Obvara Workshop – One day – 4 hours

Name: Obvara Workshop – One day – 4 hours
Start: 2025-09-20T10:00:00-04:00
Location: Corgi Clay Art Center

Schedule

Sat, 20 Sep, 2025 at 10:00 am

UTC-04:00

Location

Corgi Clay Art Center | Stafford, VA

Class Length: One day, 10am – 2pm on Saturday, September 20th
Tuition: $90 (+ $25 materials fee)
Class Description: Obvara firing is a pottery technique, originating in Eastern Europe, that involves quickly cooling a heated, bisqued pot by immersing it in a fermented mixture of flour, sugar, yeast, and water, then quenching it in water. This process creates unique, earthy patterns and textures on the pottery’s surface. While the technique seals the clay, the pottery is generally not considered food-safe or waterproof and is best suited for decorative purposes.
We hope to fire the kiln at least two times during our workshop. This will take time. Be prepared to help in all facets of this process, but there will be time to relax while the firing occurs. When you help pull red hot pots from a kiln, you will need cotton clothing, hair ties, and a strong heat tolerance. The area will be hot as we plunge the pots into the yeast mixture and then quench the pots in water. If the pots are not strong, they can crack and even burst. This is an active environment where attention to heat, people, and processes is needed. It’s a blast!
Obvara Workshop Participation:
We will loading the pots into the kiln at 10:30am. Be sure to get here by 10am to be included in the first firing. This is a rain or shine event. Our staff will be facilitating and present to fire the kilns and answer questions. We will have a free informational talk about how to best prepare your pots for an Obvara firing on Saturday September 6th at 3pm. Please feel free to join us in the studio that day to learn more! If you can not attend, please email us and we can send you some notes to consider.
Age Limitations: Ages 16 through adult
Supplies: BYOB – Bring your own BISQUEWARE! Bring your pots that have already gone through the bisque kiln. There is a limit of 6 small to medium-sized bisque vessels per person. (Small equals 5” or smaller/ Medium equals up to 8”/ larger than this counts for two pieces. NO FLAT WORK.) Early arrival is encouraged to ensure your pieces have the best chance to get fired! All participating students should wear cotton clothing, use hair ties to tie back long hair, and will be required to wear protective gloves when unloading their pots.
Teachers: Deb Balestreri
Student Limit: 8