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:

Art of Wood Firing: Flame, Form & Surface

Workshop led by Yuki Watanabe at Ruby’s Clay Studio and Gallery at Spring Valley Anagama

Join us for an exploration of wood firing, where form and surface come together through the interaction of flame, wood ash, soda, and atmosphere to create one-of-a-kind surfaces.

Registration: opens on August 31, 2026 at 7pm.

Fee: $325*

Cancellation policy: Due to the planning and workload requirements for wood firing, participant drop out is highly discouraged and could result in the cancellation of the entire workshop. To request cancellation, email workshop@rubysclaystudio.org with the reason for cancellation. A partial refund of $150 may be given only if a replacement participant is found before the first session on 10/4/26.

Important — Full Attendance Required: This workshop requires attendance at all scheduled dates and locations, including the sessions at the Milpitas kiln site. Please register only if you are able to attend every session.

Limit: 15 participants. Open only to current Ruby’s community members.

*This event is offered at a reduced rate thanks to a generous donation to Ruby’s to enrich our workshop programming. Additionally, two spots are offered at a reduced rate of 50% off. Contact the Workshop Committee before Friday, 8/28/26 at 7pm by emailing workshop@rubysclaystudio.org to request a coupon code; first-come, first-served. Honor code applies.

Workshop Details:

Participants will explore forms, slips, and clays that work best in atmospheric firing. They will learn about kiln design, loading and firing strategies, soda introduction, and techniques for developing complex atmospheric surfaces; and examine how form and placement influence the final results. Wood firing is a community effort, so participants are expected to commit to all steps in the process -- firing preparation, loading, stoking, and cleanup.

The workshop takes place over six learning days. Participants must participate in all sessions. The workshop fee includes:

Two instructor-led sessions held at Ruby’s
Four on-site learning days at the kiln in Milpitas, CA, ~53 miles south of SF and ~1 hr 15 min drive depending on traffic
2 cubic feet of firing space per person, approximately
2 shelves 12” deep x 24”wide x 6” average height. More details will be provided to participants.

Day 1, 10/4/26, 9am - 12pm, @Ruby’s: Lecture, demonstrations, and discussions on wood firing basics, clay choice, forms, and placement in the kiln. This lecture will inform participants’ choices of the work that they will make for the firing in January.

Day 2, 1/9/27, 10am - 2 pm, @Milpitas: Kiln tour and work day to prepare wood and site

Day 3, 1/10/27, 9am - 1 pm, @Ruby’s: Slip and glaze instruction and work session

Day 4, 1/15/27, 9am - 6pm, @Milpitas: Wad pieces, load kiln and seal door

Day 5, 1/16/27 12pm to 1/17 12pm, @Milpitas: Fire kiln. Sign up for one 6-hour firing shift

Day 6, 1/23/27, 9am - 3pm, @Milpitas: Open and unload kiln, review and discuss results. Clean shelves, kiln, and site. Stack wood. Please bring N95 mask or respirator. Celebrate with a potluck!

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 slip and glaze work session on Day 3.

Water will be provided. Participants should bring their own snacks. On the long days at the kiln site (Days 4, 5, and 6) please bring food to share.

Artist Bio: Yuki Watanabe is a ceramicist and educator in the Bay Area. She is passionate about atmospheric firing (wood and soda) for its collaborative process with the kiln and the interaction of fire, clay, ash, and soda. Her work honors the place she resides, bringing out the history and beauty of the geology, creating a way for viewers and users to connect with the environment. She strives to stop the users'/viewers' time to experience inner tranquility and transcendence through light, shadow, texture, pigments, and flame licks in the clay art form.

IG: @pottery.japonesa

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.