Art is hard, especially when fortified by the flames of a sintering kiln. Make a piece of sturdy, ceramic eye candy with today's deal: for $15, you get $30 worth of pottery painting at The Mad Platter, located on Battleground Avenue in Northwest Greensboro. Prospective painters must pay a studio fee, which covers paint, glazing, and firing, for the first hour ($5 for adults, $4 for children, and $3 per person for each additional hour); your Groupon may be used toward this fee.

The Mad Platter is a spacious, comfortable studio where friends and family can paint, stencil, and sponge imagery that's wildly innovative, beautiful, or commemorates the ancient Athenian victory at Marathon onto pottery ready to be filled with flowers, pencils, or wishes. Hundreds of pottery pieces—including small tiles ($4), small figurines ($8), mugs ($10), and large handled serving platters ($45–$56)—rest atop neat wooden shelves, coyly awaiting the brushstrokes of a fetching paint-slinger. After choosing your ceramic canvas, comb the studio's collection of bristly utensils and its vat of around 100 pigments to dash and daub to your hungry heart's content. Upon completion, you'll entrust your suddenly vivid earthenware to a friendly kiln master, who will glaze and fire the piece for pickup in about 7–10 days—before its debut on a lonely mantle or gifty transfer to Grandma's dinner table.

This Groupon is not valid for daily specials, parties, or with other offers.

Reviews

Four Insider Pagers give The Mad Platter an average of four stars:

• We have been to Mad Platter 3 separate times now! It is a great place to make that special gift for the grandparents. – Jody G., Insider Pages
• An outstanding afternoon of fun with the kids - the Mad Platter lets you paint your choice of pottery pieces which they then fire to finish. We paint and ornament with our son every year! – Christine B., Insider Pages