Good Dirt LA is an intimate and social pottery studio in the Del Rey neighborhood of Los Angeles. In addition to mixed-level classes for adults and teens, we offer workshops with ceramic artists, one-time introductory classes, private at-home lessons, and more! You can also enroll on our monthly memberships at our sister studio www.membersonlyla.com.
Our studio philosophy centers on building a welcoming creative community where each person is inspired and empowered to explore and learn. At Good Dirt LA, we will remind you to stay in the moment, get in touch with your inner child, and focus on the overall creative experience rather than the end results. You may even find the whole process to be quite therapeutic as you create your personal work of art!
If you’re looking for a special gift, check out our shop showcasing unique ceramic pieces made by our instructors, members, and local LA ceramic artists. We also offer Gift Cards, which you can purchase online in any amount.
Lina Alvarez, Owner & Instructor
Lina was drawn to art at an early age. Before moving to Los Angeles in 2006, she graduated from the University of Georgia, where she taught art to children at Lyndon House Arts Center and earned her BA in Studio Art with a concentration in Ceramics. Originally from Medellin, Colombia, her art is a hybrid of cultures and embodies many qualities—some pieces may be precise and simple, while others are loose and organically shaped. She currently focuses on chic and functional utilitarian pottery, which is available inside Good Dirt LA’s artist shop and on Etsy. Lina believes in cultivating creativity and encourages her students to leave their expectations behind. “The creating and making processes are truly therapeutic and enjoyable for me,” she says. “But nothing brings me more joy than knowing that others actually use my work as part of their daily routines. It’s that tea they have before bedtime, or the coffee that helps them start the day. It’s like I’m passing along a little bit of my love to them, since I feel that each of my pieces were created with the most loving of intentions.”
Carol Aronowsky, Instructor
Carol comes to Good Dirt LA with decades of valuable experience—both hands-on and academic—that she hopes to share with her students. A speech pathologist by trade, Carol simultaneously studied art, ceramics and painting throughout her undergraduate and graduate years at Ithaca College and New York University, respectively. She balanced her passion for pottery and her speech therapy practice for over 35 years, and is now extremely happy to be a full-time clay artist and teacher, instructing throughout Los Angeles.
“There is so much to be involved with and excited about when it comes to clay—the process, studying its history and using it,” she says. “I hope my students will grow to love the medium and enjoy the problem solving necessary to make an original work of art, function or both.”
Amber Glancy, Instructor & Studio Tech
Amber Glancy is an LA based comedian, actress and potter. She was raised in Santa Barbara and received her undergrad education at UCSD. She found pottery post-college through a local LA studio while juggling a 9-5 job in TV production and was immediately drawn to ceramics. Despite being a perfectionist at heart, she is drawn to practices that embrace exploration and permit failure (opposites attract after all). Both performing comedy and making pottery require the ability to take risks at the expense of making a fool of yourself or “ruining” your work, which can lead to discoveries we might not uncover otherwise. Sometimes failure is a happy and informative mistake. In light of this outlook, Amber will still try to teach you to throw a perfect cylinder. If we fail, we will scream for a moment then move on.
Sara Mehrinfar, Instructor & Studio Tech
Sara’s first introduction to ceramics started at Santa Monica College over seven years ago and developed into an incessant love for art and clay. Over the years, she has constructed a ceramic studio in her Los Angeles home while receiving her Associate Degree in Studio Arts. Sara is a multidisciplinary artist working in stone and glass sculpture and has an attraction to tactical art forms. She loves connecting with others and finds great joy in sharing this therapeutic craft with family and friends. Sara is currently working on attaining her Bachelor’s Degree in Sculpture and spends her free time caring for her new puppy, cooking for friends, and playing paddle tennis.
Katelyn Shonborn, Instructor & Studio tech
Katelyn was born and raised north of Indianapolis. Her interest in pottery began when she took a ceramics class in high school. Upon graduating from Butler University in 2021 with a BA in Digital Media and minors in Journalism and Film, she taught introductory ceramic classes in her hometown.
In her free time, Katelyn runs her small business, Kay'sBowtiques, making hair bows for softball and cheer. If she's not crafting, you can find her taking classes at LMU receiving her Masters in Film and Television Production. Moving across the country, Katelyn is excited to have a piece of home in a ceramics studio.
Melodie Reay, Instructor
Melodie is an artist, educator and baker who recently relocated to the LA area. Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, she received her BFA in ceramics and photography at Concordia University in Montreal, and her MFA in studio arts with a ceramics specialization at Louisiana State University. Her professional experience includes ceramics technician, university adjunct professor, instructor of adult and youth art programs, assistant art gallery director and small business owner. She has taught and exhibited her work internationally and has been the recipient of several scholarships and awards.
Melodie believes clay’s vast versatility and history make it an exciting medium with limitless potential for exploring ideas and crafting meaning. While her work ranges in concept, form and technique, making pots remains an integral part of her practice, as it allows her to work through ideas and respond to her surroundings in a more direct and playful way. She loves the exchange of ideas that comes from teaching and learning in a communal space, and strives to encourage endless curiosity, experimentation and open-mindedness.
Chandler McGraw, Instructor & Studio Tech
Chandler started working with clay when she was introduced in her high school art classes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her skills flourished into intricate multi medium sculpture pieces. Chandler attended Edinboro University of Pennsylvania from 2013-2018 and earned her BFA in Metalsmithing, Ceramics and a minor in painting. When she isn’t teaching, she sells her artwork throughout Los Angeles, assists a clothing brand, and takes classes of different mediums around the Los Angeles communities.
Chandler has always been attracted to sculpture and learned how to pinch clay and use hand-building techniques to sculpt her shape of desire. In her eyes, pinching clay is the closest thing to representing a memory. Chandler tries to create a light hearted version of her with the struggles of everyday life.
Charlie Freiburger, Instructor & Studio Tech
Charlie is a ceramicist from the Bay Area, California. He started working with clay in high school and soon fell in love with woodfiring. "The work that I make is imperfect. I really like when you can see the creator's impression on a piece, like if they picked a cup off of the wheel with their hand. I also like glazes that pool, mix, and interact with each other." His work is earthy, experimental, and full of color. Whenever possible, Charlie is walking or biking in the surrounding nature of LA. His dream is to naturally source all of the materials he uses in his ceramics practice and fire his pieces in an Anagama kiln. In pursuit of which, he uses and experiments with ash glazes and wild clay. His other passion is music. Charlie writes and records music and plays in musical groups in Los Angeles. Whenever he is not tied to school, a job, or a band, he is travelling, preferably by bike.
Kathryn Gerhardt, MoLA Manager, Instructor & Studio Tech
Kathryn was born and raised in Los Angeles CA. She has been working with clay since 2015 after falling in love with the medium during a class in high school. She loves the satisfaction of creating and using functional art.
While in college at UC Santa Cruz, Kathryn managed the Merrill Pottery Co-op. After graduating with a BS in Biology, Kathryn returned to Los Angeles interested in continuing to work in a pottery studio full time.
When she isn’t working or on the wheel, Kathryn enjoys being outside in nature, hiking, biking, and cooking.
