Workshops

🔥 Fire & Form: Atmospheric Firing & Throwing Workshop

with Brandon Berrett & Robert Williams

📍 July 16–21, 2025 | Maple Mountain Pottery 

Address: 165 W 600 N, Mapleton, UT 84664

Phone: (801) 995-5088

A 6-day immersive hands-on ceramics experience focused on wood, soda, and raku firing techniques — plus demos in large-scale throwing, tea sets, bottles, and more.
 💥 Normally $750 — Offered for just $250!
 🎟 Only 12 spots available — reserve yours now!

Text 801-995-5088 or email maplemountainpottery@gmail.com to reserve your spot

đź—“ Workshop Schedule Overview

Wednesday, July 16

  • 12:00–3:00 PM – Functional Tea Set Demo
     Brandon Berrett: Traditional + Whimsical Styles

  • 4:00–8:00 PM – Soda Kiln: Glazing Work + Loading
     Robert Williams: Hands-on guided loading session

  • Evening – Soda Kiln: Preheat Begins 🔥

  • After Dark – Raku Firing (Bring your own bisqueware!)

Tea Set Throwing Demo with Brandon Berrett

Join potter Brandon Berrett for a hands-on demo where he’ll guide you through the process of throwing and assembling a complete traditional tea set—teapot, lid, spout, handle, and cups—with precision and functionality. Then, explore creativity and character as Brandon demonstrates how to craft a whimsical tea set with playful forms and imaginative flair. All parts will be thrown and assembled live, and you're welcome to record the demos for future reference. Perfect for potters looking to expand both technical skill and artistic voice.

Glazing/Wadding Demo with Robert Williams

Get your hands dirty with Robert Williams and dive into the dynamic world of soda firing! In this session, participants will learn how to make and apply wadding, and how to creatively incorporate seashells to prevent sticking and add unique surface effects. You’ll gain a solid foundation in soda firing techniques—what it is, how it works, and how strategic placement in the kiln can dramatically influence your results. You will also be taught how to glaze your work and given time to do so. 

All glazes will be provided—just bring your own bisqueware (cone 10 clay or higher recommended; refer to our clay list for best results). Robert will walk you through how to start and manage a soda kiln with confidence.

Bonus: The studio will be open for hands-on work throughout, with a bonus Raku firing and evening campfire to cap off the day. Come ready to fire, learn, and have some fun!

Sign ups for the wood kiln shifts will be available during the day. 

Thursday, July 17

  • 12:00–3:00 PM – Large-Scale Vessel Throwing
     Brandon Berrett

  • 2:00–4:00 PM – Soda Kiln: Firing Begins + Soda Application

  • 4:00–6:00 PM – Soda Kiln: Soaking Period

  • 6:00–8:00 PM – Soda Kiln: Reduction Phase + Shutdown

  • 4:00-10:00 PM – Wood Kiln: Glazing Work + Loading

  • 10:00 PM onward – Wood Kiln: Firing Begins 🔥

  • After Dark – Bonus Raku Firing

Large-Scale Throwing, Soda Firing, and Wood Kiln Prep

The day kicks off with a dynamic demo led by Brandon Berrett on how to throw large-scale vessels. Students will explore techniques for working with big lumps of clay, coil throwing, and stacking forms—perfect for those looking to scale up their work with confidence and control.

In the afternoon, participants will dive into the full process of firing a soda kiln, including kiln prep, soda application, soaking, reduction, and shutdown. This hands-on session will demystify soda firing and provide valuable insight into placement strategies and surface outcomes.

Next, students will learn how to make and apply different types of wadding specifically for wood firing, along with tips and tricks to achieve optimal results. Together, we'll load the wood kiln and prepare it for firing, which will begin around 10:00 PM. Students will have time to glaze their work.

The studio will remain open throughout the day for open studio practice, and for those wanting even more fire and fun, we’ll also offer a bonus Raku firing later in the evening.

Come ready to learn, get your hands dirty, and fire into the night!

Friday, July 18

  • 24-Hour Wood Firing Continues
     Fire crew rotations available. Learn and contribute!

  • 2:00–3:30 PM – Folkstyle mugs for atmospheric firing
     Robert Williams

  • 4:30–6:30 PM – Extruded/wheel thrown and assembled bottle forms
     Robert Williams

  • Studio Open 24/7 for Practice + Instruction
     Hands-on learning encouraged

  • Raku Firings as the day/night progresses

Kiln Stoking, Folk Mugs, and Creative Bottle Forms

Participants will rotate through the wood kiln, learning the fundamentals of stoking and the basics of how wood firings work—including how heat, flame, and ash interact with form and surface.

Meanwhile, Robert Williams will guide you through a dynamic demo on throwing folk-style mugs designed for atmospheric firings. He’ll share the step-by-step process behind his signature forms—along with a few of his personal trade secrets.

Later, Robert will return with an exciting second demo, showing how to use an extruder to create bottle forms, then throw and assemble wheel-thrown tops to complete the pieces. His creative techniques are approachable and inspiring for studio potters, hobbyists, and students alike.

Throughout the day, the studio will be open for you to create, collaborate, and try out the techniques you've learned. As the sun sets, we’ll cap off the day with another Raku firing—so bring your bisqueware and get ready to fire!

Saturday, July 19

  • 24-Hour Wood Firing Continues
     Fire crew rotations available. Learn and contribute!

  • Studio Open 24/7 for Practice + Instruction
     Hands-on learning encouraged
  • Midnight – Wood Kiln Concludes Reduction Cooldown

  • Open Studio/Chill Day

  • Campfire Social – S’mores, stories, and ceramic camaraderie!

Sunday, July 20

  • Open Studio Day – Relax, glaze Raku, or continue your projects

  • Evening – Final Raku Firing + Campfire Hangout

Monday, July 21

  • 5:00 PM – Community Potluck Dinner
     Bring a dish to share and celebrate together

  • 6:30 PM – Demo on how to clean up shelves and your work for functional use  Robert Williams

  • 7:00 PM – Kiln Unloading Party + Results Review
     Share work, exchange feedback, celebrate atmospheric magic!

🔧 What You’ll Learn

  • How to load & fire a hybrid wood kiln

  • Full process of soda firing: loading, soda application, soaking, reduction

  • Nightly Raku firings – bring bisque (cone 5 clay or higher) 

  • Beginner to advanced wheel throwing and extruding

  • Forms tailored for atmospheric firing success

đź’ˇ Workshop Details

  • 🔥 Each participant receives 1 cubic foot total across both wood and soda kilns
     Extra space: Available for purchase ($/cubic foot)

  • 🏕 Studio open 24/7 for personal practice, be respectful and keep the volume down as we have close neighbors. 

  • 🎯 Future programs will be revealed

  • 🌌 Free camping on-site if needed. Please notify us if this is your plan and we will work out the details with you individually. (Bring your own gear!)

  • 🥤 Bring your own food, snacks, and beverages

  • 🔥 Campfire hangouts nightly – bring treats & stories

  • 🍺 No alcohol before or during your shift and no getting wasted on the property, there are kids around

🏺 Clay Selection

Because we fire the wood kiln to cone 10-11 and the soda kiln cone 10-12, your best options are Continental Clay Wood Fire Porcelain or B-Clay Stoneware

The next best option is Laguna Wood Fire B-Mix 

In a pinch you can take 3 parts B-Mix and 1 part Long Beach, or for something even darker, 1 part Death Valley. Wedge it up well and go for it. 

Pots need to be bisque fired to cone 06 before the workshop, do not glaze them beforehand, you will use our liner glazes for your work. 

1 cubic foot of of space is included in the workshop—this will get you a few pots in the wood kiln and the remainder in the much larger soda kiln. The best way to figure your one cubic foot is to get a 12x12x12 box and load it like a glaze kiln, i.e. no stacking like you would in a bisque kiln.

🎓 Instructors

Brandon Berrett 

Workshop Instructor

Brandon Berrett is a dedicated ceramic artist and educator with over 21 years of experience working in clay and more than 13 years teaching ceramics in public schools and community programs. His focus is on functional wheel-thrown pottery, large-scale forms, and playful whimsy work. 

Brandon’s teaching has helped students earn over $3 million in scholarships and receive national recognition for their work. While those accolades are meaningful, he’s most proud of fostering a studio environment where people feel encouraged, supported, and free to experiment.

He brings a hands-on, down-to-earth approach to every workshop, combining strong technical skills with a love for creative exploration. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your voice in clay, Brandon is here to help you grow.

Robert Williams

Studio Owner

Robert is a ceramic artist whose work bridges ancient pottery traditions with contemporary material exploration. His journey with clay began at fourteen as a high school freshman, marking the start of a devotion to the craft that now spans over two decades.

Initially drawn to art as an undergraduate, Robert discovered his passion lay specifically with ceramics. He pursued Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation as his major while minoring in art, later earning his Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art with an emphasis in ceramics from Brigham Young University in 2018.

Robert's graduate work focused on material exploration, investigating innovative glazing techniques and clay properties. He has discovered and incorporated "wild" clays sourced from multiple locations, which featured prominently in his final master's exhibition. A passionate advocate of wood-fired pottery, Robert continues to explore the intersection of traditional ceramic practices and contemporary artistic expression.

đź’¸ Pricing & Registration

  • 🎟 Just $250 (Normally $750

  • 🎯 Space limited to 12 participants

  • âś… Secure your spot early – this will sell out!

Text Robert at 801-995-5088 or email maplemountainpottery@gmail.com to reserve your spot