Come and find your people through pottery
Welcome to our Mount Gambier pottery studio where creativity, connection and community come together through the magic of clay. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced maker, our studio offers a warm and relaxed space to create, learn and meet like-minded people.
Pottery memberships
Whether you’re an experienced potter looking for a creative space, or you’ve discovered a love of clay through one of our classes, our membership offers the freedom to create, connect, and be part of a welcoming pottery community.
About Thrown Together
Welcome to our studio - a place where creativity, community and connection happen in clay. Thrown Together Pottery is a pottery studio in Mount Gambier South Australia, offering pottery wheel classes, handbuilding, ceramic painting and studio memberships.
Whether you’re taking your very first class, joining as a studio member, or simply dropping in to paint a piece of pottery, you will find a warm, relaxed space where everyone is welcome.
Owner - Mardi Goodes
After working as a beauty therapist for 25 years, including 15 years running my own business, I have returned to the creative energy that has always been the background of my life. It’s finally time, and I’m very grateful.
It was always a dream that seemed so far off, that one day I could be creative full time and have a life full of art. Right now I am living my dream.
Finding pottery a year ago, and having my first lesson at a community studio, Shout out to Tony Addicoat and the Millicent Arts Group! I remember driving up there for the introduction, and thinking how I was going to create a whole dinner set and replace all of my crockery at home in the first session. It didn’t really compute that I had never touched a wheel before and that it may take longer than a couple of hours to perfect this craft! I managed to knock out 7 pieces all up. They were too thick, uneven, small and kind of looked like someone had sat on half of them. Still, I kept them all. I remember being excited by the whole process, and all the possibilities of what you can create. So I locked in. In the way that probably isn’t healthy, but that’s just how my brain works. I obsessed about clay, I watched and are still watching youtube pottery videos constantly, I researched and purchased glazes, found artists that I love and admire to follow, I even dream about throwing pots on the wheel and combinations of glaze colors to try! Obsessed is a mild way of putting it! I have concluded that this is how I process and how I get to manifest the studio into being. It’s a very immersive way to focus, but here we are!
The studio is a hope chest of treasures that I want to be surrounded by, my kiln, wheels, my creations, other works from artists and some lovely people to hang with. A community of people who love creating. That’s pretty awesome! I figured if I am obsessed with clay, probably others would be too. Back when I was looking around for a place to learn, I couldn’t find anywhere to take a class or work on my own. So here we are, I’m creating one so people can find clay.
I hope this sounds like a cool, fun place to be, because that’s how I want it to be. Come on in for a tour and see if it’s going to be your obsession too.
Have Questions about Pottery?
How does a lump of clay become a finished pot?
Pottery is a process, and it takes a little time. You piece begins as a soft lump of clay that you shape either on the wheel or hand build. Once you are happy with your creation, the piece then needs to dry fully to what is called bone dry (3-7 days). Then it goes into the kiln for its first firing (2 days) This changes the structure of the clay to a more robust solid porous form that you can handle. This is when you glaze, either by dipping or brushing on your choice of glaze, (the glaze world is an endless creative joy! So many options) then back in the kiln for an even hotter glaze fire of 1220 degrees celsius. the high temperature melts the glaze forming glass over your pot. This will create really beautiful colours and variety, but can also be heartbreaking as the kiln sometimes has its own ideas! The kiln gods have a sense of humour. The firing takes 2-3 days before you can handle the piece. Then you can take it home. Quite the process!
How do I get started?
If you don’t know where to start, why not try an introduction to handbuilding. Its less of a steep learning curve than the pottery wheel or, one of our classes building a specific object, like Mardi’s hand carved cup or slab built plate. You get full direction and guidance and you end up with a usable piece of pottery after your first class.
What if I don’t like my piece after it has been fired?
That’s ok! Part of learning pottery is discovering that the finished piece isn’t always exactly what you imagined. Clay can move, shrink, glaze can change colour and the kiln can create little surprises. The more you make the more you’ll learn how to predict and control the results. Experienced potters still have failures so don’t worry. My mantra for any disappointments is ‘You either win or you learn!’
Can I put my pottery in the dishwasher and microwave? Can I eat off my finished piece?
What is glaze?
Pottery intended for food or drink needs to be made with appropriate clay and glazes and fired correctly. Pieces made using our studio materials will be guided towards appropriate uses. Not everything is food safe. Some finished ceramics are suitable for dishwasher and microwaves, but this can depend on the clay, glaze, construction and firing. Handmade pottery can also be more delicate than commercially manufactured ceramics, so gentle washing and avoiding sudden temperature changes can help your pieces last longer.
Glaze is a specially formulated mixture of minerals and materials that is applied to your bisque-fired pottery. When the glaze piece is fired at a high temperature, the glaze melts to form a glass-like coating over the surface. Glaze can add colour, texture, shine and character to your pottery. Some glazes are glossy and smooth, while others can be matte, speckled, textured or have beautiful variations that develop during firing. One of the magical things about pottery is that glaze doesn’t always look the same before and after firing. What looks quite matte and interesting before it rests in the kiln can transform into something completely different and really wonderful in 1220 degree heat. Glaze contains minerals and chemicals that undergo a transformation when exposed to high temperatures. A glaze might look dull and powdery before firing, but once it reaches the correct temperature, the materials melt and react with one another to create the finished surface. This is part of the fun, mystery and sometimes the heartbreak or ceramics. Anything can happen!
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