Clay Printing
NEW WORKSHOP! Pam will be teaching Clay Printing at Anderson Ranch, in Snowmass, Colorado, August 31-September 4, 2026. Registration opens on January 6th. There is only room for 8 students so sign up early if you're interested. It will be a wonderful class! Learn more here.
What is Clay Printing?
Clay Printing (also known as Clay Monoprinting, or printing with colored clay) is a unique and engaging art form that brings together color, texture, and pattern in a fresh, expressive way. Through a process of layering and applying colors, textures, and patterns to a slab of leather-hard clay, artists of all levels create beautiful, one-of-a-kind prints. Once the design is ready, special canvas is placed on top and hand-rolled, capturing the layered clay's intricate details and yielding a beautiful monoprint.
Pam Porter learned this incredible technique from the late Mitch Lyons, the inventor of clay printing, studying with him at the Haystack School of Crafts in Maine, The College of Santa Fe, and the Tucson Artist's Guild. In turn, Pam has taught this process at Naropa University in Boulder, The Art Base in Basalt, The Carbondale Clay Center in Colorado, the Making Art Safely studio in Santa Fe, and Hawaii Preparatory Academy on The Big Island of Hawaii.
Pam Porter learned this incredible technique from the late Mitch Lyons, the inventor of clay printing, studying with him at the Haystack School of Crafts in Maine, The College of Santa Fe, and the Tucson Artist's Guild. In turn, Pam has taught this process at Naropa University in Boulder, The Art Base in Basalt, The Carbondale Clay Center in Colorado, the Making Art Safely studio in Santa Fe, and Hawaii Preparatory Academy on The Big Island of Hawaii.
Clay Printing Slideshow
Clay Printing Downloads
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Fired Pieces
While Pam emphasizes the printmaking side of Clay Printing, potters can also use this technique with ceramic Mason Stains, allowing them to fire their clay slabs after finishing an image. Here are examples of Pam's work created with this approach.
What students are saying...
As an experienced printmaker, I found the description of the Clay Monotype Workshop by Pam Porter to be extremely intriguing as I had never heard of this technique before. I just had to see what it was all about. The Workshop did not disappoint! The Clay Monotype process is playful and experimental with expressive use of color and design. Pam is an excellent instructor, patient and encouraging, and her demos of the process are clear and efficient, allowing you to build skills in the technique gradually. I feel that this workshop experience has enriched my own printmaking practice, and I highly recommend Pam as an instructor.
Jo, participant in Santa Fe workshop, 2025
Jo, participant in Santa Fe workshop, 2025
Pam, Thank you for working with us. We had a terrific time learning the process. It was very nice working with everybody in the studio. My mother and I hope to continue working with our clay slabs at home. Cornelia, participant in Santa Fe workshop, 2025