Made Simple
Natural Ash Glazing
Creative expression, not overwhelm
Learn to glaze in a way that feels like an extension of your creativity — not something that overwhelms you before you've even started.
Deep Dive: Natural & Ash Glazes
A complete deep dive, made simple, into the world of ash glazes and other natural materials.
Learn how to source, make, and apply your own clean and deeply unique glazes — without the overwhelm of chemistry, and without the toxic materials so many of us were never warned about.
Perfect for the ceramicist who is ready to move beyond commercial glazes and start creating something truly their own. In this course, you won't be asked to become a scientist working with strange chemicals — instead, you'll bring nature and creativity into your home and work from there.
If you are, however, a born chemist, this course is probably not for you ;)
My journey — overcoming the panic surrounding ceramics glazing
From the moment I started with ceramics, I was overwhelmed by glazing. So overwhelmed that I didn't glaze a single piece for two years — I didn't even dare to walk into the mixing room because of the toxicity. So I focused on improving my skills first.
I tried pre-made glazes next. That didn't feel good either — I didn't know which ingredients were used, or whether I wanted them in my kitchen.
So I went looking for something else. I researched natural materials, like ash glazes — and I fell deeply in love. The magic of it. The connection with creation and nature.
I want to look my child in the eyes one day and say I tried my best to leave him a better world. This course is me sharing my wisdom and experiences, so you can bring it into your own grounded art practice.
What you'll learn, chapter by chapter
Getting Started — safety with raw materials, the tools and equipment you'll need, and understanding your materials: clay, ash and other natural minerals we work with.
Glaze Basics, Made Simple — what actually makes a glaze (no chemistry degree needed), how to source and prepare your own ash, and moving away from toxic materials toward clean ingredients.
Making Natural Ash Glazes — making, testing and firing your first natural ash glaze, and how to go deeper: adapting an existing, tested recipe into something that's genuinely your own.
Conclusion — final thoughts, and where to go from here.
Creative Expression — Finding Your Own Voice (live) — Four live sessions where we build your personal glaze and creative palette, work on recipe variations and food safety, go deeper into wabi-sabi and the fermentation process, and bring it all together with live Q&A and hot-seat coaching.
Along the way you'll learn the difference between ash glazes and natural mineral glazes, how to test safely, and how to bring your own creative expression into every batch you mix.
22 OCTOBER
Live Onboarding Session
Explore the Platform Together
Ask Your Questions
12 NOVEMBER
Exploring Your Personal Glaze and Creative Palette
Creative Expression
Session 1
19 NOVEMBER
The creative path of the Alchemist: surface, depth, tactile feelings
Creative Expression
Session 2
26 NOVEMBER
Wabi-Sabi inspired living & Imperfections, The Fermentation Process & Food Safety
Creative Expression
Session 3
10 DECEMBER
Bringing It All Together: Q&A and Hot-Seat Coaching
Creative Expression
Session 4
What's included
Live online classes — learn together, ask questions in real time, and get guided through the process as it happens. Replay available.
Step-by-step video lessons — revisit every step, at your own pace, whenever you need.
BONUS
Tested glaze recipes — ready to use, no guesswork, no complicated chemical formulas to decode.
A calculating tool — so you never have to calculate a recipe yourself, including for testing.
A comminity group with me, and with other makers doing this alongside you.
Curriculum
October 22 - December 10 : Five Live Classes and Step-by-Step Video Lessons
Thursday, 22 October 2026, 10am CET
Live Onboarding Session
Explore the Learning Platform Together, Ask Your Questions
The Core: Everything You Need to Actually Do This
Finding Your Own Voice
Live Creative Expression Sessions
Following the live onboarding session, I will guide you beyond the technical foundations during 4 Live Sessions: exploring your own personal glaze and creative palette, building your own recipe variations while covering food safety, going deeper into wabi-sabi-inspired imperfection and the fermentation process, and bringing it all together in a final live Q&A and hot-seat coaching session.
Thursday, 12 November 2026, 10am CET
Exploring Your Personal Glaze and Creative Palette
Creative Expression Session 1
Thursday, 19 November 2026, 10am CET
The creative path of the Alchemist: surface, depth, tactile feelings
Creative Expression Session 2
Thursday, 26 November 2026, 10am CET
Wabi-Sabi inspired living & Imperfections, The Fermentation Process & Food Safety
Creative Expression Session 3
Thursday, 10 December 2026, 10am CET
Bringing It All Together: Q&A and Hot-Seat Coaching
Creative Expression Session 4
spiicka ceramics
Natural Ash Glazing Course
Course Q&A
Are the classes prerecorded or live?
It's a mix of both. You'll get prerecorded lessons to learn at your own pace, plus live online classes where we explore glazing together, and where I can answer your questions directly when they aren't already covered in the course.
Do I need experience in pottery or glaze chemistry?
No chemistry background needed. This course is built for the maker who's ready to start glazing but feels intimidated by the technical side. I break everything down into an easy, approachable process — recipes you can use right away, explained simply.
How long will I have access to the materials?
You'll have one year of access to this glazing journey, plus access to the recorded live sessions.
Can I extend my access?
Yes, if you need more time, you can extend your access for an additional fee.
Do I need my own kiln?
It helps to have access to a kiln (your own or a shared studio), since we'll be testing and firing glaze samples throughout the course.
Will these glazes be safe and food-safe?
A core part of this course is moving away from toxic materials. I'll show you how I test and use clean ingredients, and which glazes are suitable for functional, food-safe pieces.
Do I need to source my own ash or raw materials?
I'll guide you on where and how to find and prepare natural materials, including ash, so you can start with what's available to you.
Is this course only about following recipes, or will I learn to create my own?
Both. You'll start with tested, ready-to-use recipes so you can get beautiful results immediately, and as we go, you'll learn the foundations that let you start adjusting and creating glazes that are truly your own.
