$395Workshops & Classes · Friday, November 6, 2026
Surface Design
About
A six-week intermediate course with Alissa Mittl on decorating clay: mishima, sgraffito, underglazes, water etching, wax resist and stamping, then templates, rice-paper transfers and slip trailing, with a combined-techniques week, a workday and a final glaze session. It meets Fridays from 2:30 to 5 pm, Nov 6 to Dec 18 (no class Nov 27), at Clayroom San Mateo, 3050 S Delaware St, Suite 100, a short walk from Hayward Park Caltrain. The $395 fee covers 25 lb of clay, open studio time, glazes and firing. Clayroom's beginner Intro to Clay sections for the same session are also on our calendar.
Good to know
Pick a date and tell us how many. We arrange it with Clayroom for you. Free to ask; nothing is charged today.
Read off Clayroom’s own page. Times and prices can change; the venue’s page wins.
How it compares
At $395, this sits toward the top of the 65 single-session pottery classes we list in the Bay Area. They run from $10 to $499, and the typical price is $120.
That works out to about $158 an hour for a 2.5-hour session.
If one session leaves you wanting more, 7 studios we list run multi-week pottery courses, from $65.
Other pottery classes in the Bay Area
- Studio Holiday SalePalo Alto Art Center · PeninsulaSAT, DEC 5 · Admission not published on listing
- Hand Build and Raku FireThe Crucible · Oakland & East BayTHRU SUN, OCT 25 · $325 ($302.50 members)
- Clay Play: WheelWheelhouse Clay · SF West SideSUNDAYS · 11 AM · $98
- Planter Pots or Vases Hand-building WorkshopArtillery Ceramics · SF Mission & SouthSUN, OCT 25 · $75
New to pottery?
Most first classes are either a wheel taster, where you learn to centre clay and pull up a cylinder, or hand-building, where you shape a mug, dish or planter with pinch, coil and slab techniques.
- Wear clothes that can get muddy and keep nails short; rings and bracelets come off before the wheel.
- Expect two to three hours for a single session. Clay, tools and firing are almost always in the price; glazing sometimes costs extra.
- A one-time class is the cheap way to find out whether you want a five- or six-week course, which is where the wheel actually starts to click.
Taking it home: Not on the day. Pieces dry, are fired, glazed and fired again, so studios usually hold them for two to four weeks.
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