Five-day Ceramic Painting Masterclass with Lee Price at Duchess China 1888
9th October 2026 | ANNOUNCEMENTS | OUR STORIES
Deadline for applications: 1 November 2026
Where: Duchess China 1888, Uttoxeter Rd, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent ST3 1PB
When: 7 to 11 December 2026, 10am to 4pm each day with a lunch break (lunch provided)
Cost: £300 (three free bursary places available for those from under-represented communities or facing financial hardship – subject to availability)
Join prestige artist Lee Price for a five-day intensive course on the art and endangered craft of Ceramic Painting to create a masterpiece.
With close to forty years of experience holding the mantle of decorative ceramic heritage, Lee is one of the unsung heroes of British craft. He works out of Duchess China 1888, one of the few remaining producers of fine bone china in the UK, and home to a wealth of knowledge, experience and skill at the heart of the historic Potteries in Longton.
With support from the Goldsmiths’ Foundation, Heritage Crafts has partnered with Lee to produce a new film on ceramic painting, helping to capture and transmit the skill for future generations. Lee is delivering this five-day course for students eager to learn these skills and the film will be accessible to all for free as a key learning resource to enhance the hands-on experience.
At the end of the course, participants will have learned the principles of ceramic painting and will take away their own hand-finished piece, an original Duchess China 1888 eight-inch plate with a hand-painted centre, three side panels and raised paste gold sprays on a black border.
There are eight places available, providing a focused and supportive learning environment.
Bursaries
To ensure equitable access to this vital training opportunity, we are providing three free bursary places for individuals from under-represented communities or facing financial hardship – subject to availability. You will have the option of applying for a bursary in the application form.
Please note, places will be allocated based on suitability. Please fill in the application form and Heritage Crafts will contact you with news of whether you have been accepted onto the course.
Programme
- Introduction to materials, tools and techniques
- Overview of Duchess China 1888 history and design archive
- Tour of Gladstone Museum
- Receive the original gilded ceramic plate, the primary workpiece for the course
- Applying Duchess China 1888 backstamp using lithography
- Tracing artwork
- Washing in using raised paste
- Mixing metallic oxide colours
- Adjusting the palette
- First fire stage painting
- Cutting in with raised paste
- First fire
- Second fire stage painting
- Paste cuts
- Second fire
- Third fire stage painting
- Gold covering
- Third firing
- Gold burnishing
- Result!
Other things to note
How to get to Duchess China 1888 by public transport
30 minutes by bus (Bus 1 or 11) from Stoke-on-Trent city centre
Lunch
Catered lunches will be provided. Once your place has been confirmed we will ask for dietary requirements.
Accessibility
The course takes place on the top floor of a working factory that was built in the Victorian period. There is a working lift that goes close to the top floor however there is a short flight of around 4 steep stairs which means there is not step-free access. Let us know if you have access requirements and how we can support you.
Due to the nature of the building it can be dusty and occasionally loud at times.
Pure turpentine is used throughout this process. If you have an allergy to this please let us know.
Eligibility
Unfortunately, we are only able to offer course places to people that are based in the UK.
If you have any questions feel free to email Finn Arschavir, Red List Research Assistant, at [email protected].
Background
Laura Taylor learning how to paint a ceramic masterpiece
Ceramic painting is the art and craft of on-glaze ceramic decoration using traditional methods and materials such as metallic oxide paints, oil-based mediums, lithography, raised paste and gold gilding. The work is incredibly detailed and precise, producing exquisite results and highly satisfying finishes.
Lee Price is one of the last remaining ceramic artists in this industry today. Born in Stoke-on-Trent, he has worked in the Staffordshire Potteries’ for over 40 years, and trained with both Royal Doulton and Minton. Lee’s past customers and private commissions range from the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother to Sir Elton John, and his work is recognised across the globe for its quality and exceptional attention to detail. Lee is responsible for all the current Royal Collection hand-painted prestige pieces, and his work has become highly desirable and collectible.
Lee is incredibly passionate about the skills he has learned over the course of his career. Heritage Crafts have partnered with Duchess China 1888 to offer both the public and working professionals the chance to train with Lee in a unique location and gain hands-on experience. This will include close tuition on a range of painting and decorative techniques, guidance on traditional materials and colour, and exploration and study of ceramic design. Learn these high end skills that elevate bone china ceramics to coveted masterpieces.