Calapooia Clay Pottery Studio is a complete ceramics studio with the necessary equipment (potter’s wheels, slab roller, extruder, kilns, glazes, work tables, molds, tools, etc.) for both beginners and experienced potters to work and create great pottery.
Calapooia Clay is NOT a production studio. We cannot support the work of production potters.
Location
Calapooia Clay is located at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Cleveland Street, kitty-corner from Goodwill:
1533 Seventh Avenue SE
Albany, OR 97322
Equipment
We are a “cone five/six” studio. That means we use electric kilns, bisque-firing (first firing) clay creations at 1940 degrees Fahrenheit, and then glaze-firing our work at about 2160 degrees Fahrenheit. We also have a Raku kiln for special effect pottery pieces that are for ornamental purposes only (not food safe or water tight).
Calapooia Clay has ten electric pottery wheels and one kick wheel. That means there will be a wheel available for you to use during open studio time, and room for ten students in a class.
We have lots of table and bench space to do all kinds of creative hand building and all the tools you need to get it done, including a slab roller, slump/hump molds, rollers, stamps, texture tools…
Calapooia Clay offers several different mid-range clays to work with: GMix, Kristy Lombard, Trail Mix, Dundee Red, Dark Chocolate, Trillium Porcelain and Timberline Sculptural. All of our clay comes from Georgie’s Clay (Eugene and Portland). Clay must be purchased at Calapooia Clay for $36 – $46 per 25 lb. bag.
At Calapooia Clay we have glazes that may dipped, brushed or sprayed on (spraying requires special instruction and clay expertise). A dozen primary glaze colors form our palette (plus specialty glazes, oxides and stains) – they are all shown both on the glaze board in the glazing room, and on pieces around the studio.
Owner/Director
Ed Sweet was an Albany pastor for thirty years prior to opening Calapooia Clay. Ed and his wife, Felicia, have three grown children and five grandchildren. They have been learning and creating pottery for over a dozen years through the OSU Craft Center, the Benton Center (LBCC) and in their home ceramics studio. Ed is a member of the Willamette Ceramics Guild. He also golfs, fishes, watches movies and is a member at Valley Christian Center in Albany.
