Throwing Mud Gallery

You have to try the Ladies Night Out! Such a great time! They provide a lovely spread of treats and beverages, helpful instruction by the sweetest lady, Eileen, and great environment to bring out your creative side and have fun times with friends and family. I really enjoyed painting my ceramic bowl and loved the final product. They have many options available – bowls, mugs, platters, etc., and Eileen will explain how to make them uniquely yours with stencils, stickers and the various glaze options. Would be a great birthday, Mother’s Day or Holiday party idea. Enjoy!

I attended Ladies Night Out last Friday. What a treat, from the owners customer service, the selection of both pottery to paint and purchase. So many pretty pieces that support local artists. I’ll be going back many times. Thank you!

I’ve already recommended this gallery/​studio to many of my friends. The customer service was friendly and helpful, while allowing my sister and I to have fun with our painting experience. The owner offered to keep the store open late for us to keep painting and that said a lot to me!
Lots of different items to choose from to paint, so I will definitely be back!

Really enjoyed my time! The atmosphere was inviting and relaxing and the customer service was helpful and friendly.

After falling in love with ceramics/​pottery in Jr High School and not having had opportunity after college [cough] 30 years ago, I took the plunge and purchased a potters wheel and kiln off of Craigslist.
Not wanting to develop bad habits, I signed up for classes at Throwing Mud Gallery.
As one previous reviewer stated, Mark is methodical.
This is for a reason. If you don’t perform the correct steps in the correct order, you can’t succeed.
It was challenging for me to start back at square one, but it was necessary for me to rebuild and increase my skill level.
I have watched Mark over the last two years work with students of varying interest, talents and skill levels. Those who want to learn and who are willing to put in the effort required (this is not an easy art form) do very well, and I have watched so many improve greatly.
I have also watched Mark bend over backwards for students who did not want to put in the effort or follow the (very necessary) rules to the point of actually acquiescing to unreasonable demands on his time/​energy (he’s teaching several students at once, these aren’t private lessons)
The running of a studio, particularly one with so many diverse students coming through in a week requires a well defined set of procedures which are more than reasonable to follow. (common courtesy dictates that one clean up after themselves and leave the common workplace in the same condition in which they found it; I for one used to be quite unhappy when I would come in to a wheel that was not properly cleaned)
The result of my time at Throwing Mud Gallery, taking lessons from Mark…
I now have my own very successful pottery studio.
Every now and then, I go back for classes or open studio time for the camaraderie and inspiration that being around other artists provides.

What a beautiful shop! I took a «Try it» pottery class and had a wonderful experience! Mark the owner/​Instructor really has a talent for teaching. I found him to be very patient and so helpful.
On a separate occasion I painted in the paint your own pottery studio. It us so organized and Eileen– owner, offers lots of choices to help you get started with your project.
This Gallery and school is a jewel in Tacoma! What a wonderful business!!:)

Came in to see what the shop was like and really enjoyed what I found. All sorts of lovely items on display, and I was able to do a bit of early Christmas shopping. Had a nice chat with Eileen, who gave us a tour of the back area, where people were busily crafting. I thought the painting area looked like a lot of fun, and I hope to get in to try my hand at that. A very nice business!

Throwing Mud Gallery has something for everyone. The gallery features mostly local artists with many different kinda of work — pottery, glass, jewelry, etc. You can take a «try it» pottery class for a fun date or just to see if you like it, or you can sign up for a full session. My favorite part is the paint-​your-​own pottery — there are tons of objects to paint and a million colors. They even have fun holiday or ladies night events with snacks and wine!
Definitely a great place to check out for gifts, classes, or just something fun to do for an afternoon!

Really enjoyed my experience here. I had never even seen clay before I started and by the end I could make bowls and pushpots. This class is well worth it IF you have the time for it. Open studio time is included in your purchase to practice… use it.
Mark is very knowledgeable about training and has lots of techniques to teach. Be prepared to be educated!

My first class at Throwing Mud Gallery, during a May 2013 session, has been everything I hoped for. Mark gives each student individual attention and I received plenty of tips on projects I made. Mark does not limit his students, but encourages each student’s imagination. Eileen is delightful. I like touring the gallery, which she oversees, and asking questions about the art for sale. If you are looking for instruction in wheel throwing or hand building this is definitely the place to go. My positive experience at Throwing Mud Gallery has encouraged me to continue taking classes.

I wanted to take a pottery class as I thought it would be fun and relaxing. Unfortunately, I found the experience at Throwing Mud Pottery both tense and upsetting. The teacher, Mark, explained several steps at once and seemed to lack patience when we did not follow them to the letter. There was also a strict vigilance about how to do things, e.g.; storing material, rolling out clay without staining the table, cleaning up in a specific order, not using hot water as it costs more, etc. It often felt as if the appearance of the studio was more important than learning the art. I left the lessons with my stomach tied in a knot and quit going after the second session (out of six). While this might be an okay experience for some, it was not a good fit for me. Take the trial class before you sign up for the full course and make sure it’s a good fit for you.