Are you a ceramic artist who makes your own glazes?

  • Do you wish you knew more about your glazes?
  • Do you want to learn how to make your own glazes and recipes from scratch?
  • Do you ever run into problems with your glazes?  How do you solve them?
  • Have you ever opened a glaze chemistry book with determination to learn and then had no idea where to begin?
  • Have you ever asked around for help with an issue and received multiple different answers?

Over the years through the classes I’ve taken, my job as a studio technician and all the research and testing I’ve done, I’ve learned A LOT about how materials work together.  The more I learn, the more I want to dive deeper and keep learning more.

I take what I learn in classes, books, and online and I test theories and examine the results. I love to share what I’ve already learned and continue to learn with the ceramics community. After all, ceramics is a craft that has traditionally been passed down from one potter to the next. I’m just doing my part by sharing with you.

I post weekly articles on glaze chemistry and studio processes and I also teach online courses and workshops, which will be starting up again early 2020. If you want me to let you know as soon as these posts and courses go live, please join my email list below. 

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Hi, I’m Sue McLeod

I’ve been a studio potter since 2010 and was the ceramics studio technician at a community studio from 2015-2021.

I got my start with a 2-year diploma in clay at Kootenay School of the Arts in Nelson, BC. That’s where I learned all the skills required to be a studio technician, including studio set up and kiln maintenance. The program was very focused on teaching us how to be competent, professional studio potters.

After exploring ceramics through a mainly artistic lens for a few years, making and selling my work, I gradually got pulled deeper into the technical side. I took 3 online courses through Alfred University about the chemistry of clay and glazes. Learning about the materials we use, how they work together and the chemical reactions that happen in the kiln has been the most inspiring part of my artistic journey. 

As I learn and understand more and have those lightbulb moments where something finally makes sense, I can’t help but want to share with my community. It wasn’t so long ago when nothing made sense to me and I remember how frustrated I was when things didn’t turn out as I hoped. Having knowledge of the chemistry of clay and glazes gives me the freedom to be more creative. It allows me to turn my inspirations into physical creations and you can too!

I believe that all ceramic artists can benefit from exploring the chemistry of their clay and glazes, even at a very basic level. If you’re looking for someone to take complex subjects and explain them in a way that’s easy to understand, even for the most right-brained creatives, you’ve come to the right place!

Thanks for joining me on the ceramics journey.

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