FACE, FORM AND FLOW Workshop with Ben Gufford

Two-Day Face Jugs, Face Ornaments & Surface Design Workshop --- October 3 & 4 2026

Ben Gufford (BG) "My role isn't to create artists; it's to help people uncover their own artistic voice. You'll leave with new skills, but hopefully you'll also leave seeing clay, and perhaps even the world, a little differently."

We are very excited to have Ben Gufford visiting us for a two day workshop of faces and surfacing, here are some of the excerpts from our recent conversation:

BG: For as long as I can remember, clay has been more than a material. To me, clay has been a way of understanding the world. I earned two Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, one in Ceramics and one in Graphic Design from Barton College. I also completed graduate studies in ceramics at East Carolina University and an art education teaching licensure program there. I have two more courses to complete to earn a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Art Education through Augusta University. While my education has certainly shaped my journey, I often tell students that some of the greatest lessons I've learned have come not from classrooms, but from thousands of quiet hours at the potter's wheel.

BG: I first began making pottery in the late 1990s, and I've never really stopped. For more than two decades, I've balanced life as both a ceramic artist and an art educator, teaching students from elementary school through college while continuing to develop my own studio practice. My work has been exhibited internationally and nationally, but whether I'm making a tea bowl, a face jug, or demonstrating a simple cylinder, I still approach clay with the same sense of curiosity that drew me to it years ago.

BG: Much of what inspires my work comes from Japanese, Korean, and Chinese aesthetics and philosophy. I find beauty in wabi-sabi, the appreciation of imperfection, weathering, and quiet simplicity, and in the mingei philosophy of Sōetsu Yanagi, which celebrates the humble beauty of handmade objects. Tea culture, Zen Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Christianity, and the idea that perception can continually deepen through experience all influence the forms I create. Rather than striving for perfection, I hope my work invites people to slow down, look a little longer, and discover beauty that might otherwise go unnoticed.

BG: When I'm not teaching or making pottery, you'll probably find me exploring museums, wandering through botanical gardens, hiking a quiet trail, visiting a tea room, reading philosophy, or spending time with my wife, discovering new places. I also enjoy traveling to pottery studios, attending exhibitions, and learning from other makers. Every experience becomes another layer that eventually finds its way back into the studio.

BG: If you take one of my workshops, don't expect a class that's only about technique. Of course we'll cover the practical skills needed to make successful pottery, but we'll also spend time learning how to see. I believe every student already possesses creativity. My role isn't to create artists; it's to help people uncover their own artistic voice. You'll leave with new skills, but hopefully you'll also leave seeing clay, and perhaps even the world, a little differently.

BG: Music has always been part of my creative process. Depending on the day, you might hear traditional Japanese shakuhachi, instrumental jazz, classical piano, folk music, ambient soundscapes, hip-hop, K-pop, or even classic rock drifting through the studio. The music isn't there to set a mood as much as it is to disappear into the background, allowing the rhythm of throwing clay to become its own kind of meditation.

BG: Whether you're touching clay for the first time or have years of experience behind the wheel, I'm excited to meet you. Pottery has an incredible way of bringing people together, and some of my favorite moments happen not when a perfect pot comes off the wheel, but when someone discovers they can do something they never thought possible. To me, clay fosters connections and balances the creator and creation, reminding us of faith, grace, hope, compassion, and love. My goal is for you to join me, get your hands dirty, laugh a little, embrace the unexpected, and experience the joy that only clay can offer.

We hope you can join us at Clay Arts Vegas for this exploration into the work with Ben Gufford. There will be both hand-building and Wheel Throwing techniques used and discussed.

10/3/2026 9am - 5pm (Studio opens at 8:30am)

DAY ONE - Saturday: Developing Character

Demonstration & Hands-On: Building Face Jugs & Facial Features

Demonstration & Hands-On: Face Ornaments

10/4/2026 - 9am - 4:30pm (Studio opens at 8:30am)

DAY TWO - Sunday - Sgraffito, Carving, Painting & Surface Exploration

Demonstration & Hands-On: Sgraffito on Tea Bowls & Vases

Demonstration & Hands-On: Carving Techniques Bowls

Demonstration& Hands-On: Painting a Bisque-Fired Face Jug

Workshop Emphasis: Rather than teaching a single “correct” way to make a face or decorate a pot, the workshop encourages participants to observe, experiment, and discover their own visual language. Demonstrations provide techniques and possibilities, while studio time allows each participant to adapt those methods to their own hands, ideas, and aesthetic.

What You will need:

● Black matte acrylic paint

● Several Small and Medium paintbrushes suitable for detail work

● Paint pens - ZEYAR Acrylic Paint Pens, Extra Fine Point (Amazon)

● Gloss sealant - DecoArt Triple Thick Gloss Glaze - Jar, 8fl oz (Amazon)

● Basic Pottery tool kit, Bats, Towel,

● Small loop carving tool, either Dolan/Kemper or Xiem.

● Max's Paper Clay WC953 or Bmix with Grog (^5) WC436

• BISQUE-Ware item for cold finishing

Check out Ben's website: https://www.bengufford.com/

We know you will want to join for

this memorable weekend!