Workshop Retreat: Hand-Turned Ceramic Pottery with Paul Briggs

Hambidge
Rabun Gap, Georgia
August 9–14, 2026

In this extended, hands-on workshop, participants will explore how to build tall, wheel-like vessels using only their hands. Working from a single ball of clay, students will learn to “turn” a form through intentional pinching—lifting and shaping the walls in a manner similar to pulling on the wheel, but without the use of any machinery or added material.

Through guided demonstrations and steady practice, participants will examine how clay moves when compressed, supported, and gradually coaxed upward. Emphasis will be placed on patience, rhythm, and touch. Students will learn how to evenly distribute clay, maintain wall integrity, and grow a vessel vertically while preserving strength and balance throughout the form.

Moving beyond the familiar three-inch pinch pot, participants will work with up to five pounds of clay, developing a single, continuous pot without adding or subtracting material at any stage. Instruction will focus on hand positioning, compression techniques, and strategies for sustaining height and volume in larger pinch-formed vessels.

This workshop is best suited for those with prior experience in pinch-forming or other clay processes, as the technique requires sensitivity to moisture, thickness, and structural limits. By the end of the session, participants will have expanded their understanding of handbuilding and completed a substantial, refined vessel shaped entirely by hand.

Our workshop retreats are an evolving series of immersive, retreat-style experiences that invite deep engagement with process, material, and place. The experience includes accommodations in our award-winning Antinori Village on our 600-acre campus, crafted meals, expert instruction in a creative medium, and serene time in the North Georgia Mountains.