Throw in porcelain, decorate with slips and oxide…. a gorgeous course with Adam Frew. This course is for potters with some throwing experience that want to refine and improve their throwing techniques and experiment with expressive mark making techniques.
Adam Frew makes clean, elegant pots. He is a potter based in rural Northern Ireland. He works in porcelain, creating thrown functional and large one-off pots. During his studies at Belfast Art College, Adam spent time at the historic Winchcombe Pottery sparking a love for production pottery, and in Finland with Judy Makela. Upon graduating in 2004, he undertook a two year apprenticeship with Lisa Hammond at her Greenwich based pottery where he gained the experience and confidence to set out on his own. Adam moved back to Northern Ireland and was resident potter at Flowerfield Arts Centre for 12 years. He and his family moved to Aghadowey in Co.Derry with the intention of creating a larger studio space beside their home. Following a very successful crowdfunding campaign which part financed the renovation of an old barn, Adam now works and teaches from his own purpose built studio.
“I make clean, simple forms on the potters wheel that subtly show the makers hand in order to imbue a sense of life in the work. I enjoy the spontaneity of throwing, the speed of production and I seek to reflect this energy in my mark making. My marks are continually evolving, I am interested in contrasts; sharp lines, crayon scribbles, brush marks, sponged back sections. It is this ongoing investigation that invigorates my making.”
The emphasis of the week will be on using the potter’s wheel to make a variety of thrown porcelain vessels. Students will be guided through the basics of throwing porcelain and also turning (finishing) pots. Adam will demonstrate his various decoration techniques and students will be encouraged to be experimental in their approach. There will be flexibility in the teaching allowing students to request specific demonstrations or help with a particular technique.
You will decorate your thrown work when it’s dry before it is bisque fired, it will then be fired after the course and finished with a transparent glaze and couriered to you (or you can collect it from us).
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This course is for anyone that has an intermediate level of experience throwing on the wheel in any clay that wishes to advance their throwing technique and in particular work in porcelain.
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SUNDAY
5-7pm Residents Arrive
7.00pm Non residents arrive
7.00pm Welcome Drinks
8pm Dinner
MONDAY-THURSDAY
8.30am Breakfast
9.30am Tuition
1.00pm Lunch
2-5pm Tuition resumes
7.00pm Dinner
FRIDAY
8.30am Breakfast
9.30am Final tuition session
1.00pm Lunch
2.00pm Course ends
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We have onsite accommodation. You can book in as a resident and stay with us, or a ‘non-resident’ if you wish to stay elsewhere or if you live nearby.
More information here
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£1,035 + VAT includes tuition, accommodation and food from arrival on Sunday through to departure after lunch on Friday. See here for details about our residential facilities.
Non-residential
£680 + VAT include all tuition, welcome drinks on Sunday and lunch from Mon-Friday.
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The focus of the course is on process and learning rather than producing work. If there are a few items that you’d like to keep at the end of the week you can either leave that with us for firing and glazing or you can take it home with you to glaze and fire.
Taking your work home to fire
If you decide to take them work with you it’s charged at £5 kilo.
Firing and glazing for you
If you’d like us to bisque fire, glaze and glaze fire for you You will be charged £9 per kilo.
Getting your work
You can collect the work or we will courier to you. Courier charges will vary depending on where you live and the volume of work, average costs are approx £35.
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We are located in Devon between Totnes and Dartmouth.
Our postcode is TQ6 0JA
Driving
We have plenty of free onsite parking.
Trains
Totnes is nearest station then we can arrange lift shares or send taxi details. We are about 20 minutes from the station and costs approx £35 each way.
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A max of 6 people will be on the course to allow Adam to give everyone enough time and attention.
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Food is a key part of an immersive course at Coombe. Meals are taken at a long shared table with the other participants either inside in the cooler months or outside in our courtyard when the weather is warmer. Our onsite chef caters for you including all/any dietary requirements. We grow our own vegetables and keep chickens for fresh eggs daily. For those that enjoy wine, we have a fantastic wine merchant who supply us with a small range available to buy onsite.
BOOK IN BELOW OR CALL 01803 722 352
RESIDENTIAL Total course price is £1,035 + VAT = £1,242 - 1st payment on booking is £248.00
NON RESIDENTIAL Total course price is £680 + VAT = £816 - 1st payment on booking is £136.00
Course takes place from 27th June - 2nd July 2027
Your 1st payment/deposit is non refundable and not transferrable to any other courses*
The balance of fees are due six weeks before the course starts and you will be invoiced for that payment.
*You have a 14 day cooling off period, if you pay the first payment and cancel within 14 days you will receive a full refund for that payment. Thereafter it is non refundable.
We strongly advise you to take out adequate travel insurance in the event that you are unable to attend.