Clayways Pottery Studio & Gallery

I was visiting the area from out of town and would absolutely choose this place to take classes or be part of the co op. Lovely gallery and great facilities for a potter to «pot». Kit, the owner, (I hope I got the name right) was wonderful! Everything a potter needs!

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would become a potter, the novice that I am. I’d seen Clayways many times while driving on Burnet and one day decided that I would stop in to look at the many beautiful pieces in the gallery. I was immediately greeted by a lovely lady named Judy who proceeded to show me around the gallery while giving me some history on each of the potter’s who have work displayed there. I was more than curious about how pottery was made so Judy offered to give me a «behind the scenes» tour of the studio. I spoke with some of the potters working and was in total awe of the masterpieces they were producing. After my tour Judy asked me if I would be interested in taking classes because as she said, «there is an artist in all of us, individually.» I remember thinking that Judy didn’t know how artistically challenged I am. Several potters urged me to try my hand at it and I did. I’ve never been happier. I’m not a superstar but I absolutely love the environment, the people, and the friends I’ve made. Everyone there is supportive and helpful. The instructors are totally hands on and encouraging. I feel particularly special when Kit Adams the owner, who is a well respected potter comes by and gives me advice on how to perfect my work. It doesn’t get any better than this!!! So, at 62 Clayways has shown me that you can teach an old dog new tricks!!! Thank you.

Clayways has been a fantastic part of my families weekends for the past 6 years. It is an amazing place to explore your creativity, to meet wonderful people, and to learn more about yourself through the art of pottery. Highly recommend the classes and absolutely ADORE the staff!!! Awesome people!

I came here for a date night and did the ‘Pot Shots’ class. It was so much fun! I highly recommend this class! It was easy for a beginner and the instructor was very friendly and helpful. I was able to make two different style bowls and my husband squeezed in making three. The painting of the pottery was a bit rushed, but I didn’t mind too much since it was a quick class. I’m sure if you take the other in depth classes, more time is spent on glazes and all that. There were about six of us in the class and everyone seemed to have a good time. I thought it was a good intro to easy beginner techniques for people with no clay experience at all. I was a bit nervous before starting, thinking I would be awful and it was going to be too difficult, but I was completely wrong and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I would highly recommend this class for all ages because it was so much fun!

These guys are very unprofessional and rude. They keep on changing policies on their convenience, so be aware if you wanna join them, get things clear well before, else they will trouble you.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! The Gallery has all sorts of really creative and beautiful pieces in it for sale. The back half of the place is a space that provides pottery classes (wheel and handbuilding) and pottery studio space. I currently take a handbuilding class and love it. The instruction is great and everyone is SUPER friendly. Our class is a mixture of people that have been working with clay for a long time and may even have a few pieces for sale in the gallery, intermediate students and total beginners. I love it that the experienced people are always willing to help and share techniques. No snobbery here. Sometimes a few of us may even wrap up our projects, go and get lunch with each other and then come back to work on stuff even more.
When you sign up for a class you also get open studio hours, meaning if there isn’t a class going on, you can go in and work on your project anytime the studio is open. This is great because it’s nice to go in there sometimes and just focus on your projects. Plus, you get more time to work on them. Also, when you buy a bag of clay from Clayways it includes the firing fees (they fire your pieces there) which is super convenient.
A lot of people here enjoy making bowls and volunteering for the Empty Bowl Project too which is pretty rad. It’s an effort by Austin area potters to fight hunger where donations go to Kids Café, a program of the Capital Area Food Bank, and Meals for Kids, a program of Meals on Wheels & More.

ClayWays pottery studio is an incredible place to learn the basics of pottery. Whether it’s hand building or throwing on a pottery wheel, the studio is set up to provide a great environment for ceramics. The studio is large, the materials are great, the instructors are attentive, hands on and supportive. It’s a welcoming environment for both beginners and intermediates and the structure of classes and instruction really helps you feel supported as you expand your knowledge.
To shop the gallery is to have access to some of the best work local potters produce. You can visit the studio while you’re waiting for your purchases to be wrapped. The biggest challenge is leaving the gallery and resisting the urge to buy half of what you find on the shelves. Great customer service, warm staff and a wonderful creative environment.

Clayways has a store/​gallery area in the front, and the back is an instructional/​studio area. They offer both handbuilding and wheel throwing classes.
I just finished taking my first class, and it has really been a great experience. I’m eager to start the next one. My instructor, Patty, has been great with helping me with all the beginner challenges, and the other instructors that I’ve encountered have been very helpful too, including Kit, the owner. The students are a tightly knit group, but also extraordinarily welcoming and friendly.
The classes are small (max 12 people, I think) and generally have participants at all levels. I was the only brand new beginner in my class, which I was a little intimidated by at first, but I quickly discovered that this was to my advantage because I received a lot of one-​on-​one instruction plus guidance from my classmates. The class environment is very informal — Patty will start each class by doing an instructional demonstration on a different project each week, and then will usually do a beginner demo that is a smaller or less advanced version of that project. Then she will help everybody with different things they are working on or challenges they might be coming up against. It is very informal — folks come and go, and not everyone watches the demo; people tend to work on their own projects. Patty got me going on the basic techniques more quickly than I expected, and now I’m making little bowls and mugs and plates whatnot, and she is showing me new skills and techniques and helping iron out the wrinkles (a.k.a. showing me how to correct my screw-​ups!) along the way.
This review is all about what it was like to be a beginner at Clayways only because that is where I am, but there are tons of students in there working on super advanced and impressive projects all the time.
If you are reading this review because you are thinking of signing up for a class, I would definitely encourage you to go for it. I’m somewhat shy, and I don’t think of myself as being very talented, but neither of those things have been an issue because everyone there is so good-​natured and eager to help you learn. My class has been a lot of fun, I’ve learned a lot in just a few weeks, it has been surprisingly therapeutic, and I’ve met some great folks and seen some great art happening around me.

Clayways changed my life. Several years ago, I went to Clayways to take a simple handbuilding class. I had a wonderful instructor who would have a new project for us each week. At the end of the class, we had a raku firing. That firing showed me exactly what I wanted to do art-​wise and I’ve never turned back. I have sold pieces on-​line now and raku has become my creative outlet.
The classes are great as I have taken several by now. The instructors are all local potters who are willing to share every bit of knowledge they have, that is just how potters are. The best part is when you take a class you get studio time. Whenever there is no class going on, you can come in and work for free. It is during studio time that I have met other potters, been inspired by what they were working on, and just found that special zen while focusing on a piece.
This Christmas I am asking all my family to give me gift certificates so I can take another class. Love this place!!!