Mentorship Programme and Workshops

Due to demand I will be presenting another Mentorship Programme starting on 4th March. Designed for those who have a ceramic practice and have reached a cross roads with their work. The reasons for participating on this programme are numerous, and yet the aim is clear; to arrive at a solution for whatever problems you are encountering in your work. It could also be looked at as an ongoing journey for the serious ceramist wanting to expand the boundaries of their work and to create their own identity through the medium of ceramics.

The purpose of the programme is to give the participants insight into what they want to be making and also to assist with the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of it.
Critical assessment will play a major role in the programme as will exploration of the motivation informing the work produced.
The programme requires a commitment of 6 months. We will meet once a month for 3 hours and to get the maximum results from the programme it is expected that the participants carry out whatever work is required of them between meetings.
Please be aware that this is not a practical class, but rather an opportunity for discussion, assessment, feedback and debate.
On registration for The Mentorship Programme you will be required to complete a questionnaire which must be submitted before commencing the programme.The dates of the sessions are: 4 March, 1 April,
6 May, 3 June, 1 July and 5 August. The cost of the programme is R1800.00

I will be presenting my most popular workshop, Decorating Techniques – on green and bisque ware, this coming Friday, 18th February. The workshop covers a variety of surface treatments. Among the techniques I will be demonstrating are a numerous resist methods, as well as etching on raw clay, underglaze and majolica painting and also stamping sponging and lining. I will also discuss how to make your own underglaze and majolica colours and ceramic crayons. This is the ideal workshop to open your mind to new processes and get your creativity flowing. Cost R300.00

On Friday 25th February I will be presenting a new workshop, Photographing Your Work. Whether for a portfolio, an exhibition, or simply for record keeping, good photographs are a must for every ceramist. More and more exhibitions and competitions today require digital submissions, and a poor image can lessen your chances of acceptance. With today’s digital cameras, even the most simple, it is easier than ever to create images of n excellent quality. This workshop is designed to improve your images using simple point and shoot cameras. Using SLR cameras is beyond the scope of this workshop. It is specifically for those who are unsure how to go about photographing their work and to provide a better understanding of your camera and how to best show your work to get you started using your camera to better effect. As this is a participating workshop you will need to bring your camera as well as 1 or 2 of your pieces of work that you want to photograph. Cost R300.00

These workshops will be presented from 9:30 – 12:30 at The Pottery Studio, 24 Old Kilcullen Road, Bryanston. As space is limited, booking is essential. Please contact with name and date of the workshop you wish to attend at johnshir@gmail.com also please let me know if you wish to be informed of any workshops I will be running in the future