About

Wood Fired Pottery School is an artist-run pottery studio based in New Lynn, Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland).

Classes are taught by Jack Tilson, and the school is managed by Kristal Gallagher.

About the Tutor

Jack brings over 15 years of ceramics experience to the studio. He has exhibited and taught widely across Aotearoa, and studied at the University of Auckland before completing an MFA with first-class honours at Elam School of Fine Arts in 2015.

Directions

We’re a 9-minute walk from the New Lynn transport hub.
25a Titirangi Road, New Lynn, Auckland 0600
Find us on Google Maps.

Studio Facilities

Our teaching spaces are equipped with a range of pottery wheels and tools, including traditional Leach wheels and Korean Kerokuro wheels. Many of the tools we use are handmade.

Teaching Philosophy

Our approach is grounded in community and a deep respect for the processes of working with clay and fire. The studio is shaped by the following values:

  1. A safe and inclusive space
    A supportive environment where people feel comfortable experimenting, learning, and expressing themselves.

  2. Clay at the centre
    We love clay and honour its many forms, behaviours, and histories.

  3. Fire as a creative force
    Fire is treated as a collaborator. Our kiln is a tool that produces outcomes beyond full control.

  4. Community first
    The school is built around shared knowledge, diverse perspectives, and learning together.

  5. Natural materials
    Each season we rotate the clays we use, working with natural stoneware and porcelain. Our kiln is brick-built and fired with pine and windfall wood.

  6. Honouring the past
    Our focus on kick-wheels and wood firing connects us to long traditions. New ideas emerge through an ongoing dialogue with past, present, and future practices.

  7. Embracing chance
    Wood firing invites unpredictability. Every piece that comes from the kiln is one of a kind.

  8. Earth-friendly practice
    The studio sits beside a stream and near native bush on the edge of the Waitākere ranges. We minimise impact by using non-polluting clay and glaze materials.

  9. Weather-wise firing
    For safety and care of the environment, we only fire when weather conditions are suitable.