Connecting through Ceramics
FIONA MCGARRY is entranced by St Leonards Ceramics Studio
Over the past few years, there has been a palpable ‘buzz’ in St Leonards as people give in to their urge to take up traditional crafts: knitted goods and needlecraft; baked products; craft beer – and, one that I find the most exciting, ceramics.
Kim Kish at the wheel
Within the Marina Colonnade, St Leonards Studio is directly across from the beach and has a wonderful calming view out to sea. As I walk through the door, there’s a sense of a tranquil shared space, but also, an atmosphere of purposeful activity and creativity. “There’s currently a flurry of firing as we get to the end of term,” according to the owner, Kim Kish.
The St Leonards Ceramics studio opened post-pandemic in October 2021 to address limited opportunities for ceramicists like Kim, who felt isolated: “I’ve been a wheel thrower for over 20 years,” she says, “but when I moved down here 10 years ago, there were no studios. The only place that offered ceramics classes was the college – and that was more hand-building based. Working on your own gets a little lonely – you miss the interactions with other students and having a teacher to check in on you.”
Kim wasn’t sure what would happen when she opened, and initially ran eight classes a week with three other teachers. Things started to expand and it’s now one of the biggest and most prolific ceramics studios in the area with 12 regular classes each week (eight focused on wheel throwing), six teachers and five studio assistants. The studio is well equipped for wheel throwing and hand building: it has 10 shimpo wheels, hand-building equipment, tools, extruder and numerous glazes and slips, mostly made in the studio.
Given how much I’ve always wanted to explore working with clay, I can’t believe I haven’t been in here before. Perhaps because I’m not sure whether I want to risk using the wheel (and failing) or whether I have enough creative ideas for hand building. Apparently, it’s possible to have a go at both before you decide which route is for you. Kim points out that they run taster sessions almost every weekend.
She stresses the importance of a supportive teacher. “We always start with the basics of the technique. Sometimes people come in with ideas, but if they don’t, we start them with a simple project until they become more confident.”
She also emphasises the broad skill sets available. “There are so many different things to learn in ceramics. Having one teacher gives you a limited perspective, but this is a place of sharing.” They have guest potters who bring new perspectives, and dedicated students can become ‘members’ and work downstairs in the members area launched last year. (They recommend a minimum of one year of classes before advancing on to membership.)
The fact that there’s no pressure to talk to people when you’re working with clay makes it a relaxing and healing experience. The studio has hosted sessions for groups such as the Refugee Buddy Project and also tried ‘Clay Dates’ for couples. Later this year they are planning various types of singles nights (speed dating with pottery).
Kim says: “What surprised me most when I opened the studio was that people were not coming just for the pottery, but sometimes because they didn’t know anybody. Two-and-a-half years later, a lot of them (80%) are still coming, and they’ve become very close to the people they met in their classes.”
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