Create your own ceramic Beetle or Bug Jewellery Box featuring a working hinged lid. In this immersive two-part ceramic sculpture workshop, you'll learn hand-building techniques, sculptural construction, texture, and surface decoration while creating a functional keepsake box inspired by insects, beetles, and the remarkable diversity of the natural world.
Session One: Saturday 14 November 2026
Time: 10:00am – 2:30pm
Session Two: Saturday 5 December 2026
Time: 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Beneath our feet and hidden amongst leaves, bark, mosses, and soil communities lives an extraordinary world of insects and small creatures. In this workshop, participants will draw inspiration from these often-overlooked forms to create a functional ceramic jewellery box featuring a working hinged lid.
Guided by ceramic artist Christie Lange, you'll learn how to construct a sculptural ceramic box inspired by beetles, insects, and imagined species. Through a combination of hand-building, sculptural construction, texture, and surface patterning, you'll transform clay into a small creature designed to protect and hold treasured objects.
A key focus of the workshop will be learning how to create a functional hinged ceramic lid, allowing the finished piece to open and close while maintaining its sculptural form.
Participants are encouraged to work from observation, memory, or imagination, creating pieces that range from recognisable beetles to entirely speculative organisms. Christie will guide you through the process of developing form, creating texture, refining details, and designing a functional hinged lid that integrates seamlessly with the finished sculpture.
During Session One, participants will construct their jewellery box, develop surface texture and patterning, and complete the sculptural form. After drying and bisque firing, participants will return for Session Two where they will bring their beetles and bugs to life using underglazes before a final transparent glaze and firing.
This workshop combines functional ceramics, sculpture, and simple ceramic engineering. While participants leave with a finished jewellery box, they will also gain valuable insight into ceramic sculpture techniques that can be applied to future clay projects.
Suitable for confident beginners and intermediate makers, this workshop offers a rewarding opportunity to develop new skills while creating a unique handmade object that is both functional and sculptural.
Participants will create:
One ceramic Beetle or Bug Jewellery Box
A working hinged ceramic lid
A functional storage compartment
Sculptural textures and surface details
Hand-painted underglaze decoration
A finished ceramic box suitable for jewellery, treasures, and keepsakes
During this workshop you'll learn:
Hand-building techniques for ceramic sculpture
Constructing functional ceramic boxes
Creating a working hinged ceramic lid
Sculptural construction methods
Surface texture and pattern development
Working from natural forms and observation
Refining details and finishing techniques
Surface decoration using underglazes
Ceramic glazing and firing processes
Confident beginners and intermediate makers
Participants with some previous clay experience
Those interested in functional ceramics and sculpture
Nature lovers, collectors, gardeners, and creative makers
Anyone looking to expand their ceramic skills through a more complex project
Stoneware-earthenware clay
Use of studio tools and equipment
Bisque firing
Underglazes
Transparent glaze
Final glaze firing
Expert tuition across two workshop sessions
One finished Beetle or Bug Jewellery Box
Session One: Saturday 14 November 2026
Time: 10:00am – 2:30pm
Session Two: Saturday 5 December 2026
Time: 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Location: Christie Lange Ceramics Studio, Binalong Bay, Tasmania
Class Size: Maximum 5 participants
Skill Level: Confident beginners and intermediate makers
Cost: $395 per person
Collection: Finished works will be available for collection following the final glaze firing. Participants will be notified when works are ready.
Creating a successful ceramic sculpture takes time.
Between sessions, jewellery boxes will slowly dry before being bisque fired in preparation for surface decoration. Returning for a second session allows participants to develop colour, pattern, and detail while gaining a deeper understanding of the complete ceramic process from raw clay to finished artwork.
This workshop combines functional ceramics, sculpture, and simple ceramic engineering.
Participants will learn how to create a working hinged lid while developing a sculptural form inspired by beetles, insects, and imagined species. The result is a unique handmade object that functions as both artwork and storage vessel.
Create your own ceramic Beetle or Bug Jewellery Box featuring a working hinged lid. In this immersive two-part ceramic sculpture workshop, you'll learn hand-building techniques, sculptural construction, texture, and surface decoration while creating a functional keepsake box inspired by insects, beetles, and the remarkable diversity of the natural world.
Session One: Saturday 14 November 2026
Time: 10:00am – 2:30pm
Session Two: Saturday 5 December 2026
Time: 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Beneath our feet and hidden amongst leaves, bark, mosses, and soil communities lives an extraordinary world of insects and small creatures. In this workshop, participants will draw inspiration from these often-overlooked forms to create a functional ceramic jewellery box featuring a working hinged lid.
Guided by ceramic artist Christie Lange, you'll learn how to construct a sculptural ceramic box inspired by beetles, insects, and imagined species. Through a combination of hand-building, sculptural construction, texture, and surface patterning, you'll transform clay into a small creature designed to protect and hold treasured objects.
A key focus of the workshop will be learning how to create a functional hinged ceramic lid, allowing the finished piece to open and close while maintaining its sculptural form.
Participants are encouraged to work from observation, memory, or imagination, creating pieces that range from recognisable beetles to entirely speculative organisms. Christie will guide you through the process of developing form, creating texture, refining details, and designing a functional hinged lid that integrates seamlessly with the finished sculpture.
During Session One, participants will construct their jewellery box, develop surface texture and patterning, and complete the sculptural form. After drying and bisque firing, participants will return for Session Two where they will bring their beetles and bugs to life using underglazes before a final transparent glaze and firing.
This workshop combines functional ceramics, sculpture, and simple ceramic engineering. While participants leave with a finished jewellery box, they will also gain valuable insight into ceramic sculpture techniques that can be applied to future clay projects.
Suitable for confident beginners and intermediate makers, this workshop offers a rewarding opportunity to develop new skills while creating a unique handmade object that is both functional and sculptural.
Participants will create:
One ceramic Beetle or Bug Jewellery Box
A working hinged ceramic lid
A functional storage compartment
Sculptural textures and surface details
Hand-painted underglaze decoration
A finished ceramic box suitable for jewellery, treasures, and keepsakes
During this workshop you'll learn:
Hand-building techniques for ceramic sculpture
Constructing functional ceramic boxes
Creating a working hinged ceramic lid
Sculptural construction methods
Surface texture and pattern development
Working from natural forms and observation
Refining details and finishing techniques
Surface decoration using underglazes
Ceramic glazing and firing processes
Confident beginners and intermediate makers
Participants with some previous clay experience
Those interested in functional ceramics and sculpture
Nature lovers, collectors, gardeners, and creative makers
Anyone looking to expand their ceramic skills through a more complex project
Stoneware-earthenware clay
Use of studio tools and equipment
Bisque firing
Underglazes
Transparent glaze
Final glaze firing
Expert tuition across two workshop sessions
One finished Beetle or Bug Jewellery Box
Session One: Saturday 14 November 2026
Time: 10:00am – 2:30pm
Session Two: Saturday 5 December 2026
Time: 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Location: Christie Lange Ceramics Studio, Binalong Bay, Tasmania
Class Size: Maximum 5 participants
Skill Level: Confident beginners and intermediate makers
Cost: $395 per person
Collection: Finished works will be available for collection following the final glaze firing. Participants will be notified when works are ready.
Creating a successful ceramic sculpture takes time.
Between sessions, jewellery boxes will slowly dry before being bisque fired in preparation for surface decoration. Returning for a second session allows participants to develop colour, pattern, and detail while gaining a deeper understanding of the complete ceramic process from raw clay to finished artwork.
This workshop combines functional ceramics, sculpture, and simple ceramic engineering.
Participants will learn how to create a working hinged lid while developing a sculptural form inspired by beetles, insects, and imagined species. The result is a unique handmade object that functions as both artwork and storage vessel.
