Date night
Two on the Wheel
A loose, giggly intro to throwing for pairs. You'll each center, open and pull a bowl or cup, then pick a glaze color together.
Next class: Fri Oct 30, 7 to 9:30pm
Book a pair
Get yourhands muddy.
Bisque Hours is a bright little ceramics studio in Portland's Central Eastside. Come for one night on the wheel, stay six weeks, or move in with a membership and a shelf of your own.
1128 SE Clay St, between Water Ave and SE 12th.
Classes Tuesday to Sunday. Seconds shop Saturdays 11 to 4.
Fridays are date night.Two wheels, one bottle of something, and a pair of very lopsided bowls.
Pull up a stool
Every class includes clay, tools, glazing and both firings. Butter dots are open seats. When they're gone, they're gone until next month.
We're a grown-ups studio, 18 and up, so no kids classes. For little ones we like the Saturday clay hours at the Belmont library branch.
Wheel series
The First Six, Tuesdays
Six weeks from wobbly to confident: centering, cylinders, bowls, trimming, handles and glazing. Includes 25 lb of clay and two practice hours a week.
Next series: starts Tue Nov 3, 6:30 to 9pm
Save my spot
Handbuilding, BYOB
Pinch, Coil and Pour
No wheel, no pressure. Build a pinch-pot tumbler and a little coil vase at the long table. Bring a bottle, we bring glasses.
Next class: Wed Oct 28, 6:30 to 9pm
Grab a seat
Wheel series
The First Six, Sunday mornings
The same six-week series at a gentler hour, with coffee from Clay Street Grind next door. Ideal if your weeknights are spoken for.
Next series: starts Sun Nov 8, 10am to 12:30pm
Save my spot
Handbuilding, BYOB
Slab Night: Planters
Roll, cut and texture a slab planter with a drainage saucer, sized for the pothos that's outgrowing its nursery pot.
Next class: Wed Nov 11, 6:30 to 9pm
Grab a seat
Date night
Two on the Wheel, Saturday
The Saturday version of our Friday favorite, a little earlier so you can make a dinner reservation after.
Next class: Sat Nov 7, 5 to 7:30pm
Join the waitlist
From mud to mug, in four stages
Greenware. Freshly thrown and still soft enough to dent with a thumb. It dries slowly on our shelves for about a week, tented under plastic so it doesn't crack.
Bisque. The first firing, to about 1,940 degrees F. Now it's chalky, pale and thirsty, and it drinks glaze the way a sponge drinks water.
Glaze. You dip, pour or brush. Raw glaze looks nothing like the finish: our butter yellow goes on the color of oatmeal, and the celadon goes on grey.
Fired. The second firing, cone 6, about 2,230 degrees F. The glaze melts to glass, the speckles bloom through, and your lump of mud is finally a mug.
A shelf of your own
Once you can center a pound of clay, the studio is yours between classes. Members get a wheel, a shelf, our glazes and kiln space, plus a room full of people who will tell you honestly whether that handle is working.
Memberships open after the First Six or a short wheel check with Simone. There are 22 spots, and right now 3 are free.
Full studio
$195per month
- Open studio Tue to Fri 10am to 10pm, weekends 10 to 6
- One 24-inch shelf, plus a wet shelf
- All studio glazes and two firings
- 10% off classes and workshops
Clay is extra: $38 for a 25 lb bag of Laguna B-Mix or our house speckled buff. Month to month, 30 days notice to pause.
Daytime
$135per month
- Open studio Tue to Fri, 10am to 4pm
- One 18-inch shelf
- All studio glazes and two firings
- Popular with night-shift nurses and new parents
The seconds shelf
Mugs with a wobble, bowls where the glaze ran a little too far. Everything food safe, $18 to $42, Saturdays 11 to 4 or until it's gone.
Bring the whole crew
Birthdays, team nights, bachelorettes, a book club that has run out of books. We close the studio for you, put on a record, and teach everyone to make something they'll actually use.
- Handbuilding party, 8 to 16 guests$70 pp
- Wheel party, up to 8 guests$95 pp
- Glaze-your-own add-on night$25 pp
BYOB for guests 21 and up. We glaze, fire and box everything for pickup in about three weeks.
Ask about a date
Hi, I'm Simone
I spent four years as a production potter in Astoria, throwing 60 identical mugs a day for a restaurant supply line. It taught me speed. It took me longer to learn that the wonky ones were usually the ones people fought over.
I opened Bisque Hours in 2021 in an old auto glass shop on Clay Street, because I wanted a studio where beginners feel brave and members feel at home. I teach most of the wheel classes myself. Ama Reyes runs handbuilding nights, and Theo Lindqvist loads the kilns and fixes everything.
My one rule: nobody apologizes for their pot.
Simone Okoro-Bell
Overheard at pickup
"I made a bowl that leans like it's listening to something. I eat cereal out of it every single morning."
Priya, Buckman
"We did Two on the Wheel for our anniversary. Mine collapsed twice and Simone made the collapse sound like a technique. Best date we've had in years."
Marcus, St. Johns
"The First Six took me from terrified to throwing a set of four matching cups. Well, matching-ish."
Hannah, Sellwood
"Twelve of us for a fortieth birthday, three bottles of pinot, and not one person on their phone."
Dev, Alberta Arts
Good questions
Anything else, call or text the studio at (503) 555-0148.
What should I wear to a class?
Clothes you don't mind getting muddy, short or rolled-up sleeves, and closed-toe shoes. Tie back long hair, keep nails short if you can, and leave rings at home. We have aprons and towels.
When do I get my pieces back?
About 2 to 3 weeks after your class. Pots dry for a week, get bisque fired, glazed and fired again. We email when they are on the pickup shelf and hold them for 30 days.
What is your cancellation policy?
Cancel at least 48 hours before a one-night class for a full studio credit, or send a friend in your place anytime. For the 6-week series, cancel before the first session for a full refund, or before the second for 50% back.
Can I bring wine?
Yes for handbuilding nights, date nights and private parties, if you are 21 or older. We supply glasses and a corkscrew. Wheel series nights are dry because spinning clay and a full glass don't mix.
Save a stool
Tell us what you're after and Simone or Ama will write back within a day with a payment link. Seats are held for 24 hours.
Bisque Hours1128 SE Clay St, Portland, OR 97214
Street parking on Clay, bike racks out front
(503) 555-0148 ยท hello@bisquehours.com