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Clay
Category: Shopping Arts & Crafts Arts & Crafts [Edit]
406 E 1st StLong Beach, CA 90802
(562) 495-4362
- Hours:
Tue-Sat 10 am - 6 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
15 reviews for Clay
Review Highlights
"Perfect for beginners, kids and seasoned pottery folk alike."
(in 6 reviews)
"Can't wait to see how they turned out."
(in 3 reviews)
"There are classes and single use day passes so you can..."
(in 5 reviews)
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15 reviews in English
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Review from C D.
Long Beach, CA
12/10/2011
Clay is affordable, unique, amazing, and hilarious. You'll learn more here in two hours than in an entire year of most other pottery classes, and you'll probably have more fun doing it.
The night started with a juggling act, and got more entertaining as the lesson progressed. I can't believe these small classes are so affordable.
Here are the steps I remember for making your own bowl/vase/mug/creation:
Step 1: Beat up the clay. (+4 upper body strength, +2 aggression release)
Step 2: Drop the clay on the wheel. (+1 aim)
Step 3: Add water and Center. (+2 zen mastery)
Step 4: Make a hole in the center. Laugh. Widen the Base. Make a mess. Laugh. Raise the walls. Make a mess. Make some new friends. Shape the clay. (+ 6 entertainment)
Step 5: Repeat until you have a creation that you want to keep. (+5 creativity)
+20 skill level, and a bowl for soup and ice cream.
Protips: Wear clothes that you don't mind getting dirty; don't be afraid of the clay, people pay good money for it in the beauty world; when you're done, District Wine (2 blocks away) will still be open, and won't care that your jeans are covered in mud.
You can also rent studio and kiln time here for very low cost, or simply browse through the creations from resident artists at the front of the store.
We'll be back tonight for the second Saturday art walk and sale. -
Review from Dana K.
Anaheim, CA
9/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
My fiance and I just took their open session class yesterday using our livingsocial deal we had purchased. They have maximum capacity of 7 people per class. We went in for the 2nd class on Sunday and we got super lucky. We only had 3 people in the class, so we got lots of attention from our instructor Lisa.
She first taught us how to knead the clay to make the molecules moving inside the clay. Then unto the spinning wheel we went. She showed us demonstrations of how to do each step to make your clay looking like a piece of pottery.
The class was 2 hours and my fiance and I had a wonderful time. We decided to take home our creations but additional fee was included in the livingsocial deal. Since I wanted to take home 2 of mine, I just paid additional $5 for the second piece. They are going to fire and color them for us. We just have to go pick them up in a month or so when they are ready. Can't wait to see how they turned out!!
Few things to note:
- Before you start, remove your rings on your fingers
- You will get clay on your clothes (sometimes shoes too) during the session so be sure to wear something you don't mind getting clay on -
Review from Seven T.
San Diego, CA
7/29/2011 4 photos
Clay on First...dont hesitate for a second!
Of all the spots i visited while i was up in Long Beach, i spent the most time here! I rolled in one day to see what was up with the studio and what classes i could take to learn the art. I jumped at the chance to take part in one of the "open sessions" and, it was like, as soon as my mound of clay hit the wheel, i was hooked! The machine, had instantly become an extension of myself.
After some basic instruction directly from the expert owner Clay, it was time for me to get dirty! I threw a bunch of different items on the wheel while i was there and got schooled in various pottery techniques...everything from the creation, to the glazing, firing, and finished art-pieces. So much to learn so quickly, but Clay was a great teacher and dudes really on top of his game!
Once i had some of the techniques down, i then, could really get down to exploring my creative inner workings! The more i practiced, it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to pull myself away from actualizing this art! It got to the point where i had to have Clay lock me in the shop overnight! Like a true "crazed" artist! Seriously, i was so thoroughly in the zone, that i had to construct and compose---until the damn sun came up on a new day! And then, i finally, ran outta clay!
As my head rose up to a new day, after passing out on a mound of clay---still stuck to the pottery wheel, i hear....kids? I open my eyes and look towards the front of the studio and remember; oh yea, they do a kids pottery day camp! So, being the kid that i still am, i run out to grab a coffee (kids shouldnt drink too much coffee!) and rush back to the studio to kick it with the kids for a while and to fine tune my newly learned craft!
Before overstaying my welcome, i realized, i had to make moves up outta there and at least get some food in me! But not before signing up for the next "wheel workshop" class which is starting soon! Cant wait for that! Thanks Clay for putting up with me and my "crazed artist" mentality! Much obliged, i'll be seein ya soon! -
Review from Chantell L.
Long Beach, CA
5/29/2011
I was beyond happy with my Clay experience. It definitely exceeded my expectations. Clay (the man) was helpful, informative and just all around awesome. If you have an artistic itch that you need to scratch I would highly recommend you do it here.
There is no snobbery or intimidating artistic elitism (which tends to sometimes permeate the arts community) and Clay plays really good music.
If interested, I would suggest taking a look at the website. There are classes and single use day passes so you can choose how committed you want to be.
If you find ceramics even vaguely interesting I would strongly urge you to pay a visit to Clay. -
Review from Mark M.
Long Beach, CA
6/21/2011
My girlfriend bought me the one month membership as a present and I didn't know much about the store or pottery. Since then, I signed up for a second month and I've become completely hooked on making http://pottery.it's not easy so I think it's important to take advantage of their classes, but I've made some works now that I'm really happy with. Clay, the owner is really knowledgeable about pottery and the science behind it. He's a great teacher and I hope to learn a lot more.
Also, I read the one star review and I think it's really unfair. Glazes can be tough to work with based on the clay your using (there's a lot to choose from) so I think you have to experiment and not go by just one piece. -
Review from elise b.
Long Beach, CA
7/9/2011
I LOVE this place!
Affordable prices for membership, a fun and welcoming atmosphere and awesome pottery parties! Perfect for beginners, kids and seasoned pottery folk alike.
Doesn't get much better than this! -
Review from Debbie W.
7/20/2011
Came here with the discount and learned a lot about this place, it's soooo cool, the concept of it all. My gf and I had fun learning about how to make clay our friend. The instructions were very clear and our teacher, Clay, was awesome. The casual environment was fun and educational. It took a while for our pieces to be ready, but well worth the wait and such a great price at $5 each piece. I loved how mine turned out and have a sense of pride that I did that on the wheel all on my own!
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Review from Stephanie S.
Carson, CA
7/22/2011
For my birthday, my cousin bought the 2-hr class from groupon. I loved the experience! Clay, which is the best name to have for that line of business, was cool, helpful, funny, patient, and knowledgeable. He talks through & demonstrates every step you should and can do. At the end of the class, if we want to keep what we made, we just had to pay $5 per piece and choose a color we wanted them to glaze it. I can't wait to see what our pieces look like in 2 weeks! I would definitely like to go back for more sessions or even just some studio time. If u don't mind getting your hands, legs, and clothes a little dirty and u want to work with clay, go to this studio!
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Review from Michelle P.
Long Beach, CA
Updated - 8/22/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Oh little grasshopper, take your patience when working the ways of the wheel for Clay is no Color Me Mine where you walk in and walk out with a piece of art in the same day. And if you have the bright idea to take your grasshopper-ette here for a date, leave the luxury clothes at home. This gon' be a get down an' dirty date!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/3/2011
Guess where Hurley from LOST went when the show ended... if it isn't him, then Clay, of Clay on… Read more »
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Review from Sunashine K.
Long Beach, CA
6/26/2011
I'd been curious about this clay studio for a while. I finally had no excuse when groupon had a 2 hour intro class. I invited along my friend's artsty mom, and we got our clay on. We had a blast, and both signed up afterwards for classes in July for more wheelthrowing. I was happy we could pay a small fee and keep what me made, although probably only attractive to the new pottery makers! Also, our class and pottery fees I believe are deducted from the future 4 session course, which is a bonus. Another bonus, is that if we can't make a particular week, Clay said they try to be flexible on makeups. I'm looking so forward to next month! Clay was patient and helpful and made it fun. In addition, the background music and the other students as well made it even better. I highly recommend this studio if you are interested and want to explore clay building/wheel throwing.
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Review from San D.
Orange County, CA
6/11/2010
Such a wonderful gem to find! Who would have know there was a pottery studio in Long Beach? I happned to stumble upon this place a few weeks ago and walked in to check it out. To my suprise it was a fully equipped pottery studio! They offer classes for all ages, wheel throwing, workshops, paint your own pottery and handbuilding! The guy in the front was so friendly and informative. I went back a few days later for my first wheel throwing lesson. The instructor was very patient and I ended up with a piece I am very proud of. I am taking weekly classes now. I am also considering becoming a member.
I also had mentioned it to my friend who has children and she took them for classes. They did handbuilding and wheel throwing. They loved it so much that they signed up for summer classes. The pricing is so great also, I have been looking into other studios that are twice as much! I totally love this place! Thank you for a wonderful time! -
Review from Anthony T.
Placentia, CA
7/17/2011
Scheduled a Private lesson with Clay. It was the best! I am just starting at using the Wheel and wanted a crash course. Clay scheduled some time with me and provided the best education possible for a 2 hour appt. I HIGHLY recommend this business. Keep it up!
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Review from Teresa Y.
Long Beach, CA
8/31/2010
this place is great! the prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly & knowledgeable, and they are willing to work with you with whatever creative ideas you have. i took a wheel throwing class, then afterward became a member and started doing my own hand building thing. i appreciate the laid back atmosphere, no one gets in your way, you are free to be as creative as you want.
to the one reviewer who wasn't pleased, you can't judge a business based solely on one pot that didn't come out as expected. ceramics is a beautiful but complicated process, it takes more than just one try to even begin to understand the concept of it. -
Review from Ronnie S.
Long Beach, CA
2/12/2011
This place is awesome. Clay is a really cool dude, and everyone that works here is really helpful, and friendly. I really enjoyed my experience with them. I read a review by Charm S. and honestly, I think that she just has a personal problem, and just wanted to complain. I hope this place gets big, because the community needs more places like this that are family friendly, and encourage people to do hands on stuff away from the T.V.!
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Review from Charm S.
Garden Grove, CA
6/8/2010
okayyy so I'm glad I am the first one to write a review about this place. I got two words for this place "NOT GOOD". My boyfriend and I were passing by the store and saw some lady making pottery, so I'm like "cool" i wanna do that. And so I did. It was my first time. They were having some sort of special that day so we paid $10 for the clay and another $10 for them to glaze it. Anyway, I made my first pottery and made us come back in 2 weeks so that I can paint, carve or design my pot. So I came back after 3 weeks to do that. It was fun carving the pot. I even put my name and my boyfriend's name on it and was so happy that my carving came out really nice. Anyway so we were told to come back again in 2 weeks so that they came glaze it up and stuff. OKAYYY so after 3 weeks I came back to pick up my pottery and it's not what I expected. I was really disappointed. The carvings weren't there. All the carving I made was covered up with black paint. And the paint I chose was red and it turned out to be pitch BLACK after glazing and firing!!! Arg. The owner told me that happen sometimes. I was like what the heck!!! I put so much work into carving that damn thing and all my work and time was just wasted! If you're going to tell me something and ask me to do something then I would expect that work to be there when I come back.
I don't know much about pottery but I know this for sure...I ain't coming back to that place again!! If you can find something better then just go there. Don't waste your time here.Comment from Clay W. of Clay 7/28/2010
Hi Charm, my name is Clay. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your… More »
