How do I get started?

We recommend taking 3-5 beginner classes to get yourself familiar with the foundations. Teachers will go over the foundations of wheel throwing in each class, and if you ever find yourself a little ahead, our teachers are great in showing you ways to improve or push yourself.

I’ve taken a few beginner classes and want to work on my own, can I go to Open Studio? As much as we would love to have you be apart of our studio community, there are a few more steps in the process that aren’t covered in your beginner classes. The biggest one is glazing. This step is so important as not only can it ruin your pieces but it can also damage our equipment. To get acquainted with glazing, we offer intermediate workshops every other Saturday morning that will get you started on glazing, trimming and making unique vessels.

The third Saturday of the month focuses on trimming and glazing. The in-person guidance and experience is much more helpful than online resources. After glazing and trimming, you can start looking into your own resources, handles and make more unique shapes but the intermediate workshops will also help you in those areas.

We recommend 2-4 intermediate classes, one of those slots dedicated to being the glazing/trimming class before going into OS. There is a lot going on behind the work of a ceramicist and it is not at all obvious. We are hoping with these guidelines that you will be set-up for the ceramic journey.

If you have any further questions or concerns please send us an email or come on in! Our whole staff is familiar with the foundations. We can either help you directly or guide you in the right direction.

Studio times vary depending on private events.

Phoenix open studio times:

Everyday: 9:30am-12pm, 1:30pm-4pm

Wednesdays: 6pm-9pm

Chandler open studio times:

Everyday: 9am-12pm, 1:30pm-4:30pm

YES! Open studio is UNGUIDED. There are studio techs to answer questions about the studio, but they are not teachers. If you have ceramics experience from another studio, you are welcome to sign up!

$45 for one session

$130 for four sessions ($32.50/session)

$220 for eight sessions ($27.50/session)

All firing fees and use of studio tools/glazes are included.

No, but we have several types of New Mexico clay for purchase here!

Prices for our clay range from $24-$30 per 25lb bag. You are welcome to bring clay/glaze from another store, but keep in mind we BISQUE to cone 05 and GLAZE to cone 6.

You can store your personal clay on the shelves next to the sink in the studio for up to 1 month from date of purchase. Please note: we recycle all clay left on the shelves longer than 1 month.

Everything made at Pip in an open studio session will be fired for no extra cost. Use of our glazes are included in your open studio time. Tools for community use are also included, but feel free to bring your own!

That said, we are not set up to be a studio for production potters. If you are producing more work than we're able to fire, we'll let you know and point you to some other, local firing resources.

Open studio sessions are three hours long. Anything you need to do to your pieces —throwing, trimming, glazing, etc.—must be done within the 3 hour time frame. (In other words, we don‘t allow a quick trim or glaze outside of booked studio sessions.)

Please be cleaned up and ready to go at the 3 hour mark.

Works in progress (WIP): store WIP on ware boards or bats, labeled with your name and the date. After 7 days, WIPs will be recycled.

Work that’s been fired: must be picked up from the open studio shelf within 1 month of the date it was unloaded from the kiln. After 1 month, fired work will be recycled.

Bags of clay: must be labeled with your name and the most recent date you came to open studio. After 1 month from the most recent date on the bag, clay will be recycled.

Email info@pipcoffeeclay.com