Sonya Ceramic Art reviews

23 Jan 20'

Sophie reviewed: Pottery Tuition ~ Learn how to Throw on the Potter's Wheel, Slab-build and Coil in 1 Full Day's Attentive Teaching

"I had a session with Sonya at the weekend and found it great fun. Having not done pottery for many years, I was able to learn some new skills to support throwing on the wheel. Sonya was very encouraging and enabled me to explore and learn from my mistakes, which I believe is the very best way to learn. Sonya demonstrated clearly and enabled us to then have time to make several pots of our own. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and can highly recommend Sonya as a great teacher. Thank you Sonya for giving us a great creative and mindful experience!"

Sonya Ceramic Art responded:

"Hi Sophie Thank you for writing your review, it's great to hear that you enjoyed it so much and I am complimented that you found my teaching approach effective seeing that you are a teacher also! I was impressed how well you connected with the clay, took time to wait for its response and remembered each stage of the process. You looked very natural at the wheel so I hope you will get the chance to do more throwing as it certainly suited you! I will look forward to seeing you again in a couple of weeks when you collect your pots. In the meantime, if you would like to come back to decorate them with the cobalt oxide (blue colour) that we discussed, then please do let me know. I will be firing your pots today or tomorrow to biscuit ware. So they would be ready for glazing next week. Best Wishes, Sonya."

22 Jan 20'

jon nicholls reviewed: Pottery Tuition ~ Learn how to Throw on the Potter's Wheel, Slab-build and Coil in 1 Full Day's Attentive Teaching

"Sophie and I attend a 121 pottery class with Sonya this weekend. I have to say it was a while since I did any pottery throwing, so was a little apprehensive. However Sonya was brilliant, she took us through a demonstration and then asked us to try it out...very mindful and tactile experience. We even managed to produce a couple of pots each - hope they don't explode in the kiln! Sonya is very knowledgeable about all aspects of pottery, glazing etc. and I would thoroughly recommend her course...even if it's just for the fun element. Thanks Sonya"

Sonya Ceramic Art responded:

"Dear Jon, Thank you for your enthusiastic review. I very much enjoyed showing you and Sophie the different techniques of throwing and helping you both start to build a 'personal formula' for the different hand positions. You both did so well to produce 5 pieces in total which I will be gazing for you as momentous of the experience. Your pieces should be ready in the next couple of weeks so I will be in contact then. Best Wishes, Sonya :-)"

24 Nov 19'

Elizabeth Talbot reviewed: Pottery Tuition ~ Learn how to Throw on the Potter's Wheel, Slab-build and Coil in 1 Full Day's Attentive Teaching

"Sonya is amazing! Not only is she very knowledgeable about ceramics, but also a fantastic teacher and lovely person. My teenage daughter has had weekly lessons which she has used as her skill for her DofE Bronze Award. Sonya has demonstrated and given guidance on a variety of methods and allowed my daughter (who is left handed) to find techniques that she is comfortable with, making the sessions fun and productive without any pressure. She has produced numerous pieces, including a set of mugs, bowls & coasters and is keen to learn more. Thanks Sonya."

Sonya Ceramic Art responded:

"Dear Elizabeth and Emilia, Thank you for your review. I am so pleased to have spent the time with Emilia over the past 12 weeks. She has been a pleasure to teach and it's been rewarding to see her relax in to the sessions and benefit from the therapeutic aspects of working with clay as well as picking up the techniques so well. I wish her every success in completing her Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award. I'm sure she will pass with flying colours! Best Wishes, Sonya."

11 Aug 19'

Hala Lloyd reviewed: Pottery Tuition ~ Learn how to Throw on the Potter's Wheel, Slab-build and Coil in 1 Full Day's Attentive Teaching

"I ended up at Sonya’s studio, having been let down by a last minute cancellation at a group workshop elsewhere, and I’m so very glad that happened! I had a tremendous day which positively flew by! Sonya is very warm, welcoming and accommodating. The 1-1 set up for the day was structured yet flexible and I was able to try my hand at throwing, which I’d always wanted to do and thoroughly enjoyed even if I didn’t end up with anything resembling a pot! Significantly, I was able to produce a built up wall plaque, which is a very important project to me, and which I’ll be going back to add glaze and lustre to. I’m really looking forward to learning these next stages and have no doubt Sonya will ensure the experience is informative, personal and fun ! What more could I ask for!"

Sonya Ceramic Art responded:

"Dear Hala, I'm so very pleased you enjoyed the 1 day workshop with me. It was a pleasure helping you build your wall plaque from an initial idea into reality. It's not often that a student comes with such a clear idea of what they want to create, and with so much authentic detailing. It was mesmerising to see how your piece evolved over the day and I'm so looking forward to helping you put on the final touches with glaze and lustre. I see another ceramicist in the making! Best Wishes, Sonya."

4 Mar 19'

Emma reviewed: Pottery Tuition ~ Learn how to Throw on the Potter's Wheel, Slab-build and Coil in 1 Full Day's Attentive Teaching

"I had a lovely day with Sonya exploring pottery for the first time! It was wonderful to have the one to one tuition. This meant the day could flow naturally with what I found I enjoyed most and where I felt I'd like to get more experience. Sonya was a fantastic teacher, she gave me lots of different methods and ideas of how to work with the clay so that I could find what worked best for me. I am so pleased with the pots that we made together. I made 3 bowls, a large vase and finally managed to make a little jug after many failed attempts! I can't believe what we managed to do just in the one day. A testament to some really patient and creative teaching from Sonya. I'm now looking forward to glazing the pots and having the finished pieces at home. Thank you!"

Sonya Ceramic Art responded:

"Hi Emma, thank you so much for your lovely review. I'm so pleased you found the day so enjoyable and useful. Yes it was so rewarding to see you produce so many final pieces, especially seeing this was your first time - they will look fantastic when they are glazed! See you soon. Best Wishes, Sonya."

18 Feb 19'

Matt Lodge reviewed: Pottery Tuition ~ Learn how to Throw on the Potter's Wheel, Slab-build and Coil in 1 Full Day's Attentive Teaching

"As soon as you arrive, Sonya's warm welcoming manner makes you feel instantly at home. You're then offered a wide selection of drinks as she sits down with you to discuss what you would like to achieve from the day. I had already been in contact with her on what aspects of pottery I would like to improve on. For me, that was throwing, but it could have easily been slab work or any other hand building technique. Sonya came up with a tailored plan of how she thought the day could unfold. It gave a good mixture of hands on experimentation as well as showing step by step tutorials. She was also very knowledgeable explaining not just how you do something, but why as well. What I liked most, is that even though we had a plan for the day, it could be completely adapted depending on how you took to each task. For example, If you found centring your clay on the wheel particularly challenging, (like I did) then you would spend more time going through that, exploring different methods for centring to find one that would work for your particular style. I would recommend the workshop to anyone from beginner to advanced. You will have a great day and come away with lots of pieces to take home. I look forward to going back to finish glazing them."

Sonya Ceramic Art responded:

"Thank you for your review Matt, I'm so pleased you found the day useful and the numerous pieces you produced are a testament to your improved throwing skills! I will look forward to helping you glaze them so you can start using your plates, bowls and vases!"

10 Jan 19'

Camille Parke reviewed: Pottery Tuition ~ Learn how to Throw on the Potter's Wheel, Slab-build and Coil in 1 Full Day's Attentive Teaching

"Sonya is an excellent teacher. I very much enjoyed learning in her studio one to one. It was my first time making ceramics on a wheel, which I found especially fun. I rediscovered the pleasure of making something by getting messy with my hands. A real treat."

Sonya Ceramic Art responded:

"Dear Camille, I'm so glad you found your first experience throwing on the Potter's Wheel a real treat. You worked so diligently with the clay and produced an amazing vase inspired by Hans Coper. It's now fired and ready for glazing whenever you fancy doing the decorative fun bit! Best Wishes, Sonya."

30 Nov 18'

Jasmine reviewed: Pottery Tuition ~ Learn how to Throw on the Potter's Wheel, Slab-build and Coil in 1 Full Day's Attentive Teaching

"I had such a wonderful time spending the day with Sonya in her lovely studio. I'm an Art teacher and wanted to improve my skills and confidence in Ceramics. I went in without any idea of what I wanted to create and came out with a beautiful vase which was made up of a mixture of hand thrown pieces and some slab built pieces. Having Sonya work with me 1:1 was brilliant and she was able to tailor the session to suits my previous experience with clay which was great. She was also able to share her experiences of teaching in a school which was really useful. I loved it so much I'm thinking about getting my own wheel and kiln. Thanks Sonya!"

Sonya Ceramic Art responded:

"Thank you Jasmin, it was a pleasure teaching you and you are such a natural! Your final piece is amazing...degree standard! It is drying at the moment and then once fired you can pop back to decorate it and learn about the Alchemy of glazing! See you soon...Sonya"

18 Oct 18'

Elizabeth Lamb reviewed: Pottery Tuition ~ Learn how to Throw on the Potter's Wheel, Slab-build and Coil in 1 Full Day's Attentive Teaching

"I absolutely loved my time learning from Sonya! I made three pots, and a mug over my sessions with her... and I particularly enjoyed and benefitted from the 1:1 help to find throwing techniques that suited my hands (rather than just learning a one-size-fits-all-method which I'd found hard before meeting her). Her style of teaching gave me new confidence and enjoyment in working with clay and I'd highly recommend Sonya as a teacher for anyone interested in learning more about the joy of clay!"

Sonya Ceramic Art responded:

"Elizabeth, thank you for your review...it has been a pleasure teaching you and helping you perfect your throwing style. It can be difficult to gain a personal style when taught in a group setting so I'm pleased my 1:1 approach has helped enrich your experience with clay and helped you gain in confidence. Your work has certainly reflected this! Keep up the good work and I hope to see you again soon. Best Wishes, Sonya."

4 Oct 18'

Tom Thomas reviewed: Pottery Tuition ~ Learn how to Throw on the Potter's Wheel, Slab-build and Coil in 1 Full Day's Attentive Teaching

"It was fun/Amazing I loved it ? Sonya is very helpful and fun"

Sonya Ceramic Art responded:

"Hi Tom, thank you for commenting on your time spent with me creating with clay! It's been a pleasure working with you and your Dragon in particular! Until next time..."

4 Oct 18'

Eddy Lawton reviewed: Pottery Tuition ~ Learn how to Throw on the Potter's Wheel, Slab-build and Coil in 1 Full Day's Attentive Teaching

"My son has done a couple of projects with Sonya. The first time he went with an idea of a present he wanted to make for his Godmother. He looked up the picture of a frog lazing on a lily leaf. The project was split over several days. He started with using the clay to form and create his lily leaf and frog. Next he painted it then returned to glaze it. Sonya allowed Tom to lead the sessions and helped him create his own idea with guidance and support. This was an amazing and positive experience for him. We are now on his second creation of a Dragon. Sonya was able to provide a theraputic and nurturing environment which allowed my son to flourish. I can not recommend her highly enough"

Sonya Ceramic Art responded:

"Dear Eddy, thank you for your review! I was so pleased to help Tom with his Frog project. It's always a pleasure to meet children who have such a zest for creativity and ideas and Tom certainly knew exactly what he wanted to create, which helped the whole process along nicely. He's been a pleasure to work with and I look forward to completing the latest Dragon project too!"

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