Having wanted to try the craft of pottery for a long time i was thrilled to find the opportunity for it in Moscow through the pottery workshop "На Миуссах". I signed up for a series of 8 private lessons and can, after having completed them now, recommend this workshop warmly to anyone interested in pottery, or even anyone just looking for some cosy, quiet moments in busy Moscow!
I tried my luck with jars, plates, cups and bowls; the class involved shaping the object from a lump of clay, correcting irregularities, and getting to know different methods of decoration. Denis is an very patient and welcoming teacher; he willingly takes up your own ideas and helps you to realise them as far as possible. This also means you can set you own priorities in what you want to work on and learn in the course of the workshop.
Although there was to a certain degree a language barrier, we managed to bridge it quite easily with my fragmented Russian and the occasional help of Google translate :) So i really wouldn't let not knowing Russian discourage any non-native speakers, especially since the tasks are so manual.
I enjoyed the lessons very much, it was a very good first insight into the ceramics craft and made me eager to pursue it further at the next opportunity. So once more, my warmest recommendations to anyone interested in ceramics, and warmest wishes and a big thank you to Denis!
- Alison