FAQ

See below for answers to our most common questions. We're here to help you embark on your creative journey!

  • Date nights & private events: Your finished piece will be available for pickup 6 weeks after your event.

    Multi-week classes: Your finished pieces will be available for pickup 2 weeks after your last class.

    You will not receive an email when it’s time to pick up. Just come by the studio during our pickup hours after the appropriate number of weeks, and we will have them ready for you! There is no need to call or email beforehand.

    We organize the pieces by date, so please come prepared with the date of your visit to Claymates.

    Claymates will keep your pieces on the shelf for 2 months after they become available for pickup. After this point, they will be donated.

  • We release new multi-week classes and clay dates every 2-4 months.

    If you’d like to be notified when new classes are available, we recommend joining our mailing list!

    If classes for a particular month are already on our calendar, more will not be released for that same time frame. The next email will be for the following term.

  • Please see Studio Policies for our full cancellation policy.

  • Please see Studio Policies for our full cancellation policy.

  • We ask students to only register in a series if they can commit to the entire sequence. Makeup classes are not available, and it is not possible to join another class for one week.

    If something comes up after a series begins, student drop-ins are available on Saturday mornings for $25.

    If a student misses the final glazing class, they must submit glazing choices to the teacher, who will glaze for them.

    Please see Studio Policies for our full cancellation policy.

  • Yes! Claymates offers drop-ins for students on Saturday mornings

    Student drop-in details:

    • Saturday mornings from 10:00am - 2:00pm

    • First come, first served, please arrive before 1:00pm

    • $25, paid upon arrival with a card

    • Instruction free; students cannot drop in unless they have learned a skill in class first

    • Students will have access to all their projects

    • Clay and materials included

    • Students can make as many extra pieces as they want, but will be asked to choose their favourite 6 pieces to fire in week 5 of class

  • Clay dates: Students will make one piece each to be fired.

    Multi-week classes: Students can make as many pieces as they want in class, and will choose up to 6 pieces to be fired in their fifth week of class. The rest will be recycled.

  • Participants in multi-week classes must be at least 14 years old.

    Participants in clay dates must be at least 10 years old. For ages 10-13, guardians must attend with their child as their “date.” Ages 14+ can attend on their own.

    Private events and private lessons can be booked for folks of any age, including kids. To try the wheel, we recommend kids be at least 10 years old.

  • Clay dates: You are welcome to send someone else or another pair in your place.

    Multi-week classes: it is not possible to send another person in your place to one week of class.

    Skill-building workshops: It is possible to send another person in your place, but please make sure they are equally qualified and prepared for the workshop, and please email us to give a heads up.

CLASSES

  • Please see Studio Policies for our full cancellation policy.

  • Claymates does not have an option to pause memberships. If members want to take a break from their studio membership, they can cancel with one month’s notice and add their name to the waitlist again.

  • Membership visits can not be rolled over; they are use it or lose it each month.

  • Members can assume the studio will be open normal hours on stat holidays unless they receive an email about a closure.

    We have have two scheduled closures each year — one for our annual community sale, and one over the winter holidays.

  • Members are not permitted to bring guests to work at the studio with them during regular drop-in hours. We do offer monthly friends and family nights, guests are allowed during these times only. Friends & family nights can be booked online here.

  • Claymates has a firing limit of one bag of clay per month, per member. When you buy a bag of clay, we will write the date on the bag, and you can buy another bag one month after this date.

    The reason for this is to focus on process rather than production. If members are finding they regularly want to fire more than one bag of clay per month, we recommend finding a studio more suited to production.

  • Claymates has no guarantees on when you piece will enter and exit a kiln. There are many reasons a piece may or may not be loaded, such as dryness, size, or class schedules.

    That being said, we fire several times per week, and you can write a friendly note on your piece if you are in rush, and we can do our best to get it in the next firing if possible.

    There’s not a size limit — if it can fit in the kiln, we will try to fire it eventually. Larger/taller/wider items will take longer to be loaded, and have a lower chance of being fired successfully. If you’re not sure if your piece can be fired successfully, ask the tech! Or email us with a photo and dimensions.

  • All clay being fired with us must be purchased at Claymates.

    We occasionally make exceptions if a member is participating in a cone 04 or cone 10 firing in another studio’s kiln. In these cases, Claymates can bisque the member’s work for a per-pound fee. Please email the studio before bringing any outside clay.

  • Members can bring outside cone 6 glazes if given prior permission from studio staff. All outside glazes must be tested on a cookie, with notes written to the tech about what they are. Outside glazes cannot be combined with our house made glazes. Please email the studio with photos of glaze packaging before bringing any outside glazes.

  • Claymates provides storage for:

    • One bag of clay

    • Wet works in progress

    • Bisqueware

    • Glazeware

    Members cannot store:

    • Personal tools

    • Shoes/clothes

    • Apron/towel

    • Extra materials

    • Extra equipment

    If members want to be able to leave personal items at the studio overnight, they can rent a locker for $30 per month. Food cannot be stored in lockers.

  • Clay: Each member can store one bag at a time, as long as they are a member. If we find two bags on the shelf, the older one will be recycled.

    Wet works in progress: Please label and date all work covered in plastic. Anything older than one month may be recycled.

    Hospital: Please check the hospital regularly in case your items end up there. We will store projects needing labelling or repair for up to 1 month.

    Bisqueware: Please try to glaze as soon as possible, but we will store bisqueware for up to 2 months after firing.

    Glazeware: Please try to take home as soon as possible, but we will store finished work for up to 2 months after firing.

  • Members are welcome to recycle their own trimmings, broken pieces, and slop. However, this must be done the same day at the studio or taken home. Containers of soaking/drying reclaim cannot be left at the studio.

  • All membership works need to be marked very distinctly. Most pots look quite similar at the bisque stage, and many people have the same initials.

    We encourage marking your work with a unique stamp, signature, symbol, or your full name. If you are using letters/initials, we require at least 3 letters. Please do not glaze over your mark.

    Any work that is not marked sufficiently will be placed in on the hospital shelf to be corrected before firing.

  • Membership is for 18+ adults.

MEMBERSHIPS

  • Claymates carries most cone 6 clays by Plainsman. These include M340, M340S, M370, P300, M350, M390, and coffee. We also sell our white reclaim and red reclaim when available.

    Prices range from $40-$50 per bag. Non-members are welcome to buy clay from us, but we cannot fire it for you.

  • Claymates only fires work from current studio members, and current students (6 pieces per student).

    For a local firing service, we recommend checking out www.kilnshare.com.

  • We prefer if pets are left at home while you’re dropping in or taking a class at Claymates. The studio has a lot of hazards (inhaled silica dust, very hot kilns), and other members may have allergies or concerns around dogs. Thanks!

GENERAL

WHERE TO FIND US!

We are nestled in East Vancouver near Strathcona Park.

Address
1288 Vernon Drive, Vancouver BC

Contact (Email is best!)
hello@claymatesceramicsstudio.com

 

Drop-ins are only available to existing Claymates members. If you’re not a member but you’d like to visit the studio, please register for one of our classes or private events!