction to Soda Firing THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL!

Workshop led by Yuki Watanabe at Clay Creations

Ruby’s is pleased to offer an opportunity for Rubyites to experience the magic of soda firing!

Registration opens on Wednesday, April 15th at 7pm.

Fee: $100 *

Limit: 10 participants

Event open only to current Ruby’s community members.

Sliding scale fee offered by using coupon codes during registration:

WS25%OFF for $75 fee

WS50%OFF for $50 fee

WS75%OFF for $25 fee

Honor code applies

*This event is being offered at a reduced rate thanks to a generous donation to the Ruby’s Workshop Committee to help enrich our community programming.

Workshop Details:

This workshop is spread out over 3 days:

Day 1: Sunday June 14th, 9 to 10:30am Lecture at Ruby’s Clay Studio

Yuki will provide an overview of the process of soda firing, the effects of the flame and atmosphere on pots, what forms and clay work best for this firing, which ‘liner’ glaze to use, demonstrate flashing slip applications and stacking, and show/display some examples of recent work.
This lecture will inform participants’ choices of the work they want to make for the firing in September.

Day 2: Saturday September 5, 9am to 3:30pm (approx.) at firing site near Half Moon Bay, CA (about 45 miles south from SF)

On-site prepping of the pots and loading of the Kiln
Review of flashing slips and glazes; participants glaze/slip their work
Wadding of all the pieces; loading the kiln.
Day concludes after loading the kiln.
The gas-fueled kiln will be fired overnight by Yuki and Margaret, the owner of the studio.
There will be a lunch break–– bring your own lunch.

Day 3: Saturday September 12, 9am until early afternoon at firing site near Half Moon Bay, CA

Unloading the kiln!
Talk about flame patterns; review pots; discuss results.
Day ends after a full clean-up. There will be grinding, kiln-wash painting of the shelves and clean-up of the kiln. (N95 mask or respirator necessary!)
Participants can linger to share results and look at each other's work.

What participants can expect:

-This is an “introduction” to soda firing. It is a hands-on workshop, but it is not tailored to teach how to fire a soda kiln or spray the soda. The kiln will be fired at night; participants may request to attend the firing, at the discretion of the firing center owner.

-This will be a communal event; participants commit to loading, unloading and cleaning the kiln and working together.

-There will be some heavy lifting! Not everybody needs to lift, but some will need to, so be prepared!

-There are no promises that all pieces will fit in the kiln, but best attempt will be made to include a good selection from everybody. Folks need to be flexible… Loading the kiln is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle and it is all about fitting the right pots in the space that is available.

-Guidelines of each participants’ allotted volume of work will be provided in advance.

-The workshop does not include clay or bisque firing, nor is there time allotted to work with wet clay during the workshop. Participants should make their pieces and arrange to bisque-fire their work independently. They are expected to bring their bisqued pieces to the firing location on Day 2.

Artist Bio: Yukiko Watanabe is a San Francisco-based atmospheric (wood, soda, etc.) firing ceramic artist. Her work incorporates clay dug from Japan and Northern California for surface decoration and glaze to honor the place she resides(d) and for users to feel connected to the earth. She is also an art educator teaching in multiple community ceramic studios in the Bay Area.

IG: @pottery.japonesa