Ceramic Glaze Technology Workshop

This course is for people who have experimented little or not at all with glazes and finally want to understand what and why things happen in a glaze bucket and then in the kiln.

Its formula is based on a combination of theory and practice: lectures are interspersed with exercises, thanks to which knowledge turns into experience, and experience into knowledge. Prior knowledge of technological issues is not required – that's what the instructor is for 😉.

When designing the workshop, we were guided by the principle of "a fishing rod instead of a fish." The experimental part focuses on understanding the operation and function of individual ceramic raw materials, rather than on "making one, finished glaze." This workshop teaches technological thinking, not recipe reproduction.

The program is intensive but designed so that participants leave with:

• a solid foundation of knowledge,

• real experience working with glazes,

• and tools that allow them to continue experimenting independently.

During the workshops, you will learn, among other things:

• how to read and convert glaze recipes,

• how to consciously modify them,

• how to prepare glaze "according to the rules of art,"

• how to think about coloring, ingredient proportions, and their properties.

All these issues will also be the subject of practical experiments. Each participant receives their own scale, tools, and sample tiles to independently go through the entire process, feel like a technology researcher, and (very likely) catch the technology bug for good.

The workshops take place over a weekend and last a total of 16 hours:

• 8 hours (10:00-18:00) on Saturday (with a lunch break),

• 6 hours (9:00-15:00) on Sunday (with a lunch break),

• 2-hour online summary meeting, after firing the samples.

The second date, October 10-11, will take place in our new studio at Żupnicza 10 in Warsaw.

All classes are led by Zuza Nowak from the BISKWIT Educational Workshop.

During the workshops, participants make 20–30 samples and take part in approximately 4 hours of presentation-lecture part.

PS. Don't worry, if the word "chemistry" makes you slightly stressed - these workshops are also for you!

They are designed for people who want to understand glazes, but do not necessarily want to go back to school chemistry lessons. We do not excessively focus on chemical formulas or complicated equations - we focus on logic, dependencies and practice, i.e. on what actually helps in everyday work with glazes.

Instructor's Bio

Zuzanna Nowak - involved with ceramics for 11 years, a graduate of Ceramics Art and Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław, founder of the BISKWIT Educational Ceramics Workshop with nearly ten years of experience in conducting courses and training. Her specialty and passion are glaze and ceramic body technology, including developing her own recipes. Author of the diploma thesis "Crystallization - a study of enchantment."