Four workshops. Fresh additions for 2026
Registration opens October 29, 2025 11:00 am Mountain Daylight Time
workshops 2026
Workshops at Sarah Pike Pottery
Workshops at Sarah Pike Pottery are immersive five-day experiences designed for potters who love texture, form, and the endless possibilities of slab-built clay.
Each session welcomes a small group of makers to Sarah’s Fernie, BC studio for a week of learning, creativity, and connection.
Each workshop includes five days of hands-on instruction with Sarah Pike, a welcome dinner the evening before your workshop begins, five gluten-free lunches prepared by Red Seal Chef and Chopped Canada winner Barrie Elliott of Fernie Catering Co., and an optional Workshop + Stay program for shared accommodation near the studio.
2026 Workshop Schedule
Four sessions, two seasons, one small mountain studio!
Texture Explorations - June 15-19
Slabbery: Form & Design - June 23-27
Slabbery: Form & Design - September 21-25
Texture Explorations - September 29 - October 3
Workshop Options & Pricing
All prices in USD
Workshop Only
Price: $2,250 USD
Five days of hands-on instruction with Sarah Pike in her Fernie, BC studio. A warm, creative, and fully immersive experience.
Each session welcomes a small group of ten makers to Sarah’s light-filled studio, a space for focused making, shared exploration, and creative exchange in clay.
Includes:
Welcome dinner on the evening before your workshop begins
Five gluten-free lunches prepared by Red Seal Chef and Chopped Canada winner Barrie Elliott of Fernie Catering Co.
All clay, materials, and shared studio tools
Includes glazing and firing two of your pieces after the workshop
Workshop + Stay
Price: $3,100 USD
Everything in the Workshop Only option, plus shared accommodation through Sarah’s Artist Retreat Condo Initiative in a beautifully restored historic residence in downtown Fernie.
Includes:
Five private bedrooms with shared baths
High ceilings, original brick walls, and local artwork
Central downtown location, walkable to cafés and galleries
A thoughtfully curated space that blends comfort, design, and history
A luxurious, communal environment that fosters connection & creativity, complete with a chef’s kitchen, dining and lounging areas, a gym, and a hot tub for relaxing after studio hours
Personally vetted by Sarah, inspired by insights from the 2025 workshop participants
Slabbery: Form & Design
Sarah’s Slabbery is back: Five days of form, design, and slabbuilding techniques in her Fernie studio.
This five day workshop focuses on the form and design of slabbuilding. (slabbery) Slabbuilding has its own unique qualities and challenges: how do you transform a flat slab of clay into expressive, three dimensional functional forms?
Join Sarah in her home studio and learn from a maker obsessed with slabbuilding design and techniques, with years of experience shaping and refining this approach. Over the week, she’ll demonstrate a range of slabbuilding techniques and share her design thinking, blending structure with playful experimentation. Students will explore templates, bisque molds, and altering methods to build forms with proportion and personality.
Offered twice in 2026 - June 23-27 and September 21-25.
Moments from the studio — learning, making, and the rhythm of slabbery with a maker obsessed with clay, design, and the hand-built form.
Texture Explorations
Sarah’s much loved Texture Explorations Workshop returns - five days of texture play, tool making, and surface design in her Fernie studio.
This five day hands-on workshop focuses on texture, tools, and surface pattern play. Before Sarah makes a slab form, she makes the texture tools, the behind-the-scenes part of her process. She has spent years researching and refining her surface design techniques, and will demonstrate just how she does it: from initial sketches on paper, to carving stamp and roller blanks, to testing and refining each tool.
Students will learn how to texture and stamp clay using both hand-carved and found tools, exploring the tactile process of pressing and impressing texture into clay. Through this, they’ll gain an understanding of repeated pattern design and how rhythm, depth, and mark making can completely transform a slab.
Sarah guides participants through every stage of her texturing process: carving stamps and rollers, creating cutouts, experimenting with pattern and repetition, while making simple cups, tiles, and plates as canvases for surface exploration.
Offered twice in 2026 — June 15–19 and September 29–October 3.
Moments from the studio — carving, pressing, and exploring the surface stories of clay, shaped by a maker whose lifelong exploration of texture has inspired so many to play.
For 2026, Sarah is introducing the Artist Retreat Condo Initiative, offering accommodation for five students per session in a beautifully designed five-bedroom residence in downtown Fernie.
The space features high ceilings, historic brickwork, and local art; a perfect reflection of Fernie’s creative energy. Located just five minutes from Sarah’s studio, this shared accommodation provides a relaxed environment that extends the workshop experience into daily life.
Each session welcomes ten participants: five who choose the Workshop + Stay option (shared accommodation) and five who select Workshop Only (self-arranged lodging). The Workshop + Stay option is $3,100 USD and includes five nights of shared accommodation in the Artist Retreat Condo, along with all workshop tuition and lunches outlined above.
This new structure grew from past student feedback and Sarah’s desire to make travel planning easier while fostering a sense of community that naturally continues outside the studio.
Workshop + Stay: Artist Retreat Condo Initiative
Moments in the making — a new chapter of shared space and connection, surrounded by the mountains and creative spirit of Fernie.
Food & Nourishment
All workshops include catering by Red Seal Chef and Chopped Canada winner Barrie Elliott of Fernie Catering Co.
Her seasonal, locally sourced menus are prepared entirely gluten free, featuring a welcome dinner and five nourishing lunches. Barrie’s fresh, thoughtful food keeps makers inspired throughout the week. A celebration of care, creativity, and community shared around the table.
Moments shared — meals served in Sarah’s handmade ceramics, where food and form come together in celebration of craft and community.
The Studio & Fernie
Workshops take place at Sarah Pike’s home studio, located on an acre of land on the edge of Fernie, British Columbia. Fernie is a small mountain town known for its creative energy and stunning landscapes. The property backs onto a beaver pond and the Elk River, so don’t be surprised if you spot moose or beavers during your visit.
The studio is a bright, welcoming space designed with makers in mind. With multiple solid worktables, two electric kilns, a small glaze kitchen, and plenty of natural light, it’s the perfect place to settle into the rhythm of clay work. When the weather allows, the covered outdoor area offers even more room to spread out and explore. Class sizes are intentionally small, giving each participant ample space and support.
Fernie itself is a small mountain town of about five thousand people, tucked into the Elk Valley of the Canadian Rockies. It’s as creative as it is outdoorsy, full of hiking trails, mountain bike paths, coffee shops, art galleries, and local restaurants. Downtown is just a few minutes away, making it easy to enjoy both studio time and mountain life.
Moments rooted — a place to work, rest, and find inspiration in Fernie’s mountain light.
What People Are Saying
“Sarah is so normal…in the best possible way. She made us feel like were all friends, so genuine, so kind… AMAZING!”
— Slabbery: Form & Design, 2025
“Sarah is warm, friendly and a lovely human. She pays incredible attention to detail and refinement. There are so many improvements I have made to both my work and my teaching because of her instruction and methods. Highly recommend learning from Sarah from courses and workshops”
— Slabbery: Form & Design, 2025
“Very cool getting to work side by side with the “MASTER” potter + technician. I have a lot of external stress with my regular routine - so the workshop was a much needed mental respite. The workshop time went by so fast, and I so enjoyed my other classmates and hope we can stay in touch”
— Texture Explorations, 2025
“The week was amazing! I honestly feel like it could not be a better experience. I loved every minute.
— Slabbery: Form & Design 2025
“Workshop exceeded my expectations - Sarah was very helpful + patient with me. Loved personal touch with help trying new techniques and processes. Loved all the pro tips, suggestions, and family interactions. Could not have had a better time doing anything else”
— Texture Explorations, 2025
“Could not be better! The lunches served in your pottery were beautiful and delicious! Not having to pack a lunch or leave to pick up was decadent”
— Texture Explorations, 2025
“Any other workshops will have a hard time living up to yours, I really enjoyed it”
— Texture Explorations, 2025