Join marina on the beautiful island of Aegina, Greece to explore your creativity through clay and play.

Breathe. Loosen your shoulders. Free your hands.

All you need to bring with you is your curiosity, an open mind & heart. A swim suit and walking shoes too!

In this particular workshop, we will create black pieces using the ancient, Greek technique, later known as Bucchero in Roman times, which requires only one firing. For this we will be burnishing our pieces, using stones and other tools as well as Terra Sigilata. The pieces are then fired in a reduction kiln. In this way, we will concentrate mainly on the shape of our pieces and decoration by impressing elements we will have picked up from nature and scratching, since there will be no colours other than black, some greys and the occasional silver flashes.

We will first spend some time exploring the clay, get familiar with it as well as with the environment in which we are, that is the island of Aegina. We will plan a visit to a local clay pit. In ancient times, Aegina was known for its water jugs that kept the water cool and fresh, which were made with this very clay. It is with this in mind that we will each think of what kind of containers we would like to create. We will also explore nature around and pick elements from it to use as inspiration and/ or elements to create decoration on our pieces.

Back in the studio, we will explore and play with the local clay as well as studio clays. We will start making our pieces with a mixture of pinch pot, coiling and slab techniques, using low firing red clay. We will try different decorative methods, using what we will have found in nature, as well as scratching techniques: sgraffito and champ-levé, which will be able to apply on our creations. Finally, we will fire our pieces.

This workshop is tailored for both beginners and people with experience. It is a creative journey into the expressive world of clay. It is not so much about learning new techniques, which of course may happen, but more about spending with and giving time to our creative potential using clay, while in a groups, sharing and exchanging ideas and moments. By the end of the workshop you will have your own, small production of everyday objects to take back home with you, filled with memories of your creative week on Aegina where creativity met fun, pleasure and relaxation.

Groups are intentionally small: we usually run our retreats with anything between 1 to 8 participants. In this way, workshops remain intimate and everyone gets full attention. We have created a safe and supportive space where you can freely explore and experiment, make mistakes and learn without fear of judgement. We ask you to respect and honour this space so that each one's expression and creativity can be met. You will have full access to our equipped ceramics studio, where inspiration flows and imagination is encouraged.

Maximum number of participants: 8