Bio:
James Thorne is a ceramic artist, born and raised in the Ottawa Valley. He graduated from Nipissing University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours. James began his career under the supervision of Master Potter Keith Campbell at the North Bay Potters Guild. Teaching since 2016, James' focus has primarily been on the wheel, teaching well over a thousand individuals the art of spinning clay. Working with schools and local organizations, teaching various hand-building projects for ages 6 - 16. James works as a full time pottery instructor, occasionally selling some ceramic wares, and enjoying life with his three young children and wife.
Teaching Brief:
I have a flexible and constantly evolving teaching philosophy. A strong emphasis is placed on ergonomics, studio clean-up and learning the basics of working with clay. That being said, every student comes in different shapes and sizes, some of us have unseen injuries, we all learn different. Changing up my teaching style and adapting to your individual needs, is something I constantly strive for. Some people try pottery to try something new, to relax from a busy life or stressful job, to join a friend in a shared activity, they've just always wanted to try pottery, and some are even dragged along by a more keen partner. A handful of people get bitten by "the pottery bug", and can end up returning to pottery classes for years, looking to throw the perfect pottery vessel. My goal as your instructor is to learn why your in my class to deliver an engaging class for everyone.
Pottery is not for everyone, some aren't interested, some hate the mess, some hate all the steps involved in the clay making process. Worst of all sometimes people just have a bad first experience in clay. My hope as your instructor, is to never dissuade someone from exploring pottery further. I hope to create a enjoyable, safe, and informative class with everyone I teach. Even if pottery "just isn't your thing" I hope you leave my class feeling an enjoyable classroom environment, and learned some basics of clay along the way.