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Demystifying ceramic glazes: a practical guide for potters
If you’ve ever attended a weekly pottery class, chances are the glazing process felt a little like a mystery. You might have been shown how to wax the bottom of your pot, dip it into a bucket of glaze, and place it carefully on a kiln shelf — without much explanation of what’s actually happening inside that glaze bucket or during the firing itself. For many studio potters and hobbyists, glazes remain one of the most elusive and underexplored areas of ceramics.
And yet, glazing is one of the most rewarding areas of study in ceramics. It’s where science meets art, and where a little knowledge about glaze chemistry and firing dynamics can unlock whole new creative possibilities. Whether you’re interested in classic celadons, rich iron tenmokus or silky matte finishes, understanding how glazes work is essential to developing your own style and achieving consistent, beautiful results.
At Corrie Bain International Ceramics School, we’re passionate about helping potters develop confidence in this area, which is why we’re running a glaze workshop in Barcelona this winter with John Britt, a studio potter and glazing expert. In this article, we’ll share a beginner-friendly overview of how glazes work, look at common types of glaze, and explore some of the chemical changes that occur during firing.
John Britt: Cone 6 Ceramic Glaze Workshop
This workshop will be a general overview of ceramic glazes, focusing on but not limited to cone 6 glazes. It is designed for beginner to intermediate potters. We will discuss cones, kilns, firing dynamics and principles as well as applying those principles to various firing cycles. This will lead us into some basic classifications of glazes, like ash, celadon, temmoku, etc. We will discuss how and why each type of glaze works and how you can achieve them, how to adjust your glazes and how to find new ones. We will discuss glazes from my new book: “The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes: Glazing and Firing at cone 4 – 7”, but will go into more detail than the book allowed.
Dates: 2025 November 24th-26th
9am to 17pm
Language: English (No translation in site)
Price: 600€
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Corrie Bain International Ceramics School is the teaching project of the award-winning and prestigious British ceramist Corrie Bain. Member of the IAC (International Academy of Ceramics) and the ACC (Association of Ceramists of Catalonia), she dedicates part of her professional life to teaching ceramics as a means of artistic expression. At its ceramics school in Barcelona, you can develop in the art of ceramics from an initial level to professionalization, being able to choose from a wide range of courses adapted to your level and your needs, such as intensive week or weekend wheel throwing course , intensive weekend hand building course, continuous courses of wheel throwing and hand building or a 3-month professionalization course.
Memberships and partnerships:
Corrie Bain International Ceramics School is the teaching project of the award-winning and prestigious British ceramist Corrie Bain. Member of the IAC (International Academy of Ceramics) and the ACC (Association of Ceramists of Catalonia), she dedicates part of her professional life to teaching ceramics as a means of artistic expression. At its ceramics school in Barcelona, you can develop in the art of ceramics from an initial level to professionalization, being able to choose from a wide range of courses adapted to your level and your needs, such as intensive week or weekend wheel throwing course , intensive weekend hand building course, continuous courses of wheel throwing and hand building or a 3-month professionalization course.
Memberships and partnerships:
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