Workshops

Workshops & Friday Night Events

Our workshops enrich the Ruby's community by providing a forum for both outside and in-house artists to share their art-making process. We host several workshops each year and they are typically held on Sunday mornings. Past presenters include Vince Montague, Dick Lumaghi, and Miki Shim.

Friday Night Lights are evening events where community members or invited artists give slideshow presentations about their clay adventures, including residency programs, travels abroad and fun local projects. These often include a demo.

Email your workshop questions to workshop@rubysclaystudio.org

Upcoming Events:

John Dix : Artist Talk and Demo

Sunday August 23rd, 2026, 10am-1pm

Fee: $30

Limit: 18 participants

Sliding scale offered by using coupon codes at registration:

WS25%OFF = $22.50 registration fee

WS50%OFF = $15 registration fee

WS75%OFF = $7.50 registration fee

Join us for a conversation about John’s artistic journey, how living and working in Japan have influenced his art practice and his love of the unpredictable nature of wood firing.

John will be doing a demo of altered thrown forms, showing his signature techniques for 'stretching' clay, forming unique spouts and handles and how he incorporates slabs to thrown pieces.

Artist Bio: John Dix has spent most of his artistic career primarily in Japan, based in Tanba-Sasayama, an ancient pottery region and one of Japan's "Six Ancient Pottery Kiln Sites". His art displays a strong Japanese influence, but still retains elements of his early training in the West. He has built a studio, two anagama style kilns and a workshop-hosting facility named Fieldwork. He fires his kilns two to three times a year for up to 7 days a firing. John has been sharing his techniques through workshops around the world for many years and hosts visitors and students at Fieldwork.

Website: https://www.johndix.com

IG: @johndixstudio

Link to an interesting article illustrating the magical and serendipitous process of wood firing: https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/A-New-Pots-Story

9:30am: Social time with coffee and nibbles.

10am-1pm Artist Talk and Demo

Questions? Email workshop@rubysclaystudio.org

The studio reserves the right to cancel the workshop if there are not enough registrations, in which case refunds will be issued.

*When registering for a workshop we recommend using Chrome or FireFox. If you use Safari, turn off tracking to see the registration button.

NOTE: When registering for a workshop we recommend using Chrome or FireFox. If you use Safari, TURN OFF “PREVENT CROSS-SITE TRACKING” and “BLOCK ALL COOKIES” to see the registration button. Registration button may not show if TRACKING in enabled.

Refund Policy

Payments are non-refundable and non-transferable. Circumstances that may allow for refunds are:

1. A physician's note stating a condition that prevents the student from working in clay or at the studio.

2. Instances of extreme, unexpected hardship. This may include the death or serious illness of someone close. Exceptions are granted at the discretion of the manager. Changes in a student's priorities, job or vacation plans do not constitute the means for a refund. Having stated this, studio managers will attempt to assist students by granting partial refunds if a replacement student can be found for the class. When replacements are found (which must be before the third class), students are granted a refund equal to the pro-rated amount paid by the new student, less a $50 fee for accounting.

Registration & General Information

Please read this! it may affect whether you get into the workshop of your choice.

1. Ruby’s doesn't accept early registrations.

2. All registrations for the workshops will begin online. We encourage you to make arrangements to register online when registration opens.

3. Please be aware that your choices on the registration form are binding and you will be charged for any workshop (including alternate choices that you make). Do not register for a workshop you are unlikely to take. If you must drop, please notify management as soon as possible. Review our refund policy.

Introduction to Soda Firing THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL!

Workshop led by Yuki Watanabe at Clay Creations

Ruby’s is pleased to offer an opportunity for Rubyites to experience the magic of soda firing!

Registration opens on Wednesday, April 15th at 7pm.

Fee: $100 *

Limit: 10 participants

Event open only to current Ruby’s community members.

Sliding scale fee offered by using coupon codes during registration:

WS25%OFF for $75 fee

WS50%OFF for $50 fee

WS75%OFF for $25 fee

Honor code applies

*This event is being offered at a reduced rate thanks to a generous donation to the Ruby’s Workshop Committee to help enrich our community programming.

Workshop Details:

This workshop is spread out over 3 days:

Day 1: Sunday June 14th, 9 to 10:30am Lecture at Ruby’s Clay Studio

Yuki will provide an overview of the process of soda firing, the effects of the flame and atmosphere on pots, what forms and clay work best for this firing, which ‘liner’ glaze to use, demonstrate flashing slip applications and stacking, and show/display some examples of recent work.
This lecture will inform participants’ choices of the work they want to make for the firing in September.

Day 2: Saturday September 5, 9am to 3:30pm (approx.) at firing site near Half Moon Bay, CA (about 45 miles south from SF)

On-site prepping of the pots and loading of the Kiln
Review of flashing slips and glazes; participants glaze/slip their work
Wadding of all the pieces; loading the kiln.
Day concludes after loading the kiln.
The gas-fueled kiln will be fired overnight by Yuki and Margaret, the owner of the studio.
There will be a lunch break–– bring your own lunch.

Day 3: Saturday September 12, 9am until early afternoon at firing site near Half Moon Bay, CA

Unloading the kiln!
Talk about flame patterns; review pots; discuss results.
Day ends after a full clean-up. There will be grinding, kiln-wash painting of the shelves and clean-up of the kiln. (N95 mask or respirator necessary!)
Participants can linger to share results and look at each other's work.

What participants can expect:

-This is an “introduction” to soda firing. It is a hands-on workshop, but it is not tailored to teach how to fire a soda kiln or spray the soda. The kiln will be fired at night; participants may request to attend the firing, at the discretion of the firing center owner.

-This will be a communal event; participants commit to loading, unloading and cleaning the kiln and working together.

-There will be some heavy lifting! Not everybody needs to lift, but some will need to, so be prepared!

-There are no promises that all pieces will fit in the kiln, but best attempt will be made to include a good selection from everybody. Folks need to be flexible… Loading the kiln is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle and it is all about fitting the right pots in the space that is available.

-Guidelines of each participants’ allotted volume of work will be provided in advance.

-The workshop does not include clay or bisque firing, nor is there time allotted to work with wet clay during the workshop. Participants should make their pieces and arrange to bisque-fire their work independently. They are expected to bring their bisqued pieces to the firing location on Day 2.

Artist Bio: Yukiko Watanabe is a San Francisco-based atmospheric (wood, soda, etc.) firing ceramic artist. Her work incorporates clay dug from Japan and Northern California for surface decoration and glaze to honor the place she resides(d) and for users to feel connected to the earth. She is also an art educator teaching in multiple community ceramic studios in the Bay Area.

IG: @pottery.japonesa

Questions? Email workshop@rubysclaystudio.org