Give yourself the gift of time to play and explore clay’s responsive meditative qualities, while learning and expanding your coil-building, pinching and sculpting skills.  As a species one of our most ancient desires is to pick up earth, dirt, clay and begin to form something with it.  In this daylong in-person hands-on class we will practice a number of different hand-building and meditation techniques utilizing clay’s natural tendency to regulate our nervous systems and return our attention to the present and to our bodies.  All of which supports clay-making by strengthening your intuition, imagination and ability to bring your creative visions into being. Through demonstrations and plenty of time for hands on work, immerse yourself in these meditative, straightforward and flexible processes.

Let’s celebrate the first days of Spring! This is your moment—a time when day and night stand in perfect harmony. Pause for just a moment. Feel the ground beneath your feet, place your hands on the earth and feel the steady pulse. Embrace the energy of renewal and possibility. Together, let’s honor this season of new beginnings and ask ourselves: What’s ready to grow in you?

Date: Saturday, March 22 2025
Time: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm PT
Duration of workshop: Approximately 4 hours, with a 1 hour lunch break
Materials: Clay
Location: Erin McGuiness’ Studio, 2547 8th Street #33, Berkeley, CA
Cost: $185 (includes materials and firing)
No one turned away for lack of funds, please reach out to Erin if you are experiencing financial hardship.

Erin McGuiness is a ceramic artist with several decades of studio practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her teaching philosophy explores the body as our most important tool in art making and the creation of objects made-by-hand, as a nonlinear process to cultivate myth-making capabilities. Integrating meditation, energy and embodiment exercises into creative practice. McGuiness’ work has been featured internationally in major collections and exhibitions, including publication in Architectural Digest and the 2024 book, Artistry of Home.