Mara Ellison
Founder, production thrower
Throws the dinnerware line and runs the glaze tests.
About the studio
A kiln, six wheels and one long table.
We started Ashgrove to make plates and mugs that hold up to daily use, and to give people a place to learn the craft without buying a kiln of their own.
How the studio works
Everything sold in the shop is thrown by hand on the premises. We mix our own glazes from raw materials and test every new recipe on tiles before it touches a finished pot.
The teaching side of the studio funds the production side. Students use the same clay, the same glazes and the same kiln as our own work, so what you make in a class comes out of the firing looking like it belongs on a shelf.
We fire in small loads, usually two bisque and one glaze firing a month. It is slower than a large production kiln, and it lets us give each batch the attention it needs.
- Founded
- 2014
- Clay body
- Cone 6 stoneware
- Kiln
- Electric, 10 cubic feet
- Wheels
- Six, plus a hand-building table
- Class size
- Eight students
From lump to mug
How a piece is made
Wedge
Knead the clay to push out air pockets that would burst in the kiln.
Throw
Centre the clay on the wheel and pull up the walls.
Trim
Turn the leather-hard pot over and carve the foot ring.
Bisque
First firing to cone 04, 1060 °C. The clay turns porous and hard.
Glaze
Dip or brush the glaze on. It looks chalky until it is fired.
Glaze fire
Second firing to cone 6, 1222 °C. The glaze melts to glass.
The people
Who you will meet
Tomás Reyes
Kiln and glaze lab
Loads and fires every batch and keeps the glaze recipes consistent.
Priya Nandakumar
Classes and community
Teaches the beginner course and hosts the open-wheel evenings.
Come and see the kiln.
Studio visits are welcome during shop hours. Send a message and we will tell you when the next firing is opened.