Hot Fox Pottery
"I was blown away by the experience. It's everything I've been looking for in my pottery experiments."
Lila
★★★★★
£120pp
11am - 4pm
Barcombe, near Lewes
All materials included
Beginners welcome!
Experience the unpredictable magic of pottery and fire at our full-day raku workshop in beautiful East Sussex woodland near Lewes.
Raku is a traditional Japanese firing technique where pots are pulled from the kiln while red hot and exposed to fire and smoke, creating beautiful and unpredictable effects. No two pieces are ever the same.
We are running workshops throughout the summer (check out our upcoming dates), and can also run on-request group bookings on weekdays.
Beginner raku workshops with Hot Fox in the beautiful Sussex woods
Happy woman holding raku fired pots at woodland workshop in Sussex
Participants at raku workshop in the woods
Happy woman holding raku fired pots at woodland workshop in Sussex
Spend the day in nature decorating pre-bisqued pottery (hand-made by us) with our specially formulated glazes to achieve rich colours and metallic effects, then firing it in the open air and watching the flames transform each piece into something unique. Everyone takes their finished pottery home the same day.
The session suits complete beginners and experienced potters alike. We'll provide a vase and a tile to work with, or you're welcome to bring your own pre-bisqued blanks — please read the FAQs below for details, as they need to be the right clay and a suitable size.
Our Location:
The workshop takes place in a very special place; a private woodland in Barcombe, 5 miles from Lewes in East Sussex and 12 miles from Brighton.
Old oak trees canopy the site, resident pigs snuffle nearby, and the sound of birdsong fills the air as you decorate your pottery and take a walk during your lunch break.
We have shelter, so the workshop can take place in most weather conditions.
See FAQs below for more information about travelling to the venue and workshop logistics.
This is the rough outline of the day, which runs from 11am - 4pm
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Welcome tea, coffee & biscuits (available all day)
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Introduction to raku and brief health and safety talk
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Design, glaze and prepare your pieces
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Kiln goes on, and pots come out at 1010°C
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Develop the glazes of the pots by putting sawdust and newspaper on them and letting then burn!
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Quench and scrub your pots and watch the colours emerge
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Eat your bring-your-own picnic at any point
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Relax and enjoy being in the beautiful woodland
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Admire and show off your incredible art!
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The full cost (including handmade pot and tile) is £120 per person
FAQs about the venue & logistics
How do I get to the venue? The venue is near Barcombe, East Sussex (exact address provided on booking.) There is no public transport to the venue, but we will try and see if participants can lift-share, or you can get a train to nearby Cooksbridge or Lewes station and get a taxi to the wood.
What happens if the weather is bad? We have a shelter to be under if it rains, but please bring waterproofs as you will be walking outside a bit. If it's very windy or stormy it wouldn't be safe to run the workshop, so in that case we would have to cancel (with full refund) or reschedule your booking.
What do I need to wear? The workshop takes place in a woodland, so please dress appropriately for the weather. We have a shelter to sit under, but it is not enclosed, so bring waterproofs/ warm clothes if needs be. Wearing closed-toe shoes is also very important to keep you safe. You will also smell like a bonfire by the end of the day, so please don’t wear your best clothes! We will provide you with aprons and all other necessary safety gear.
What food/ drink is provided? We will give you tea, coffee and biscuits throughout the day. You will need to bring a packed lunch and any other snacks or drinks you want for the day, as there is nowhere nearby to buy food.
Is the venue accessible? The site is a short (2-minute) walk from the car park on uneven ground. If you walk slowly, or with a walking aid, you should be fine, We can send you a video of the route to the wood if that would be helpful. Please bear in mind that we will expect you to be on your feet or sitting on a bar stool for much of the day.
Is there a minimum age limit? The minimum age we can accept for these workshops is 12, and they would need to be a mature, sensible child, supervised closely by their parent or guardian.
What is your cancellation policy? If we have to cancel the workshop due to bad weather then you will be able to reschedule to another date (depending on availability) or we will give you a full refund. • If you cancel your class more than 28 days before the start date then a full refund will be issued (less a 3% admin fee). • If you cancel your class between 28 and 14 days before the start of the class 50% of the course cost will be refunded (less a 3% admin fee). • If you cancel your class less than 14 days before the start of the class no refund will be given.
FAQs about raku
Is raku safe? It’s safe for you, yes! There are some risks associated with raku firing, but that’s why we’ll be operating the burner for the kiln and taking the pieces out of the kiln. You’ll do everything else though! Sometimes we will be expecting you to work around fire, but if you don’t touch the flames or the red-hot bits you should be ok! We will give a full health and safety briefing and provide the safety equipment you need.
Do I need any previous experience? No. You don’t need any previous experience of any pottery whatsoever. We’ve designed this to be a fun experience for absolute beginners. We ’ll provide you with a pre-bisque-fired tile and a pot that we’ve made. You can choose from a few styles. Then you’ll decorate them and we’ll fire them together. Your piece will be unique to you.
Can I bring my own piece(s) to fire? Yes, within certain constraints. Firstly, we use Ashraf Hanna and ES20 clay, but any clay designed for raku should be ok. If you use any other kind of clay you might get away with it, but we can’t guarantee it, so please don’t try! This is important partly because we don’t want your pieces cracking in the kiln and damaging other people’s work. Also, there are strict size limits to what we can fire in one day, so you’d need to make sure your pot is no wider than 10cm (4”), and no taller than 20cm (8”). We are likely to only be able to fire one large pot and one tile per person. We’d like you to use our glazes as well, as we are firing to specific temperatures and conditions and these are the glazes we’ve tested under those conditions. TLDR: Yes, but please do get in touch and don’t just turn up with pottery without saying anything to us beforehand.
Can I do the thing with horse hair? Not at the moment. That stuff is called “naked raku”. You do it on bare clay. We use glazes which we’ve developed ourselves instead. We know naked raku is interesting, and we’re considering doing it in future, but for the moment we’re only doing glazed stuff.
What about laying on feathers? Please see the answer about horse hair above!
How about wrapping the pots in foil? This is called a saggar firing and is also not what we're doing on this workshop. For now, the glazed kind of raku is quite exciting enough for us (and we think you’ll agree)!
Can I bring my own combustibles? You can bring your own combustibles to throw onto the pots in the reduction bins, as long as they are bone dry. We provide sawdust and newspaper, but other things like hay/ dried plants can create different effects which you are welcome to explore.
Do you know how my pieces will turn out? No! One of the absolute joys of raku is that every piece is unique. We can have a rough idea, but even if you go for very minimal decoration (which you don’t have to!) there will almost always be some sort of quirk that will make your pieces distinctively yours and unique to you.
Will my pieces be food-safe? No. Raku is fired at a lower temperature, so the clay isn’t fully vitrified. Plus, the crackle in the glaze leaves microscopic cracks where bacteria and moulds could potentially live, so raku is decorative only!
If there are any other questions you have, please do email us!