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Ceramic Tile Making & Glazing Experience at the Farmland Museum - May 2025

  • Writer: siloutaggart
    siloutaggart
  • May 19
  • 3 min read

Updated: May 22

In addition to our guest tutor experiences that we host in our Blended Monkey studios, we enjoy holding some of the larger groups at the Farmland Museum & Denny Abbey in Waterbeach. It's one of our favourite venues and a lovely setting.


Yesterday's ceramic tile making & glazing experience went really well. I had a fabulous group of students who all immersed themselves into the world of creating tiles and getting to grips with the medium of clay.


Armed with reference materials, sample tiles, mark-making equipment and stamps, everyone created their own unique set of 4 coasters and a large trivet tile.


The work is now drying slowly in my studio. It will then be biscuit fired, clear glazed and then glaze fired.


I'll put up some photos of the finished pieces once they've emerged from the kiln.


The morning started with each of our students using a variety of tools and stamps to come up with their designs. Drawing on inspiration from previous students' work, sample tiles & their own Googling, it was lovely to see each student's very own take on themes and textures.


After lunch, everyone learnt how to apply glazes to their work.

They discovered how to build up layers of colour and use techniques such as "sgraffito" (a decorative techniques that is used in pottery where a design is created by scratching through a layer of glaze to reveal the underlying contrasting layer or the clay itself - it comes from the Italian word "graffiare," meaning "to scratch"), applying "sprigs" (low-relief clay shapes that are made separately from the main work and then attached using slipping and scoring) and ultimately creating something unique and lovely.

I was so pleased with all the positive comments and the relaxed & mindful vibe in the room.


If you missed out on this tile making & glazing experience, our next one is being held at the Haddenham Arts Centre on 27 September. Here's the link:


Here's a list of all the workshops we're holding at the Farmland Museum & Denny Abbey venue:



  • Relaxing Spoon Carving Workshop - Sunday 10 August -




If you've not been to the museum and abbey, it's worth a visit! It's perfect for families too, with plenty of play area space & climbing equipment.

I love their garden areas, and especially their vegetable garden that sits alongside the education room where we hold our workshops.

Your place on one of our workshops gives you free entry to the site too - so you can explore the grounds during lunch.


And, just saying, Simon and I also have some ceramic and woodturned pieces in the shop alongside work form some other local makers.


All our experiences make lovely crafty GIFTS & you can also purchase open certificates so the lucky recipient can choose their own experience.

Here's the link for our gift certificates:

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We can also provide private ceramics experiences for parties or friend groups. We can come to you, host in the Blended Monkey studios, or at a venue of your choice!


Here's a link to the Farmland Museum & Denny Abbey - https://dennyfarmlandmuseum.org.uk/

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Students immersed in the art of tile design

REVIEWS


“It was a lovely day, thank you so much! Love everyone’s designs and all the photos. I can’t wait to see how they all turn out 😊.”


 - Fiona -


“What a fabulous, relaxing and creative way to spend last Sunday, making an embossed, decorated glazed tile set. Louise is a wonderful tutor, everything you could need was provided, along with lots of inspiration. Lovely bright venue too. Thank you very much Louise and Simon”


 - Jan -


“The workshop is well organised and managed by Louise and Simon, and one has to keep busy to complete in time, which for me, with minimal preparation or planning, was an interesting experience relaxing into a kind of flow state. No time to fuss, worry and correct, only moving forward making creative decisions by intuition.

The results, of course, will look interesting!”


 - Martin -




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