The Clay Hole 2026
Raku Pottery Workshops
Spots are limited, first come first serve. You must have your pieces bisque-fired and glazed before the workshop. Read below for all the info.
$150
Raku is the ultimate experience for any potter
Herriman, Utah | 18 Spots Per Workshop | For Current & Past Clay Hole Members
This year, you’re invited to experience the ultimate thrill in pottery. A total of six raku workshops will be held on Dan’s driveway (in Herriman) this year, where we’ll turn flame, smoke, and chaos into absolute ceramic beauty. These full-day sessions are limited to just 18 members each (now that we have two raku kilns). It’s hands-on. It’s high-stakes. It's exciting. It’s one of the most rewarding processes a potter can experience.
SIX WORKSHOPS TO CHOOSE FROM:
Saturday, March 28th (9AM)
Saturday, May 9th (9AM)
Saturday, June 20th (7:30AM)
Saturday, August 1st (7:30AM)
Saturday, September 12th (9AM)
Saturday, October 24th (9AM)
Come to one of them, or come to all of them! Since our raku workshops usually sell out, there are no refunds or reschedules if you can't make it, so choose a date you know will work for you and will give you plenty of time to have your raku projects ready! Remember, you'll need to have your pieces created, dried, bisqued, and glazed before the workshop.
🔥 What Raku Is (And Why It’s Magic)
Raku isn’t just a firing technique... It’s an event. A ritual. A dance with heat, adrenaline, smoke, and flame.
In this workshop, we’ll use propane-fired kilns to superheat pots until they glow red-hot, then pull them directly from the fire using long tongs. The pots are then dropped into combustible materials—usually sawdust, newspaper, or other organic matter - where they ignite instantly, shrouding the pottery in flame and smoke.
Within seconds, glazes flash. Carbon traps. Metallics bloom. And the unpredictable becomes art. No other method in ceramics produces effects like raku. You’ll see copper glazes shift to oil-slick greens and reds. You’ll witness turquoise halos next to smoky black crackles. Some surfaces turn to silver or iridescent steel. Others trap smoke in the finest of cracks, creating veining that looks like something unearthed from ancient ruins.
It’s surface magic - born of chaos and chemistry - and the beauty is impossible to replicate through any other firing style.
💥 Adrenaline Meets Community
There’s no waiting for days to see the results.
In raku, you get to hold your finished work as soon as the process is done. It's a process that demands focus, speed, and courage. And when you’re shoulder-to-shoulder with other potters in the heat, cheering each other on as pots emerge from the flames, it becomes more than a firing. It becomes connection.
These workshops are designed to deepen that community. We work together. We fire together. We eat, we clean, and we share the joy (and heartbreak) of what comes out of the kiln together. No two pots come out alike. No two experiences are the same. And something about going through it side-by-side—on a driveway of all places—brings us closer as artists and friends.
🛠️ Workshop Details
ARRIVE: Meet at Dan’s house a few minutes early. Workshop runs 6 to 10 hours, depending on firing rhythm and some factors that can't be predicted. Do not come late because we cannot get started until everyone is present. Plan on being there for the entire workshop.
STARTING TIMES: Each workshop starts at a different specified time. Mid-summer workshops start earlier in the morning, so that we can avoid the hottest part of the day.
LOCATION: Dan’s home in Herriman, Utah. (Exact address will be provided before the workshop.)
Any participant who is more than 10 minutes late will not be allowed to participate and no refunds will be given. Raku can be dangerous, and so we have a crucial safety meeting to start the day. Simply put, if you miss any part of the safety meeting, you won't be able to participate so that you and everyone else in the group can remain safe.
🏺 Prepping Your Pots
👆 Get started building your raku pieces well in advance!
All pots must be:
- Previously bisque-fired
- Glazed with raku-specific glazes (which we provide at The Clay Hole - please note some raku glazes are much more expensive and will require an up-charge, $15 max, though most are included
- Made using B-Mix with Grog clay or Berlin Gray clay. This is important because the grog in these clays help avoid thermal shock and cracking.
You may bring with you:
- Up to 4 tall, skinny pieces to raku, or
- Up to 2 wider pieces
- Total combined width of all pieces must not exceed 32 inches
You may use your regular class times to glaze your raku, or take one additional day at The Clay Hole (on top of your regular membership).
Don't have your pots bisqued in time?
Or maybe you just wannna purchase a beautiful raku vessel without learning the wheel!
Either way, you may purchase high-quality, wheel-thrown bisqued pieces from The Clay Hole. Prices range from $30–$250. Members who want to purchase pre-made vessels will choose in the order they ask Dan for them. Let Dan know if you want to purchase any pots for raku and he will give you pricing. Here is an example of the types of pots you'll be able to purchase:
🧯 Safety + Participation
👆 Let's keep everyone safe!
Raku can be dangerous, and we take the safety of our members seriously. Since there will be several people unloading pottery at the same time, and since the temperature inside the kiln reaches as high as 1920 degrees, every unload of the kiln is fully coreographed and practiced before we even close the kiln. We haven't had any injuries yet, and we plan to keep it that way!
- All participants must sign a raku liability waiver and follow safety protocols.
- Wear the proper attire: full-length jeans, closed-toed shoes, and long sleeves. If you have long hair, make sure it is securely fastened.
- All required safety gear is provided by Dan.
- Only current or past members of The Clay Hole may attend.
- Each person may place one pot per firing.
- Full-day attendance is required.
- Everyone must help with cleanup at the end of the workshop.
- In the summertime, wear sunscreen and use the provided misters to stay cool.
- Absolutely no horse play, practical jokes, or safety joking permitted.
🍕 Food + Drinks
Mid-day lunch is one of the best parts of raku...
- Bring your own lunch and drinks. Or...
- You may choose to pitch in for a group pizza or sandwich order.
- There’s a beverage fridge in the garage to keep drinks cold, but bring a cooler if you want to keep your lunch cold.
⚠️ Final Notes
A few more things worth noting...
- Only 18 spots available per workshop. It used to be 10, but we got another raku kiln so that we can have bigger groups and alternate the firings inside of them.
- Must be at least seven registered participants to run the workshop. If less than seven people register, you will have your choice between a refund or a spot at the next available raku workshop.
- First come, first serve for registrations. No exceptions.
- Sign-up for as many workshops as you like! Come to one of them, come to all of them! It's all good.
- No guarantees with raku: Pots may crack, glazes may shift. The beauty is in the unpredictability.
- Once you've booked your reservation, there are no refunds for any reason. Feel free to sell your spot to someone else in class (for the same cost or less) that you paid for it.