BarroCo Clay Studio

Barro.Co Clay studio is an impeccably maintained, fully-equipped, state of the art, low-fire clay studio, primarily dedicated to hand-building sculpture with professional instruction, and with all the equipment and materials you will need to make your projects come to fruition.  We have one very large gas car kiln, a free standing slab roller, a wall mounted extruder, a pottery wheel, 4 clay bodies, 60 engobe colours, clear glaze, maiolica glazes (14 colours), 16 recently formulated coloured glazes, mineral oxides, 100s of work boards of all sizes, professional sculpture stands, and 100s of sculpting tools and brushes.

I have a BA in Anthropology and History, a Bachelor in Fine Arts, and a Masters in Fine Arts in ceramic sculpture, a lot of experience in many other media (textiles, photography, silver, painting, drawing, architecture and landscaping), as well as a strong background in art history, colour theory, and literature, that make learning exciting and insightful as I draw on references from many sources in my teaching methods.

The Barro.Co Clay Studio Team runs a tight ship, and we are dedicated to making your experience inspiring, productive, innovative and fun. My main teaching assistant, Karen Gomez, (who is a few months short of completing her BFA and a very talented and innovative artist), and my trusty long term studio assistants, Sara and Lupe Guerrero, and Osmundo, our studio administrator, and our four comical dog friends, make up our dream team to keep the quality of teaching and the quality of the studio environment in tip top shape. My talent lies in seeing people’s projects through their eyes, and assisting in successfully completing their projects based on their skills, their visions, and how they best learn. We teach each student individually within a professional group setting, so that each student can choose exactly what they want to learn and create.  Come join us!!

We welcome creative beginners and professionals of all fields, architects, painters, sculptors, graphic designers, engineers, musicians, writers, scientists, as well as beginners and advanced art students and accomplished artists.  Our artist-in-residence program has been a resounding success, where we give scholarships to local artists, who normally work in other materials, to come and translate their ideas into clay.  The interaction of our artists-in-residence with our students has added a whole new dimension to the students’ experience.

I’m enchanted by the idea of creating a community of intelligent, good-spirited and talented people who get together to make great art, clever conversations, and visionary proposals in life.  It’s not just a clay studio to me, it is a community service, a beautiful light-filled space where people can feel comfortable, happy, and inspired, where we can collaborate in life and community and share ideas in a thoughtful way, where we can dialogue, grow and create.  My vision is so much more to me than working in clay and I invite you to join us!!

CLASSES
Students will create ceramic sculptures combining slab and coil-building techniques, press-molded and extruded elements, and techniques of surface embellishment.

Los estudiantes aprenderán a crear esculturas en barro combinando diferentes técnicas de construcción, tales como placas laminadas y rollos de barro, formas de barro hechas de moldes de yeso, y con elementos de extrusora.

CLAY AND FIRINGS
If you prefer to work in your home studio, we sell a high quality earthenware sculpting clay and offer firing by the piece. Come by and visit our studio, and take a clay sample home to try.
Si prefieres trabajar en tu propio estudio, vendemos barro de gran calidad para escultura y ofrecemos un servico de quema por pieza. Ven a visitarnos y llévate una muestra de barro.

THE WAREHOUSE SPACE:  Our studio, a renovated warehouse, is a colorful and cheery working environment.  It is a large open area of 220 m2 (2370 sq.ft.).  The studio has high ceilings, natural light and feels airy and spacious.   There is plenty of space for each student to work comfortably at a sculpting stand or sitting at a table.    The daytime temperatures in the studio range between 18 – 27 degrees Celsius (64-80 Fahrenheit) all year round.   In the winter, please dress in warm clothes (we do have 2 space heaters) with the option of removing layers as the studio heats up over the morning. There is hot water available in the studio sink for washing hands and tools.

EL TALLER: Nuestro estudio es una bodega renovada colorida, alegre y llena de luz.  Es un gran espacio abierto de 220 m2.  Hay mucho espacio para trabajar a gusto.  El taller cuenta con techos altos, luz natural, se siente aireado y espacioso.  La temperatura oscila entre 18-27 grados centígrados.  En el invierno, por favor, vistete con ropa abrigadora, el taller se calienta a lo largo de la mañana.  Para estos dias de frio contamos con agua caliente en el fregadero para el lavado de manos y herramientas.