Courses
These exciting courses are suitable for a beginner or a more confident artist. Class sizes are limited to ensure individual guidance & a productive group dynamic. All materials provided on this course are the materials that James uses to make work to exhibition standard. Courses are focused on sculptural slab-building, but there is always flexibility on ideas and outcomes. You will be amazed at how versatile clay can be & at the dramatic structures that can be created in a relatively small space of time.
You will learn how to prepare and manipulate the clay in various ways, suiting your choice of outcome, using moulds & formers. Work can be developed to be placed in your garden, or interior, and can be functional or purely sculptural.
The course is very much designed to send you away with a proudly finished piece of sculptural clay work, feeling very much inspired and confident to go back to your own studios/classes, armed with new ideas & techniques to try.
Further Info
If you’re seeking accommodation for the duration of the course, there are several great options in the area, all within a 10-minute drive. Consider the following locations: High Hoyland, Darton, Flockton, Woolley Edge, Clayton West, Scisset, or even Wakefield itself, where you’ll find hotels nearby.
Here are some places where previous students have stayed. While we cannot guarantee availability or suitability, these options offer a range of prices to suit all budgets:
• The Old Printworks, Clayton West
• Airbnb: Country Cottage, Park Lane, West Bretton
• Airbnb: Smithy Mews, Darton
• Airbnb: Heron Cottage, Huddersfield Road, West Bretton
• Bagden Hotel, Scisset
• Premiere Inn, Wakefield
• Travel Lodge, Woolley Edge M1 (budget-friendly)
Location:
The studio is situated on Jebb Lane, on the opposite side of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) from the main entrance. This is approximately a 30-minute walk through the park or a 3-minute drive.
To enquire about availability/waiting list please drop me an email with your details. contact
My courses are run in small groups and places are limited. When a booking is made, materials, preparation and scheduling begin well in advance, so please read the following before booking.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel your place:
- More than 8 weeks before the course starts: Full refund less a £30 administration fee.
- 3–8 weeks before the course starts: 50% refund.
- Less than 4 weeks before the course starts: No refund.
Transfers
If your plans change, please get in touch as soon as possible. I understand that life sometimes gets in the way and will always do my best to help.
- Subject to availability, bookings may be transferred to another course date. One transfer is permitted per booking and must be used within 12 months of the original course date.
- If I am able to fill your place from a waiting list or another booking, I may, at my discretion, offer a refund less the £30 administration fee.
- If you are unable to attend, you are welcome to transfer your place to a friend or family member. Please let me know their details before the course begins.
Changes or Cancellation by Me
In the unlikely event that I need to cancel a course, you will be offered either a full refund or a transfer to an alternative date.
Liability
Participants attend courses at their own risk. Nothing in these terms excludes liability where it cannot legally be excluded under the laws of England and Wales.
Looking for something different?
James is also co-founder of CLAY Yorkshire, a teaching studio run with fellow ceramic artist Rebecca Appleby. CLAY Yorkshire offers group courses and workshops with both tutors, providing a broader range of techniques, styles and perspectives than working with one artist alone. Ideal for makers wanting to develop a wider ceramic practice