London

classes: Kintsugi • Wheel Throwing • Clay Sculpture and Hand Building • Pottery

5.0 (39)

6k followers

Potters Thumb is a pottery studio based at the White Building in Hackney Wick. Founded by Mark Ciavola six years ago and originally based in Brighton, our new home in London is a fully functional, multi-use studio space offering five potters wheels, a pug mill, handbuilding facilities and kiln services.

Wanting to spread his love for ceramics, Mark founded Potters Thumb to make his work available to all those who appreciate hand thrown and hand made ceramic sculptures. With the new facilities, Potters Thumb can now also share the joy of clay work with others - whether you're a novice looking to get your hands mucky in one of our introductory classes, or a practiced ceramicist looking for a studio space to call home. Potters Thumb can offer something for everyone.

Classes

Wheel Throwing Pottery Class

5.0 (27)

Runs regularly

East London

1 to 2

£67

Private Wheel Throwing Class

5.0 (1)

Your choice of time

East London

1 on 1

£80

Textured Cup Pottery Workshop

Your choice of time

East London

4 to 6

£35

Beginner's Kintsugi Workshop

4.9 (11)

Contact for details

East London

1 to 4

£60

Hand Building Pottery Workshop

Contact for details

East London

1 to 10

£70

Reviews

(39)

Rahul Jethwa • Apr 2024

Fantastic session. It was our first time at pottery for our birthday and everything about it was exceptional. Learnt so much about pottery techniques. The venue was great. It was very personal so we got a lot of support throughout the session.

Maddalena Zadra • Apr 2024

What a class This was my first time trying wheel throwing. Mark really tries to bring his passion and connection to clay to a new level, both fun and educational. I appreciated how professional and helpful it was, and give me confidence and passion towards the material. I would really really recommend it and would love to go again! Thank you

Ana Pacheco • Mar 2024

it was an absolutely delightful evening with Mark, running us through the wonderful world of clay and his vast experience is also expressed in the super interesting projects he's been involved in! I would really like to come back for another session for sure thanks so much Mark!

Imran Haris • Mar 2024

My first time at Pottery throwing! It was great fun getting behind the wheel and learning the techniques to build my first pot. Had a great tutor which was very inspiring and and had a cosy little set up. Enjoyed a great pizza after just downstairs on the building. Will be back to learn some more!

Dobin Moon • Feb 2024

My one-on-one pottery session was a revelation. From the start, the personalised attention I received was evident. The experienced teacher not only guided me through the process but also provided invaluable insights into the craft.

What stood out was the depth of knowledge the instructor possessed. Their expertise was apparent in every interaction, from shaping clay to discussing different techniques. This personalised approach gave me a clear understanding of what to expect in future pottery endeavours.

In essence, the session was more than just learning pottery; it was a tailored experience that left me feeling confident and inspired to continue exploring this craft further. If you're looking for a personalised pottery experience with an experienced teacher, this is it.

Sylvester Rusted • Feb 2024

Very Charismatic and enthusiastic. Lesson was well planned and thoroughly enjoyable. Location was avant-garde and the river bank walk there was a treat. Great value and highly educative, looking forward to my next pottery project!

Katherine Rybinski • Dec 2023

Really good experience, Alice is very engaging and gives you a nice mix of information about the art of Kintsugi, her work and helping you on your kintsugi piece. Would def recommend!

Samuel Gue • Oct 2023

Had a great time in the class. A lovely personal experience for two. Instructor was very informative and helpful with a good sense of humour. Would very much recommend.

Veronika • Oct 2023

Mark is a wonderful teacher, very knowledgeable and patient. My partner and I really enjoyed our class and would definitely reccomend!

Louise Keen • Oct 2023

We had such a great time learning about the history of pottery.
Mark was lovely and very good at explaining the step by step how to guide :)
We were both amazed that we actually managed to make something worth keeping and are very keen to go back to visit Mark again.
Highly recommend this class

Mrs Gordon • Sep 2023

Excellent class, environment, teacher, food and drink. A very enjoyable evening. Went home with much knowledge gain from the evenings teaching. Thank you

Francis Souza • Aug 2023

Mark was very in depth with knowledge on clay and how to prep it and use it. He was patient and offered just the right amount of support when making the cups themselves on the pottery wheel. Would recommend! Thank you Mark!

Foteini Peppa • Aug 2023

2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews

Really enjoyed this session, the instructor appeared with excellent knowledge around wheel throwing pottery, appeared polite and very engaging and both hours spent were fully utilised. Many thanks, Foteini.

Olga Komendantova • Aug 2023

We absolutely loved Mark’s class! He is so knowledgeable and skilfulSuch enjoyable experience!He was also super patient with us, would love to do it again.

James Lewis • Aug 2023

Really fantastic class and a lovely afternoon. Mark was a really great teacher, friendly and informative. I would really recommend this to anyone looking to try out wheel throwing and learn a bit about ceramics.

Charlotte Iles • Aug 2023

We had an amazing time at this class yesterday. It was so lovely to hear the backstory of the materials and how clay work has progressed over time. Our teacher was so knowledgeable and made everything really easy to understand. Everything we needed was there and it was great to get so hands on. What was really lovely is we got to make one cup with more guidance and then a second one more independently too. He was so helpful when we made mistakes (of which there were quite a few). It was completely addictive and I’m sure we’ll be going back to try again. Thank you so much

Arya Nair • Aug 2023

It was a wonderful experience. He is really helpful and motivating. I really enjoyed the lesson.

Vivian Lai • Aug 2023

Inspiring and educating
Mark is passionate on pottery and his work!
Admire him and his artwork!

Chig Kumar • Jul 2023

Mark was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. He is a second generation potter and he oozes with passion. He was humble, patient and really knowledgeable, he made the class really fun. We will be returning. Thanks. Chig and Megan

Gian Mueller • Jun 2023

Absolutely amazing class. Mark was very knowledgeable and passionate.
Definitely worth the price.
Absolutely recommend!

Ying Tan • Jun 2023

The session was great! Instructor was very knowledgeable and passionate, and was very informative. We made 2 items in the session, the time flew by quite quickly

Nadya Rebar • May 2023

A lovely class and very fun couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon. Mark is clearly extremely knowledgable and passionate about pottery, which came through the class. He was also on hand with plenty of individualised advice and instruction (as we made a lot of mistakes!) and I'm excited to collect our finished cups.

Viger Yang • May 2023

Mark is a really great and attentive teacher, explains why things are done to get a better understanding, and is very patient. He’s clearly very passionate about what he does and it shows through his teaching.

Susie • May 2023

Mark was an excellent teacher and his passion for pottery making really shone through. He really helped to break down the process and explain it simply and clearly. I had only ever used a pottery wheel once before and found Mark very patient with my multiple mistakes! This was a fun and creative way to spend a morning. Would highly recommend!

Emma Bier • May 2023

Just spent a lovely few hours with a friend learning to throw pots (actually 2 cups) at a little studio in trendy Hackney Wick above a pizza/ brewery. Mark from Potters Thumb was extremely knowledgeable and started by giving us some background to clay, it’s history a working with it. He has a lot of experience, was good at explaining and demonstrating techniques. He was patient and encouraging when we had our go to! Messy but great fun.

Rachel Guthartz • May 2023

Had such a wonderful time! Mark took the time to talk through all the steps very clearly including crucial prep and clean down steps - definitely a class to help you learn the skills so you can begin to become an independent potter. Would definitely recommend

Cheryl Fox • May 2023

What a super class! Mark gave a very informative talk about materials, techniques and steps to starting out. Then he kept a close eye helping to make a couple of coffee cups. Such a relaxing and therapeutic class. Highly recommend.

Ihtisham Malik • Feb 2023

Did the pottery throwing beginners session with Mark on the 19th Feb. Mark was a really good teacher, very patient and explained things well and in easy terms. You could see his passion for ceramics during the opening 15 minutes where he talks through some history/aspects and uses of clay. He sat with us for the whole 2 hours so whenever we needed help he was right there. The pottery room is on the top floor of the white building, very nice and cosy. Finding it was a bit confusing initially! Parking on Sunday was no issue for us. Overall an excellent experience and teacher and would highly recommend to all.

Kieran McMahon • Nov 2022

We had our class to celebrate our engagement and it was an amazing experience. Alice was fun, professional, knowledgeable and just a joy to be around, we both want to say a huge thank you to her for making the day special.
We couldn't have asked for any more and fully recommend anyone who is interested in Kintsugi to take this class!

Amie Lewis • Nov 2022

Jurga (our instructor) was really great, she set the tone for a really relaxing and enriching class. The history of the artform was set out for us before we started which added great context, the fit to our team building was timely. We all love the pots we made and proudly took them home. I highly recommend this class.

Kathryn Clinkscales • Sep 2022

I was over the moon with the workshop! I learned the basics and I have a road map to finishing my piece!

Tammy Harman • Sep 2022

Alice was an amazing teacher in a really novel venue. She really took her time to explain everything about the kintsugi process, and even included a mini history on how it came into being as an art form. She was very patient and knowledgeable, and even if we made mistakes she was great at providing the solutions.

All the materials we needed were provided, which made me feel confident in her, and also in the idea that kintsugi is a craft I could pick up again at home.

Including lunch or dinner with the class is a great idea. Do stick around for the pizza and beer - it was very tasty!

Mary Ffield • Jun 2022

Room was very warm - have some water available
Examples of mistakes were shown would have been good to see examples of success as well.

Umang Singh • Jun 2022

4 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews

Teacher was informative, patient and helpful. Loved the class and the entire kintsugi experience - kudos

Atiya Sarmin • Jun 2022

Mark was a really good teacher and had lots of enthusiasm and patience. He took time to teach us about clay, sustainability and the basic techniques. We made 3 pots each by the end of the session! Definitely would recommend this taster session for any beginner. There's also lots of food and drink available in the yard, so it makes a great evening out. Cant wait to collect our glazed pots! Would love to go again!

Pascal Rez • May 2022

It was fun to learn the art of Kintsugi and got to take away a nice bowl to remember the experience by. It could have had some info about the meaning behind why Kintsugi is important in Japan with some examples of different pieces. The space was a bit cosy for activity. Overall, it was a good and a new art form to try.

Sara Conza • May 2022

2 ClassBento workshops attended • 2 reviews

I loved this workshop. Alice was really funny and made the whole experience very enjoyable.

Bukola Bolarinwa • Apr 2022

Teacher was brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed the class. I would highly recommend and will be going back again!

Amy Regul • Apr 2022

Had a great time in the workshop, teacher was friendly and informative. I was able to create something very nice with her help!
Was also really helpful how she talked about what supplies to use and where to get them, so that I can easily continue kintsugi at home.

Potters Thumb

location_on London

local_activity classes: Kintsugi • Wheel Throwing • Clay Sculpture and Hand Building • Pottery

Reviews

London

classes: Kintsugi • Wheel Throwing • Clay Sculpture and Hand Building • Pottery