Explore your Creativity

Follow your curiosity, try new techniques, and discover your own voice in clay.

Progress over Perfection

Embrace the wonk. Every piece is a chance to learn, grow, and build confidence.

Create in Communnity

Learn alongside fellow makers in a welcoming studio where we encourage each other.

ABOUT CLAYWORKS

A place to get your hands in clay.

OUR MISSION

To provide structured, nurturing ceramics education that builds technical skill, creative confidence, and a lifelong appreciation for the craft.

OUR VISION

We envision a studio community where students return session after session—not just to improve their technique, but to develop their artistic voice in a space that values craftsmanship, experimentation, and the beauty of imperfection.

David Beattie

Owner & Instructor

David’s journey into ceramics began by a happy accident when he mistakenly walked into a pottery studio while seeking an escape from a stressful career, instantly connecting with the “malleable wet earth.” Over the past 24 years, his experience has been shaped by a rigorous Leachian apprenticeship that prioritized technical mastery and efficiency, teaching him that “work inspires work.”

He believes we are raised on the shoulders of our mentors and credits his foundation to a lineage of teachers who challenged his perceptions and introduced him to diverse techniques like wood firing and sculptural communication. Even after a ten-year hiatus, his re-engagement with the medium has been defined by a commitment to lifelong learning through various guilds and studios across the Southwest.

Ultimately, his philosophy is rooted in the belief that true creativity flourishes only after one has put in the hard work necessary to move beyond technique and into the soul of the form.

Amanda Mares

Owner & Instructor

Amanda Mares began throwing on the wheel at just three years old in her family’s pottery studio, where clay first became both a material and a lifelong language. Growing up immersed in the rhythms of the studio instilled in her a deep respect for craftsmanship, discipline, and the transformative power of process.

She later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from the University of Texas at El Paso, with a concentration in Graphic Design and a minor in Ceramics, allowing her to approach form with both structural precision and creative intuition.

Amanda is currently continuing her studies through an apprenticeship at Clayworks Pottery Studio under the mentorship of David Beattie, where she is refining traditional techniques while expanding her contemporary voice. As owner, instructor and lifelong student, she is passionate about helping others build strong foundations in clay.

Her teaching philosophy centers on curiosity, technical integrity, and cultivating confidence, believing that true growth in ceramics comes through patience, discipline, and an enduring love of the craft.