Winter/Spring schedule is up!
Check out the class schedule at the top of the page and see when you can join us. Sessions have been filling quickly and the studio is bustling, so get in early!
(If you're browsing on your phone, please find the drop down menu by clicking on the three horizontal lines in the upper left corner)
Please be aware that the studio is only accessible through the back of the building now. Click on "directions" at the top of this page for more info.
Open Studio practice time is available for enrolled students-
We have three time slots:
Friday evening: 6-8 or Saturday: 9-11 or 11:30-1:30.
One time slot per week, please.
And please clean up and leave by your allotted time- our interns work hard for us and want to go home too!
We go through a LOT of clay each weekend, so a suggested donation of $1-$15 is much appreciated for each attended open studio. The donation box will be in the hallway, everyone will remain anonymous. Only give what you can afford. And thank you!
Yet more fun at Northampton Pottery!
Char-Cutie! Appetizer Dishes Workshop
Your choice of four dates:
September 24,
October 15,
November 5
December 3
6-7:30pm
Students will make and decorate 2 appetizer trays (one large, one small) which will be finished by Helen in your choice of 1 of 6 different glazes.
Limited to 8 people
$80/ person
(Pots made at the December class are not guaranteed to be completed in time for the holidays.)
Advanced Glaze Techniques Workshop
(Limited to current NohoPottery enrollees)
Saturday, October 1st 2-6pm or
Sunday, November 6th 10am-2pm
Students will be shown at least 3 glaze techniques with the opportunity to try them out, and several others will be demonstrated. Each student will receive their own 8oz container of glaze for one special technique.
$95/person
(Students will need 6 pieces to glaze, one of them flat)
And join us for the very popular Date Night!
Enjoy an evening with your favored companion in a relaxed and playful atmosphere! Learn to throw pots on the wheel with our very talented instructor, Helen M. Thelen. Your two most loved pieces will then be finished, glazed and ready for you to pick up and enjoy within 3 weeks!
Date nights are held on Saturdays, 6pm-7:30pm
$80/ person
Our next Date Nights will be held:
November 19th---FULL
Date Night fills quickly.
To enroll, or add your name to the waiting list, contact Helen at: blackcatspottery@gmail.com
Hold your spot for Date Night-(please contact Helen first)
$80.00
Please contact Helen to be sure your spot is secured before paying!
Kris O'Neill, NohoPottery Owner
Northampton Pottery
My goal at Northampton Pottery is not only to encourage a rewarding experience in clay for people of all ages and abilities, but to cultivate an atmosphere of relaxation and creativity. I actively work to make Northampton Pottery a place where people can come to decompress and spend a little time in Lala Land with other friendly people doing the same thing.
About Kris
While art and craft has always played a large part in my life, my interest in ceramics didn’t develop until late in high school. That was when I first had access to a studio and was able to spend blissful hours after classes, absorbed in clay and insipid 80’s rock, until the janitors had to kick me out at five so they could lock up.
I went on to study ceramics at the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating with a BFA in 1990.
Settling in Western Massachusetts soon after that, I found employment at a small clay supplier and began developing my own line of ceramics, officially starting Zyra Clay Studio in 2002.
The work has changed a bit since then, becoming brighter and more consistent as I experimented with glazes and refined my throwing style.
The next chapter of my story is to share what I know with other aspiring potters in hopes they will find the same joy in clay and glazes that I do.
Classes at Northampton Pottery
I offer classes for adults and for teens (10 years plus).
The teen classes are largely self directed with me there to instruct, suggest, facilitate and encourage. Many of my kids also make use of the handbuilding facilities at NohoPo.
The adult classes are a bit more structured, at least for the people new to pottery. If that's you, be advised that the first 3 classes are the most important to attend. If you are a beginner, please don't enroll unless you plan to attend the first three classes!!
I start (after the tour and overview) with throwing bowls; a form most likely to meet with success. The ambition is to be getting a feel for the process and to produce 3 or 4 bowls on which to learn the next step.
The second class covers trimming (the finishing of the bottoms of the bowls), and a more vertical form; generally mugs.
Class 3 is quite busy. We'll trim those mugs, learn about attaching handles and also go through the glaze process on the bowls from class 1.
After that, we'll go wherever you please; plates, vases, minis off the hump, lidded forms, all is possible. It's up to you- as I tell my students, it's 10 % instruction, 90% practice!