Slab Roller Assembly Day!
Our big, beautiful 24-inch-wide freestanding slab roller is fully assembled and eager to get cranking!
Oh, what fun it was to unbox and assemble our brand new North Star slab roller! We’re going to have two (the other is a smaller table-top-mounted one) but this one is freestanding, with a wheel to make you feel like a ship’s captain on the high seas and 24” of slab-rolling width!
Our 24” slab roller is ready to go into service to make our handbuilding imaginings a reality!
Just imagine all the marvelous things we can build with slabs that big. I know my giant rosemary plant needs to be transplanted into a new planter this spring. Can’t wait to try it out!
The gears are so lovely and they spin so smoothly!
It seems almost a shame to cover them up with the gear guard, but safety first! I do wish they had transparent gear guards though, so we could watch them at work
As soon as we get a table for our second slab roller, that one will go up, too! At the moment, we’re hard at work picking out work tables of various sorts and shelving for all of the amazing projects that are going to be made here at the Staunton Clayground.
Watch this space!
Glaze Selection Sneak Peek! Our Beautiful Browns…
We’ve picked out our first glaze line up! Check out these beautiful warm browns. We can’t wait to try them out on our new clays!
We are very excited to have picked out our initial list of glazes to test with our clays. We’re too eager to get up and running to start mixing up our own recipes just yet, so we’ve opted to start with a selection of eight colors by the Standard company, out of Pennsylvania, along with a clear glaze and a really neat layering glaze specifically for creating interesting effects in conjunction with the others. We thought we’d start by sharing with you the two lovely warm browns we’ve settled on, one dark and one light, because where else would we begin in a pottery studio but with the earth tones?
Standard Glazes “Brown” and “Walnut Brown” are the first two to join our collection! We can’t wait to test them on our white and brown clays.
Rather than choosing each color as a standalone, we have tried not only to select beautiful shades and hues but also to choose ones that work well with each other as a harmonious palette for your unique creations. Stay tuned to see what other colors we’ve picked out for you. We are making sure that all of our glazes are food safe for functional ware!
(For all of you folks who know your way around a glaze room already, we will be using all mid-fire glazes and firing to cone 6 in electric kilns.)
Keep watching this space!
#stauntonclayground #comeandclay #letsclay #pottery #staunton #stauntonvirginia #potterystudio #claystudio #potteryglaze #conesix #standardbrown #standardwalnutbrown #standardglazes #clayclasses #claymemberships #clay
Wheel Unboxing Day!
We unboxed our first nine wheels today and plugged them in. It was a beautiful thing to see them spin! Can’t wait to play…
It was a long time coming, but the electric for our main bank of nine wheels was finally ready, so at long last we got to have our first unboxing day! Oh, what fun it was to set them all up and see them spin!
Our nine new pottery wheels are plugged in and ready to go!
The bank includes four student wheels on each side, capped on the far end by the teacher’s wheel. We will have three additional wheels for members, too, in a dedicated area, although members will be free to use these ones as well when no classes are going on.
We can’t wait to play! We finally got our running water… which is great news! Still waiting on some other furniture and equipment. Should be coming soon.
Watch this space!
#stauntonclayground #comeandclay #letsclay #pottery #staunton #stauntonvirginia #potterystudio #claystudio #potterywheels
Staunton Clayground postcards are popping up around town!
Excited to share the first promotional postcard from the Staunton Clayground, featuring a background of flowers from one of our founder’s own handbuilt vases and our official logo!
Our wonderful founder, Cary Dahl, had these lovely postcards made to share the news about our soon-to-open Studio! You may have already seen them around Downtown Staunton, but just in case you haven’t… I couldn’t let you miss them! Thank you so much to all of the businesses who have offered their counter-top, shop-window and bulletin-board space to help us spread the word.
Our first promotional postcard, featuring flowers from our of our founder Cary’s own handbuilt vases.
The flower decoration in the background is actually a detail from one of Cary’s own handbuilt vases. See if you can pick it out from the crowd in the gallery you’ll find if you scroll towards the bottom of our homepage!
One of the first classes we plan to feature will be a handbuilding class taught by Cary, so check out our Classes & Courses page for more info if you’re interested! Dates coming soon :-) You can also read more about Cary on our Staff & Instructors page.
By the time our next batch of cards is ready for circulation, we will be able to grace them with an Open House date.
Keep watching this space!
#stauntonclayground #comeandclay #letsclay #pottery #staunton #stauntonvirginia #potterystudio #claystudio
The Staunton Clayground Is Coming!
Whether you are just hearing about the Staunton Clayground, or you have been patiently anticipating our opening, I'm excited to tell you that we are moving into our space! We are a membership-focused pottery studio in Downtown Staunton that offers tools, workspace, equipment (12 wheels, 3 kilns and 2 slab rollers!) glazes and kiln-firing for members, as well as an array of classes and workshops for beginners through seasoned potters. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay tuned for announcements about an open house and first introductory class!
Building Community Through Clay
Whether you are just hearing about the Staunton Clayground, or you have been patiently anticipating our opening, I'm excited to tell you that we are moving into our space and working hard to create an environment that allows you to be creative and productive, whether on your own or in classes. Stay tuned for announcements about an open house and first introductory class!
So, what are we? We are a membership-focused pottery studio in Downtown Staunton that offers tools, workspace, equipment, glazes and kiln-firing for members, as well as an array of classes and workshops for beginners through seasoned potters. We have 12 pottery wheels, 3 kilns, and 2 slab rollers, so there is plenty of room to spread out and get creative.
So, where are we? We are located under the Frederick Street Post Office in a space called the Cellar. Among other businesses, we will be sharing the floor with a sewing school, so members will be surrounded by creative energy!
So, why are we? Officially, we founded Staunton Clayground in order to “Celebrate Clay, Creativity, and Community”. But honestly, if you are like me, you are tired of creating art in solitude; we all had enough solitude during the pandemic. So I see the Clayground as being a place to work and play side by side with other people having fun, sharing ideas, and growing together. As we say on our homepage, “building bonds one joyful creation at a time”.
We believe in…
the power of art to improve the world, one life at a time, the joy of creating to foster personal expression, self-exploration, personal growth and self-confidence.
We believe in…
forging relationships and collaborations with local non-profit organizations to help them fulfill their missions.
If you are interested in taking classes, becoming a Studio Member, or simply want to stay informed, please sign up for our newsletter (if you haven’t already) and come and clay with us!
Clay covered hands, “Building community through clay!”
#stauntonclayground #comeandclay #letsclay #pottery #staunton #stauntonvirginia #potterystudio #claystudio