After retirement, Bill Foreman of Kettering was interested in ceramics but didn’t know how to go about it.

“I took a few lessons at the Rosewood Arts Center and seven years ago I opened my own studio on Front Street in downtown Dayton,” Foreman said. “The Front Street location is a haven for artists of all kinds.”

Built on two levels, his studio contains a large electric kiln, shelves of paints in every shade imaginable, clay in sheets waiting to be rolled flat and aprons to fit every size student. Foreman conducts classes for Girl and Boy Scouts and Princesses groups along with their parents. Home schooled children and whole families find ceramics a different and fun experience. Classes average 90 minutes.

“When a group is too large to fit in my studio I go to them,” Foreman said after gathering his supplies for a trip to a Girl Scout gathering. “The kids love to make little hand bowls and paint them in unusual colors. I’m always surprised at their eagerness and imagination. Never a dull moment when they’re around.”

Foreman saves Thursdays for the adults who often come in groups from a senior center or a church club. Sharon Henry and Darlene Martin, neighbors in Moraine, find making pottery a great thing to do after retirement.

“I’ve just got to thinking..it’s been a year since I started taking pottery lessons from Bill,” Henry said. “I’m proud of the tall vase that I made and decorated with some loose pearls and tiny silk flowers I had around the house. It’s original and not like anything you’d find in a store.”

For more information, call (937) 361-4168.