Details & Hours
studio membership.
The membership is for practitioners who have a basic knowledge of working with clay and need a studio to work in. We have a range of tools, clays, and dozens of ready-mixed glazes to choose from. All glazes have test tiles so you can see what they will look on different clay bodies. Becoming a member gives you a space to work at, at a pace that suits you. You can come whenever works best for you, just book your slot online so we can be expecting you. There's always a mentor on site to advise members on how to use the equipment and on the best way to carry out a project. This isn’t structured teaching, but if you want advice on technique we'll be happy to make suggestions. If you are a bit rusty, don’t worry, you are not on your own!
Membership includes:
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Anytime access during our opening hours for members, up to 10 hours a week. Allowances don’t roll over.
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Use of equipment, tools, and glazes. We have a range of tools, clays, and dozens of ready-mixed glazes to choose from. All glazes have test tiles so you can see what they will look like on different clay bodies.
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Up to 12 kilograms per month of standard temperature firing, and your own storage shelf (h40cm x w35 x d40cm). The only additional thing you have to buy is clay, which we sell on-site.
Although this is not a class, there's always a mentor on site to advise members on how to use the equipment.
Work Area
Members can use the workspace for as long as they need on any given day as long as they book ahead and stay within their weekly allowance of 10 hours. Allowances don’t roll over.
Tools
A range of tools is available to use in the studio. There are some communal tools available for most standard tasks as well as water buckets, sponges, and paintbrushes. Members are encouraged to collect their own tools as they develop in their practice.
Personal Storage Space
Each member has his or her own storage shelf (h40cm x w35 x d40cm) in the studio, which is adequate for most users. (Whilst we hope that it will never be an issue, Erencia Creative cannot be responsible for your personal items. We recommend that you do not leave any valuables or items of personal significance in your storage area.)
Kiln
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We have a high quality electric front load kiln.
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12 kilograms of stoneware kiln space per month is included in the monthly membership. It is rare that people need to go over this but if you use all your free space, additional work is fired at €1 per kilogram for members. Allowances don’t roll over. Only pieces made by members with clay bought through us can be fired in the studio.
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Maximum dimensions for pieces to be fired in the studio kiln are h35cm x w25cm x d20cm.
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We load the kiln so you do not need to know how to do this, but you must know how to prepare and glaze work for the kiln so that it will not cause kiln damage. The cost of damage to the kiln caused by incorrectly prepared work is passed onto members. If a kiln shelf is ruined by a member's piece during firing, there is a charge of €40 per shelf.
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We fire every couple of weeks, so work goes through the studio quite quickly. However, we do advise that it can take up to five weeks for pieces to be fired at times when there is a lot of demand.
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Kiln hiring can be arranged for an extra charge.
Clay
Clay comes from Spain and is sold at low prices at our studio. We are afraid that clay is only available for studio members - we don’t sell to the public.
Only pieces made by members with clay bought through us can be fired in the studio firing.
Clays available to members include:
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BT (a white, smooth throwing body)
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BG (a white, light buff hand-building body, good for throwing)
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NT (an off-white, light buff hand-building body, good for throwing)
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CT (a cream-coloured, grogged hand-building body)
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NTN (a black clay body for hand-building)
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NTR (a red clay body for hand-building)
Glazes
Erencia Creative provides dozens of different glazes in different colours and textures. These are all stoneware-fired glazes and suitable for the standard firing provided as part of your membership. Use of the glazes is included in the membership fee. Glaze must be applied correctly before we fire it, and there should be at least a half centimetre clearance around the bottom of each item unless it is placed on a member’s own firing bat. This is to prevent damage to the kiln shelves from running glazes. You must know how to prepare and glaze work for the kiln so that it will not cause kiln damage. The cost of damage to the kiln caused by incorrectly prepared work is passed onto members. If a kiln shelf is ruined by a member's piece during firing, there is a charge of €40 per shelf.
Wheels
Erencia Creative has 3 wheels that maintain a smooth speed even when centering a heavy load.
Can I buy a membership for someone else?
Yes! Erencia Creative memberships and classes could make a great gift!
Why a whole month?
Erencia Creative offers monthly membership instead of hourly or daily rates because every piece you make goes through several steps and takes weeks to complete. You are given your own personal storage area on-site to store your clay and work-in-progress between visits.
Why is there a limit on hours?
Erencia Creative is set up for part-time use. This is how we keep costs down for everyone, because this way we can all get the cost benefits of studio and equipment sharing. If we had full-time potters in the space it would tie up the facilities and it would give less value to our part-time members. For this reason, the maximum time a member can use in a week is 10 hours. We don’t expect that all our members will want to use the studio as much as this. But even if you used it for less than half of that time, you still get great value from Erencia Creative. If you come for 5 hours a week, for example, €240 a month still works out at around €11 an hour, compared to the €15 an hour of limited access you might get at other studios.
Opening Hours for Members
Monday: 13:00 - 17:00
Tuesday: 13:00 - 17:00
Wednesday: 13:00 - 17:00
Thursday: 13:00 - 17:00
Friday: 13:00 - 17:00