Atelier Benjamin Riado - Ceramic Artist & Pottery Classes in Rouen

« Iris » cups, wheel-thrown and hand-modeled stoneware, matte green glaze and modeled flowers

STUDIO & SHOP · ROUEN · SINCE 2025

Facing the clay, let the hands work and the imagination take over.

« Orchid » teapot, wheel-thrown and glazed stoneware — Fig. 1 « Orchid » teapot - wheel-thrown and hand-modeled stoneware, layered glazes.

THE STUDIO

Fig. 2 The turquoise shopfront, at 19 rue Alsace-Lorraine, Rouen

Studio-Shop · Rouen

Here, we get our hands in the clay

Welcome to my pottery studio. Here, we get our hands in the clay, and take the time to shape, try, and try again. Look through the shop window, push open the door, and put your hands in the clay with me. In the heart of Rouen, my studio-shop is a place to discover ceramics and create with your own hands.

THE WORKSHOP: My playground ! Here I do my experiments, my production, my commissions, and teach my students. There's always hot coffee, because there's never a shortage of work in a pottery studio.
A PLACE TO LEARN AND DISCOVER: We come together in a space of shared creation. I work alongside you, show you, explain, and every skill level is welcome side by side.
THE SHOP: Pieces fresh from the kiln take their place on the shop shelves and change with every firing... and every sale !

CLASSES & INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOPS

All levels · beginners welcome · 6 spots

Discovery
Introduction to hand-building / wheel-throwing
1 session · 2.5 hrs
Welcome, session, double firing and standard glazing included.

48 €
Deepening
3-Class Package
3 sessions of 2.5 hrs
Studio access to let your ideas run free.

130 €
Regulars
10-Class Package
10 sessions of 2.5 hrs
Studio access to let your ideas run free.

400 €
One-on-One
Private Wheel-Throwing Lesson
Session alone or with one other person · one wheel per person
€60 /person

3- and 10-class packages are personal and valid for 12 months. Gift vouchers available in store, with no expiry date.

Weekly classes

Monday	Closed
Tuesday	17:00 – 19:30
Wednesday	18:00 – 20:30
Thursday	10:00 – 12:3019:00 – 21:30
Friday	13:30 – 16:00
Saturday	10:00 – 12:30

Booking required before the class. I limit each session to 5 or 6 participants.

Demonstration on the wheel, throwing a red earthenware cup — Fig. 3 Wheel demonstration - throwing a cup, red earthenware.

Book a sessionreservation@benjamin-riado.fr

HOW AN INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP WORKSWhen you arrive, I introduce you to the clay and guide you through hand-building techniques at the table ; you create your pieces during the session ; they dry, I fire them, then glaze them. You can pick up your creations at the shop, three to four weeks after the session.

THE ARTISAN

Coloring a mermaid figure, slips on raw clay — Fig. 4 Coloring a mermaid figure - slips on raw earthenware.

Benjamin Riado · Ceramic Artisan

Visual artist, philosopher, and potter.

Passionate about drawing since childhood, I first wanted to become an illustrator. University drew me in. There I discovered the philosophy of art and defended a doctoral thesis on 1960s American sculpture, later published as Paysages théoriques du Land Art (Theoretical Landscapes of Land Art) - following an earlier book, Le je-ne-sais-quoi, on 17th-century aesthetic theory. A qualified art teacher (agrégé), I then taught for ten years : philosophy in secondary school and at university, then visual arts in middle school.

My encounter with clay happened in Milena Papazian's studio in Bagnolet, near Paris. There I rediscovered the almost childlike joy of working with my hands. I later left teaching to devote myself to ceramics : first training at the Pôle Céramique Normandie, then spending two years as artist-in-residence at the Galerie des Arts du Feu, in Rouen.

Test tiles of house-made glazes, a range of colors and textures — Fig. 5 House glaze research.

In 2025, I opened my studio-shop at 19 rue Alsace-Lorraine, in Rouen. There I work the clay, fire my pieces, and welcome my students and customers. My creations, both decorative and functional, draw on art history and the observation of nature. They are designed to brighten everyday life and spark the imagination.

REPRESENTED BY: Galerie des Arts du Feu, Aître Saint-Maclou, Rouen
STUDIO-SHOP: 19 rue Alsace-Lorraine, Rouen.
Open to the public

CUSTOM ORDERS & GROUPS

Pitcher, detail - wavy handle, glaze drips — Fig. 6Pitcher, detail - wavy handle, layered glaze drips.

« Whale » teapot, detail - openwork baleen and tail-shaped handle — Fig. 7« Whale » teapot, detail - openwork baleen, whale tail as handle.

A creation to imagine,
a group to welcome,
a table to dress ?

Custom Orders

A piece designed for a space, a gift, or an occasion. I design it together with you, then craft it in the studio.

Lead time: One to six months, depending on the piece
Pickup: At the shop

Private Events

Private events, group bookings, and themed workshop creation.

Group size: 5 or 6 participants at the studio
Off-site option available on request
Duration: 2.5-hour session, firing included

Tableware for Restaurants

Restaurants, cafés, shops : limited series and tableware to your image, shaped and fired in the studio.

LIMITED SERIES & REISSUES

Every project starts with a conversation.

Request a quotecontact@benjamin-riado.fr

GALLERY

Unique pieces and small series · a selection

Green vase, wheel-thrown stoneware, hand-modeled leaves — Fig. 8Green stoneware vase, turned finish, Art Nouveau inspiration.

Mermaid with a shell, glossy polychrome glazes — Fig. 9Mermaid on her rock - earthenware slip work.

“Skull” earthenware cups, modeled, with gold lustre earrings and teeth — Fig. 10“Skull” cups - earthenware thrown then modeled with a pushed-out clay technique, gold lustre details fired a third time. Limited series, made every autumn for the Galerie des Arts du Feu in Rouen.

Pair of handled pitchers, glaze drips — Fig. 11Pair of pitchers, wavy handles - layered melted glazes.

Large « Dragonfly » salad bowl, stoneware with mixed glazes, modeled dragonfly — Fig. 12Large « Dragonfly » salad bowl - 30 cm, wheel-thrown stoneware with a modeled dragonfly.

« Song » tea set, Xing clay, copper-oxide glazed interior — Fig. 13Tea set, inspired by Chinese cast-iron teapots - Xing clay, cobalt and nickel glazed interior.

I make unique pieces and small series, decorative and functional, inspired by art history and the observation of nature. Here is a selection of my work.

« Iris » cups, wheel-thrown and hand-modeled stoneware, matte green and glossy pink glaze — Fig. 14« Iris » cups - wheel-thrown and hand-modeled stoneware, matte green and glossy pink glaze.

« Whale » teapot, wheel-thrown and hand-modeled stoneware, mixed glazes, openwork baleen — Fig. 15« Whale » teapot - wheel-thrown and hand-modeled stoneware, mixed glazes, openwork baleen.

Detail of a stoneware sculpture, an Atlas holding up the world, house glaze drips running upward — Fig. 16Atlas holding up the world, detail - stoneware vase, house glaze drips.

« Swimmer » plate, modeled figure, milky glaze — Fig. 17Plate adorned with a nymph, detail inspired by Sir Edward John Poynter's painting « The Cave of the Storm Nymphs ».

Detail of a teapot, modeled frog on a lily-pad-shaped lid — Fig. 18« Frog » teapot, detail - lily-pad-shaped lid.

« Koi » salad bowl, detail, glaze decoration — Fig. 19« Koi » salad bowl, detail - glaze decoration.

Pinched-neck vase, reduction-fired, glaze drips — Fig. 20Pinched-neck vase - reduction-fired, glaze drips.

I regularly share my latest pieces on Instagram.

Follow the studio@atelier_benjaminriado

VISIT THE STUDIO

19 rue Alsace-Lorraine, Rouen · free entry

Address: 19 rue Alsace-Lorraine, 76000 Rouen, France
Shop hours: Tuesday · 13:00 – 19:00
Wednesday to Saturday · 10:00 – 19:00
Sunday & Monday · by appointment
Contact: Instagram @atelier_benjaminriado contact@benjamin-riado.fr

Illustrated map of Rouen showing the studio's location — Rouen Right Bank, between the cathedral, the Saint-Maclou district and Place Saint-Marc Directions ↗

Benjamin Riado - Ceramic Artisan in Rouen