animal wall masks

Monday 16th - Tuesday 17th June 2025

SUMMARY

During this intensive two-day workshop students will create a wall mounted animal mask of their pet or any wild animal. Midori Takaki will teach advanced slab construction techniques as well as colourful decoration methods using underglazes, slips, and various other processes.

THE COURSE IN DETAIL

Midori will show students how to grasp the character of the animal through forms and energy within their mask. Midori believes that energy is important because, although it is invisible, it is big part of the individual animal. Midori says that students will learn to make the invisible visible whilst creating the masks.

Midori would like to focus on pets because she believes that pets are very personal to their owners and they tend to observe them closely. The owner knows that their pet is different and individual. Midori does not want students to create a general dog, but their own ‘Maisy’ or' ‘Fred’.

If students would prefer to create a wild animal, Midori will guide them through the building process while looking to encourage them to portray its character, energy and traits.

Throughout the workshop Midori will give demonstrations and guide students in using advanced slab building techniques, as well as pinching and sculpting. Each student will have plenty of workspace and Midori will be on hand to give advice one-to-one as well as teaching the group as a whole.

Before the course

Midori would like the students to observe their pets or animals very well, and bring lots of photos from different angles (including front top side and lower angles of pet’s face). So they would be able to construct a 3D mask from 2D images.

FIRING

The masks will be fired following the workshop and ready for collection at a later date.

Please note, there will be a small additional firing charge for final pieces. Details of our firing charges can be found in our Student Contract.

Please read our Student Contract here.

Please also note, we do not offer a glazing service.

About Midori

When Midori arrived in England to study social anthropology in 1992, she had no plans to become an artist. However, for nearly two decades now, she has been working as an artist making ceramic sculptures in her studio in Canterbury.

Her work captures her imaginary life and real life, which overlap. She says that used to pretend to live as a ‘normal’ person in society but wildness broke through the thin veneer and consumed her. Once she started making sculpture, all those layers of pretension fell away. She was finally one whole person.

Midori loves ceramics as most Japanese do. She loves stretching clay with her hands to find what it becomes. Her studio is quiet, but in her head she asks lots of questions to the clay whilst making. She lets the clay lead her as much as possible. The wide range of her work shows her main focus as well as her small discoveries and excitement in daily life. She challenges herself to break the mould every year. She thinks boredom and repetition are the enemy of her creativity.

When she is not working, which is rare, she escapes to the woods or reads books. She is secretive and reclusive. She is seldom seen, but surprisingly friendly if she happens to be in a good mood.

Midori is a selected member of the Craft Potters Association and holds a Postgraduate certificate - Ceramics in Fine and Applied Art from Christ Church Canterbury University, UK.

For more information about Midori Takaki and her work, please see her website:

https://www.midoritakaki.co.uk/

THE SCHEDULE

DAY 1 - Arrive 9am Monday 16th June
Welcome Breakfast (from 9am - 10am). The session will start at 10am and will finish at 5pm. Students may continue to use the facilities until 7pm.

DAY 2 - Arrive 9:30am Tuesday 17th June
On the second day the session will start at 9:30am and will finish at 5pm. Students may continue to use the facilities until 7pm.

A two-course lunch is provided every day. Please inform us of any special dietary requirements at the time of booking.

PAYMENT

This cost for this two-day course is £400. This cost includes all necessary materials, tools, refreshments, a superb two-course lunch every day and a Welcome Breakfast on the first day.

You can pay in full or pay a deposit by clicking on the ‘Book Now’ button above. If you choose to pay a deposit we will contact you to arrange paying the remainder of your balance in instalments.

Before you book a course, please make sure you read our terms and conditions page here.

Please also read our Student Contract here.

TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION

The Ceramic Studio is located on a beautiful orchard in Brenchley, and there are lots of lovely surrounding towns and villages offering numerous places to stay.

We are happy to arrange transits to and from your accommodation to the studio for the duration of your course. Please get in touch to arrange this. Please email the office team at info@theceramicstudio.co.uk. To see examples of local accommodation, click here.