Nathan & Clay

This fall, I'm offering a range of one-time and month-long pottery classes in my studio space in Ames, IA that are perfect for beginners and those with experience on the wheel -- if interested in learning more, visit:

Classes nathan & clay

This morning I helped the Johnston Community School District fix their ceramic kiln at Wallace Elementary — after taking a look and noticing the top and bottom sections were not heating, we got the relays replaced and did some routine maintenance of swapping out the elements. If your studio or school is in need of help with your equipment, shoot me a message here or let me know at: nathanandclay.com/kiln-repair

Capped off summer break with an excellent workshop by Steven Hill at Adamah Arts Studio in Dodgeville, WI — his “Throwing Relaxed, Gestural Forms” workshop was all about altering forms and mark making on freshly thrown clay, something I’ll try to incorporate into some of my work and classes. It was awesome to meet new ceramic artists and to connect with old friends — excited to bring this all into the upcoming school year!

This summer, I have been helping studios and schools in Iowa get their kilns back in working order. If your studio’s kiln needs some new elements or is in need of some maintenance, shoot me a message here or let me know at:

Kiln Repair Nathan is an experienced ceramic artist and can help diagnose an issue with your kiln, please fill out the form below to help describe the problem. Nathan will later reach out with a quote.

This Saturday, August 15, from 3-5pm I'm offering a Tropical Leaf Platters Hand-Building class at Reiman Gardens! This is my last class at the Gardens for the summer - to learn more, shoot me a message or visit: reimangardens.com/events

Paired up with Green Hills Retirement Community this afternoon for a wheel thrown pottery workshop with their residents — this crew was joy to teach! These pots will be brought back to my studio to be fired, dipped in glazed and fired once more. Looking forward to seeing how they all turn out!

Back up in Fort Dodge, IA at the Blanden Art Museum this morning for a children’s hand-building animal planters workshop — it’s always to awesome to see a cylinder transformed into each student’s animal of choice. These pieces will be fired and painted in the coming weeks!

Last month, I hosted Katelyn and a group of her wedding party in my studio for pottery painting to celebrate her upcoming big day — it was a lot fun! If you would like to paint your own ceramic piece or have a group stop by my studio, send me a message here or visit my website: nathanandclay.com/paint-your-own

It’s been a great summer so far creating pottery at the Ames Main Street Farmers' Market and Lucky Star Market in Ames, IA! If you are interested in having me at an event this fall, shoot me a message here or on my website: nathanandclay.com/contact

Hosted a 4-Day Pottery Camp last month in my studio with some really talented artists! Over the course of the workshop, we created pieces of pottery on the wheel, altered them by adding handles or turning them into animals or food-inspired pots and finished the week painting them with colorful underglaze. It was a fun week!