River Ceramics

I’m pretty new to clay work in general, doing it as a hobbyist rather than as a profession, so I wondered if I was getting into the deep end by subscribing to Jolene’s class. I couldn’t have been more wrong! She has a way of breaking down the steps in easy-to-follow ways for all skills levels. It’s one thing to be creative but another gift entirely to be able to share your creative skills in a way that anyone can learn. It was brilliant and Jolene was an excellent teacher. There are wonderful nuggets of wisdom and sharing of skills throughout the entire course but the one thing I’ve taken most to heart is the reminder that it’s ok to just play. Don’t get too precious - just enjoy the act of underglazing and carving the work. You may just find something amazing comes from it!

I’ve worked with clay for 2 decades and have some experience with sgrafitto but the strength and value of this course was the creative process and inspiration around the clay work. The sketchbook and activities with patterns, words and leads is of value to beginners and more experienced artists alike. I enjoyed the course immensely and have been creating loads of pieces. The leads exercise that builds on a particular aspect or pattern or component has already resulted in a body of work for me. I’ve got a much better success rate gauging if the clay is ready for underglaze and I’ve changed my process to create slabs straight from the block. Jolene has such a wonderful teaching style, sometimes teachers like to create a technical mystique around clay but Jolene encouraged a fun, practical and achievable process. I highly recommend this course, it lit up my creative spark and enjoyment and that was just what I needed. I picked up lots of valuable tips and tricks and that’s leading to better work and more pieces - as I’m just letting it go where it wants and that’s more than fine. Five stars, kudos, Jolene and thank you!

So many great subtle tips to improve my creative skills and not just limited to sgraffito. I keep going back and forth between the modules and love that you can do so. Jolene's presence is like you're sitting with a friend at the table while going through the course. There is so much goodness to embrace and further explore in regards my design and creative play. Absolutely loved every minute of it and will go over and over it again. Thank you for sharing so openly your passion.

I came in knowing almost nothing about sgraffito. I have underglazes and some diamond core tools but I’ve NEVER been able to produce anything worthy of keeping. Most past projects looked more like my 6 year old completed them! I feel like some of the biggest take homes for me were the tips about how to assess the readiness of your clay for sgraffito, what types of underglazes work best, and the module on exploring creative design. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to create several projects in the course that I actually really liked! Definitely worth the investment. I also felt very at ease with Jolene on the screen. It felt like she was hanging out with me in my living room giving me some tricks of the trade. I don’t want to give a spoiler, but I also found the bonus module very, very applicable. Amazing course!

I was looking for a course that provided basic information about sgraffito with clay and Jolene provided that and gave me so much more. In the course there was very thorough and clear instruction for each step of the process along the way that felt very doable and clear. As I was watching I felt inspired and challenged but not overwhelmed with information as it is broken up into beautifully designed modules.I was also delighted to find that a thoughtfully put together sketch journal was provided with all kinds of ideas and helps for the creative process in general. A special bonus module of plate making made me realize that Jolene really cares about her students and their work and in this course has provided all they need for success. My work is already seeing the benefits of this class! Thank you, Jolene!