Hand Building Pottery Workshop: Mud by Moonlight

Mud by Moonlight is a monthly, one-off handbuilding session that takes place on or near each full moon. Each gathering has its own clay project inspired by the energy and symbolism of that particular moon. Expect slow, meditative making and a little bit of quiet creative witchiness.Classes can be experienced as a single class or recurring.January 2 — Thunder Moon Our first Mud by Moonlight of the year, this moon is tied to summer storms, clarity, and shaking loose what doesn’t matter. Students will create a small sculpture that represents what they want to nurture in 2026 — a grounding piece to begin the year with focus.February 6 — Grain Moon / Blood Moon (Partial Lunar Eclipse) This moon blends late-summer abundance with the intensity and honesty of a Blood Moon eclipse. Using an iron-rich red clay body, students will make jugs for their favourite spirits — vessels that symbolise holding truth, warmth, and late-summer richness.March 6 — Fruit Moon (Total Lunar Eclipse) This moon celebrates abundance and the fruit-and-veg harvest across Australia and Aotearoa, with the recent eclipse adding a hint of transformation. Students will handbuild berry bowls to honour this fullness and the nourishment of early autumn.April 3 — Harvest Moon This moon marks the peak of gathering and preparing for the colder months, symbolising intuition, focus, and letting go of what no longer serves you. Students will make carved harvest trays — pieces for organising, grounding, or holding special seasonal objects.May 29 — Frost Moon This moon arrives with the first chills of late autumn and symbolises slowing down and seeking warmth. Students will build lanterns or candle holders textured with marks inspired by burrows, frost, and winter’s approach.July 3 — (June Moon) Long Night’s Moon With the longest nights of the year, this moon represents deep stillness, clarity, and the quiet of midwinter. Students will create pierced winter-light vessels — lantern forms that cast gentle, thoughtful shadows.July 31 — Ice Moon This moon settles the cold fully into the season and symbolises endurance, inner strength, and protection. Students will handbuild sculptural winter shrines or protective forms carved with grounding, steady textures.August 28 — Kangaroo Moon As joeys begin to emerge from their pouches, this moon symbolises growth, curiosity, and stepping into newness. Students will make small lidded treasure boxes — pieces that echo this sense of emerging, exploring, and gently expanding into spring.September 25 — Fish Moon (Supermoon) This moon aligns with rising humidity, fishing seasons, and renewal, symbolising movement and abundance. Coinciding with a supermoon, students will create a one-person place setting for the warmer months ahead, decorating their pieces with layered surface techniques — mishima, sgraffito, slip trailing — to reflect this fullness.October 30 — Pink Moon This moon is about blooming, sprouting, and fresh beginnings. Students will handbuild planters or trays pressed with spring botanicals — pieces to welcome growth back into their homes.November 27 — Flower Moon With plants in full bloom, this moon represents flourishing, beauty, and transition. Students will make paired bud vases exploring themes of arrival, release, and the cycles of nature.December 19 — Strawberry Moon This moon symbolises early-summer ripeness, brightness, and reflection at the year’s end. Students will create story pots — vessels decorated with narrative marks, symbols, or small sculptural additions that tell a personal story from the year or set an intention for the one ahead. All pieces are glazed and fired in-house and will be ready for pickup in 4–5 weeks. Read more details