Understanding Glazes

Learning why your glazes work and don’t work, is the most important step in taking control of your studio.

Course Overview

Understanding Glazes Online is a 4-month course focused on the science behind glazes. No more myths and legends about how glazes work, only facts and science. The course provides information and science to help everyone utilize glazes in ways that will help them take control of their materials and make their studios the best they can be. Students will engage with the teacher and other students during the bi-weekly, live, online discussions. We will discuss the questions from the class that arise, as well as explore experiments and the studio in general. In addition, students are provided with discussion forum for each lecture, so they may start the conversation, there and then.

This course aims to develop a basic understanding of the following: 1) ceramic materials and their chemistry, origins, properties, and functions; 2) the tenants of heat and temperature as related to ceramic performance; 3) glaze formulas, analysis, and performance; 4) glaze flaws, their identification, and corrections; and 5) the function of ceramic oxides and color.

This is the same course that Matt Katz has been teaching for years at world class institutions, including The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Rhode Island School of Design and Harvard University.

Sample Video

Course Outline

Introduction to Learning Online – Introduction to Online Learning
Welcome to Glaze Formulation – Introduction to Ceramic Science
Geology – Geography
Chemistry – Periodic Tables; Atoms
Materials Vol. I
Materials Vol. II
Materials Vol. III
Seger and Stull – Temperature; How cones work; Mapping Temperature on Stull
U.M.F. Calculations – A how to with a single material: A how to with a glaze
Temperature and Durability – Flux Ratios
Boron – Durability; Temp Talk; How to deal with Boron;
Special Effects – HIgh Sodium Glazes; Shino Glazes; Wood Ash
Glazes; Crystalline Glazes; Oil Spot and Temmoku Glazes; Copper Reds; Raku;
Glaze Flaws – What are they?; What to do about them;
Color – How colorants work; All the colors in the rainbow

Course Announcements

Now enrolling in October 2023 Session

Sign up today to reserve your spot!
Enrollment is limited!

Full Course

CMW Digital Glaze Book is now available for early bird registration!

Our new glaze book contains over 7,500 glaze tests for 15 base glazes and includes recipes and images for all of them! For each of the 15 base glazes, we include 8 base glazes fired to Cone 10 and 7 base glazes fired to Cone 6 in both oxidation and reduction. And all 15 base glazes were tested using multiple thicknesses and all sources of alkaline and earth metals and colorants that we have available to us. Options with or without Matt’s analysis are available.

More Info Here!

Enrollment

We have 3 options to choose from!

Lectures Only Option – $400

You can begin right now. Enroll and start learning today!

Lectures Only

If you want just the lectures:

You can start RIGHT NOW!
$400 for unlimited access to all of the Understanding Glazes lectures
Over 14 hours of content
Includes four months of access to course materials
Upgrade option available to full course for only additional tuition $200 + upgrade fee $100
Enroll Here!
Note this option does not include labs or live Q&A discussions

Self Guided Option – $500

Now Accepting Early Bird Registration – Course access begins July 1 2023!

Self-Guided

If you want to learn at your own pace:

Access to this new course will start July 1, 2023. Now accepting pre-registration.
$500 for 4 months of unlimited access to all of the Understanding Glazes lectures and labs
Self guided experience course includes:

14 total – 1 to 2 hour on-demand lectures
Hands on learning lab experiments and readings
Lifetime access to the new CMW Digital Glaze Book
Copies of lecture notes

Pre-Register HERE!
Note this option does not include live Q&A discussions

Full Course Option – $600

Now Accepting Enrollment in October 2023 Session!

Full Course

If you want to experience the full course:

The next class session begins October 1st with 4 months of access
$600 for the full experience
Full experience course includes:

14 total – 1 to 2 hour on-demand lectures
LIVE bi-weekly online Q&A discussions on Tuesdays 10am & 8pm, Wednesdays 2pm, Thursdays 8pm EST (NYC time)
Hands on learning lab experiments and readings
Copies of lecture notes

Registration is open now and is LIMITED! Reserve your spot now!
Sign Up HERE!

Lectures Only Bundle

We’ve bundled together our 3 best selling Lectures Only courses at a great price of $1,050! Save $150!

12 months of unlimited access to Lectures Only Understanding Glazes, Lectures Only Intro to Clay Bodies and Lectures Only Advancing Glazes
Upgrade option available to each of the full courses for only additional tuition $200 + upgrade fee $100 per course
Enroll Here!
Note this option does not include labs or live Q&A discussions

Instructor

Meet Your Instructor Matt Katz

Matt Katz has been teaching for years at world class institutions including The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Rhode Island School of Design and Harvard University.

Course Reviews

What Students are Saying

★★★★★

Just so you know, after more than 50 of making pots on and off, I’m setting up a new studio to make truly durable and pleasing ware for use in the home. I was totally at sea as to finding suitable clay and glazes till I found CMW. CMW pulled my bacon out of the fire big time! Now I am confident that I will have the knowledge I need to accomplish my goal. I’m also really interested in chemistry now, which I could never have imagined! You guys are totally the BOMB!!! Kudos!

~

Roger – March 2022

★★★★★

Hey Matt – I just wanna thank you and Rose again for teaching, in a really enjoyable way, the science behind glazes.I would’ve never imagined how cool chemistry could be and CMW’s workshops will change your studio forever” is nothing short of the absolute truth. Wish you guys a wonderful holiday and I’ll see you later!” Giuliano R. – Student – Dec 2021

~

Giuliano R. – Student – Dec 2021

★★★★★

…today one of my regular customers said, “ I went to a pottery show – and I can honestly say your glazes are above and beyond anything we saw there.” Very cool that education and work pays off.””

~

Erik – Aug 2021

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions

What experience level is this class for?

Our classes are designed for makers of all levels. We’ve had professionals with 50 years of experience and we’ve had folks take our classes after having one studio class at their local community college. Everyone comes out truly understanding glazes.

Are you going to talk about…

Let me stop you there. We are going to talk about EVERYTHING.

Temperatures? Yes? Atmosphere? You better believe it. Materials? No way around it. At the end of this course, you will have a thorough understanding of ALL aspects of clays.

Why should I take this class?

I’ve got books. Books are great, but books are a supplement and a reference in education. The reason why school is still lecture classes, is because audio/visual learning is still the most powerful educational tool.

When I first started studying glazes I got a book, and I read every word…and I understood about 1% of it. The experience of listening and looking helps us to truly UNDERSTAND a subject.