I am so happy to find Fire and Mud studio! I love working with clay and this studio was the answer I found to fulfill my desire to create. For a flat fee I have been able to have access to every possible studio feature and service without having to own it myself. Rae is an amazing business owner and has had the foresight and sensibility to create a place where community members can come and hone their skills, be inspired by others, and really learn the ins and outs of a functioning pottery studio. I really appreciate getting to work near other members and see what they are doing which in turn inspires me to try new ideas. I highly recommend Fire and Mud for beginners to experts. An introductory class is a great way to orient yourself to the studio because there is so much to try. Even though I have worked in clay on my own for about five years, it was a great intro to studio etiquette for the shared work environment. If you want to find a place to work creatively with clay. Fire and Mud is the ultimate studio for what you are looking for. Hope to see you there! read more

I went to Fire and Mud to register my youngest daughter, who is special needs (PWS), into classes. She was so excited to begin the lessons and I was told we could immediately sign up and pre-pay for the course online, so I did. Later on, my daughter and I stopped by the center to ask when classes begin (I was not informed of this despite having paid), as my daughter is in charter school and I needed to know the class schedules ahead of time. When I entered the center, an employee who was assisting an older man and woman completely ignored our presence. We waited and waited, standing by. It wasn't until the woman, who was visibly uncomfortable by the employee's negligence, told the employee that she had a customer who needed assistance that the employee had the audacity to tell the old man and woman not to mind us, that we "registered and ask a lot of questions". She then continued to assist the man and woman and proceeded to ignore us! I felt so embarrassed by this treatment that I left and called the center to tell them we will be withdrawing from the class. I have never been treated with such a lack of respect. I felt discriminated against as an immigrant and as a Muslim and I was disappointed that this treatment kept my daughter from learning a new craft. read more

Hubby had bought an Amazon local deal for pottery making for me... Scheduled an appointment with Rae. She was very prompt in responding and accommodating my request.. Went for a 10am class today.. It was such a relaxing and fun experience! I'm a pottery making newbie and had no clue about anything. Rae talked to all the students so patiently! There were 6 students out of which 3 of us were newbies.. She catered to everyone individually and kept an eye on how everyone is progressing.. I loved the calm and fun experience in the class! Can't wait to go back and glaze my pottery two weeks later !!! Yayayyyy read more

My friends and I took a beginner class about five months ago and have become regulars. Kathy and the rest of the crew are inviting, knowledgeable and extremely generous with their time. I've learned so much and feel fortunate l to have a place where I can go to relax, socialize with great people, and let the creativity flow. read more

Awesome place! My mom and I have taken 2 classes (purchased on a groupon) so far at Fire and Mud, and we both loved them. The first class was a wheel class and both of us were very inexperienced. Rae, the instructor and owner, was extremely patient with us, and assisted us throughout the entire two hours. She explained the processes we were doing and was also fun and great to chat with, while creating our pottery. The second class we learned to paint/ glaze our pots and were given lots of choices of color combinations. Again, our instructor was so helpful and able to teach us how to do the painting properly. We will certainly be returning here to take more classes and learn more techniques!! It's definitely a great way to spend an evening and worth the time and money. read more

I have been coming to Fire and Mud for over 4 years, both as a student and for independent work. I LOVE IT! It gives me a chance to decompress from stresses in my life in a creative, peaceful environment. Working on the pottery wheel is a lot like meditation for me, "centering" myself, as well as my lump of clay... I have seen Rae interacting with countless students from the very young and those with special needs, to disabled seniors, and she has been unfailingly patient, gentle, and kind. There is a place here for everyone at any level of experience, learning speed, or creative ability. Thanks, Rae!! read more

I have been coming to Fire and Mud Studios regularly for 2 months now, and all I have is positive things to say, especially about teacher Jude Mortensen. She is EXTREMELY talented, patient and knowledgable. Her pottery is some of the best I have ever seen: she has a soft touch to the shapes that she creates that make them uniquely beautiful. She is also the best teacher to take from if you are serious about learning how to throw on the wheel. I have learned so much in the past 2 months, and even though I continue to take the Beginning classes she has continued to push me to learn other techniques (like throwing off the hump, trimming, and making lids), while still starting from the beginning with the rest of the class. Jude and the other teachers at Fire and Mud truly want their students to enjoy what they are doing and to learn and grow from their classes. Any negative reviews would be from people who aren't wanting to learn how to throw pottery correctly, and as such, should probably go elsewhere. Fire and Mud studio is a wonderful place to spend time in. The owner Kathy is energetic and loves what she does. She is supportive to all of the students and staff. I am so happy that she opened the studio, as it has truly changed my life in such a creatively positive way. I will continue to go to Fire and Mud for years to come... :) read more

I was truly disappointed in the experience I had with Fire and Mus Studios. My son and I found this through Yahoo Local or Groupon. When I called the studio she said I could purchase it directly and thought that might work out just fine. We scheduled the time and once there waited 15 min till it was our "turn". She was scatter brained and couldn't decide about payment wasting more time that I thought would be spend learning. Once on the wheel she did a good job explaining what we needed to do and we both got the hang of it fairly quickly. Although I felt a bit rushed when she wanted us to stop and take the bowls off the wheel and "clean up" Once we finished cleaning both wheels and all the tools she scheduled a follow up appointment for us to paint and fire the bowls. I had a conflict with work and couldn't make the time scheduled. I called a few days prior and let her know and that seemed fine. I was gone out of town the next couple weeks so we scheduled a time about 3 to 4 weeks out. Yet another work conflict forced me to reschedule again. This time I didn't have the phone number so just used the email through her website. Letting her know well in advance the time couldn't work. I got an email about 2 weeks later stating that she had "technology issues" and didn't get my email on time. When I went to finally reschedule she wanted to charge us a fee for missing the scheduled appointment. I would think in this economy she would want to please her customers and establish a reputation that could lead to future business and referrals. Well just the opposite is what happened here. I thought the nerve of her wanting to charge us again for something we clearly paid for in advance. I did my part letting her know about the missing time but since she didn't or wasn't able to get to her email from her site I am to blame. I am sure others have had positive experiences with this studio just be warned the motivation behind her "teaching" isn't all is appears. I just left our bowls and now have a disappointed son wondering why what he created can't be completed. be warned and make sure you discuss all these details up front. I think a much less expensive class at the community collage might be a better alternative. Sign me...... still stuck in the mud read more

I have been going to the fire and mud studios for almost a year now. The place is great with excellent collection of pottery tools, glazes etc. Rey is a great instructor and is always there to guide you when needed. It's a very friendly and well equipped pottery studio, if that's what you are looking for, I totally recommend it!! read more

I took a class with Rae two years ago and I got hooked! If one week goes by and I don't go, I feel like something is really missing! Rae is an amazing teacher, she is hands on and explains things in a visual and easy way to grasp! The atmosphere in the studio is very friendly and people are encouraging and inspiring each other all the time. It's also a fun way to relax and socialize while being creative. There are always cool surprises when she unloads the oven, it's like Christmas every time!!! I just love it and can't stay away from it if I can help it! I would recommend it in a heartbeat! read more

This place is truly amazing! I was looking for something creative and fun as a birthday gift for my boyfriend. We took a Throwing on the Wheel class with Kathy and we had a blast! The customer service from the owners was above and beyond anything I could have ever expected. And even though me nor my boyfriend had ever done ceramics, our pieces came out great because we had a wonderful teacher. We will 100% return to this place to take another class or to do open studio. read more

Extremely over priced. I would not recommend this place to any experienced ceramicists. The way the instructor's studio works is, if you want to work or do use any open wheel time you must first take one of her over priced classes. Now that is fine if you are new at throwing or hand building but for those who have been working with clay for years, sorry you must still waiste your time amd money. The throwing classes cost $30 per person/ class. Her open wheel/ studio time prices vary. You can either pay $6 an hour, and this time includes you cleaning up, or you can purchase an expensive 8-16hr package ranging from $40-$80. This would be fine if that time never expired but unfortunately it does. You have 1 month from the purchase date to use of every last second of your time or else you are s**t out of luck. I've been to other open studios were I only need to spend $15 for 5hr of open wheel/ studio time and that price includes everything from the bisque firings to the glaze and the glaze firing. While Fire and Mud studio makes you pay for the time spent there, classes for building/throwing, the clay, the bisque fire, glaze classes, and glaze firings. Again I do not recommend this place to anyone looking for a place to go to regularly. read more

We can't say enough positive things about Rae and her studio. The studio itself is so bright and fun to be in and Rae is incredibly informative and patient. My 8 year old took a series of classes here and she couldn't wait each week to get in there and start creating. We highly recommend Fire and Mud Studios!!! read more

The studio has adequate pottery tools and materials. The instruction was pretty light for what is designated as a class. The instructor spent more time working with people who dropped in during the designated class and chatting . Since I am a newbie this didn't work for me. Others seem to enjoy the atmosphere. I do think 65 dollars was excessive based upon what I received. Suggest visit and observe before purchasing time and sessions. read more

So Rae says that "after weeks of getting the run-around" and that I'm just a disgruntled former client. Allow me to tell the actual TRUTH, something which Rae seems unfamiliar. Two weeks before my daughter's wedding I stopped going to the studio to concentrate on the last minute details of the wedding. I had been an artist member for over a year (overpaying the entire time), and when I didn't show up for two weeks, Rae insisted that I not only pay the prior month's full membership, which I did not owe, but THE FOLLOWING MONTH'S membership as well. I actually owed 2 weeks, or $15.00 for the shelf rent. Rae called me to harass me RIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING insisting on $300, when all that was owed was $15.00. I told her I would come in the week following the wedding and take care of it, at which point I was unceremoniously kicked out of the studio, while she kept most of my clay which I paid for. In my opinion, Rae is the queen of all ice queens and a thief. I don't intend to get out of her life until she gives me back the clay she stole from me. I will keep writing about how overpriced and underperformed she is, and that she has stolen from me, so who knows who else she is stealing from? I am not a "former disgruntled client". I am a former client that she cheated, lied to and stole from, and doesn't want anybody to know. She knows it, I know it, and hopefully now you, dear reader, know it as well. Rae Holton, your actions are indefensible. Give me back the 40 lbs of clay you stole from me. Give it back. read more

This place is a gem! I started with a Groupon over a year ago. The owner/instructor, Rae, was SO patient and helpful, the class was very small (max of six people on the wheels) so everyone was given individual attention during the class. It was not only great fun, but I got "hooked" on the Zen-like atmosphere of the place. Now I'm there as often as I can get away to my "sanctuary." The students are very supportive of each other's talents and the creativity is contagious. When my young grandchildren (10, 8 and 6) visited, I took them for a lesson with Rae. They had a blast. Rae was so very patient and supportive as they worked. Now they ask to do more ceramics with "Mrs. Rae." I've also observed her conduct classes with children of all school ages and the children are enthusiastic and respond well to Rae's guidance. It's clear that Rae enjoys the kids, as well as adult students, and helping them to develop their talents and appreciation for this art form. The studio has good equipment and plentiful supplies for your use. The prices and membership options are very reasonable. The policies for using the studio are reasonable as well and are based on common courtesy (cleaning up after you use the tools, glazes, etc. ) and safety. After your first (orientation) class you can work on your own or get lots of support from the instructor, and everything in between, so it's a good fit for every type of learning style. read more