Making and Firing Glaze

In this hands-on, practical workshop you will learn the basics of glaze composition, firing and glaze testing. Students will select and test glazes, pack them into kilns and set appropriate firing cycles. Expert ceramicist Trisha Dean leads this comprehensive workshop covering glaze testing equipment, safe practices, colour and surface development in functional and non-functional glazes, glaze testing methodologies, firing cycles and record keeping.

Selected pieces will be fired in the NAS kilns after the workshop. Please note, it may take up to four weeks after your course ends for works to be available for collection. We will notify you when they are ready for pick up.

* NAS Short Courses are open to students of ages 16 years and over. The NAS Art Club is open to students from ages 15 years and over. 

* What to bring? Please refer to the list of required materials in the Art Materials field below. 

Students must supply their own art materials, please refer to the list below. 

• Towel and protective clothes (old shirt or apron) 
• Notebook and pencils/pens 
• Any ceramics tools that you may already have 
• All clay and other materials are provided 
• We recommend students bring a P2 KN95 disposable mask 
• Rubber gloves
• Apron and hand towel
• Measuring spoons
• Recycled plastic containers for making up glaze samples.
• Small house painting brush (approx. 5-7cm)
• Sponge and scourer
• Enclosed footwear is essential in all studios on campus. 

Trisha Dean has worked in the studio ceramics and education field for the past 30 years. After graduating from the National Art School in 1980 she worked as a production thrower, honing her skills in the discipline of Wheelforming. She holds a Bachelor of Art History and Theory, from the University of Sydney and was Head Teacher of Ceramics at Hornsby TAFE for 8 years. Trisha has taught ceramics at the National Art School, Sydney College of the Arts and many metropolitan and regional colleges of TAFE. She was the editor of the Journal of Australian Ceramics for five years, which features a national and international showcase for the Australian studio ceramics sector. In 1996 Trisha set up Glazeworks, a service which provides technical advice, workshops and services to individual artists, groups and companies in the areas of restoration, heritage and special projects involving the development of ceramic surfaces.