Special Course

Storytelling with a Sgraffito Ceramics Mural with Clara Holt

The course will focus on each participant's creation of a handmade ceramic tile mural, decorated with the sgraffito technique. A mural that tells a story, describes a character, or illustrates a subject, real or imaginary, mythological or personal.

Sgraffito is a ceramic decoration technique where a layer of slip is applied to completely cover the surface of the pot followed by scratching or carving through this layer to reveal the color of the clay underneath, creating a contrasting design formed by the negative space. Sgraffito designs range from simple lines and shapes to complex patterns and images: the technique has been used for centuries and is found in various cultures throughout the world. 

The course will alternate theoretical explanations with demonstrations and a lot of hands-on practice, including:

  • An overview of the available tools and materials for different variations of the sgraffito technique
  • Practising a variety of techniques on test tiles and tumblers, to experiment with different expressive possibilities and materials. This includes: working with industrial underglazes, preparing your own coloured slips, working on different clay bodies.
  • An overview of Clara’s own creative process as well as sgraffito work from other artists and traditions
  • Decorating a few tumblers (aprox 12cm) with the techniques and colours of their choice
  • Design and execution of a mural. Each student will  start with a story, or a subject, of their choice, to be told through illustrations on the mural. We will talk about how to turn the story into an illustration, studying the composition and characters, emphasising the narrative and descriptive aspect of the scene. The students will be free to make their own tiles - or slabs - of the shape and size they prefer (compatible with the size of the kiln), and then they will make the decoration under the guidance of the teacher.

Outcome

Students will learn the decorative technique of sgraffito and its variations, finding their own expressive voice through exercises and experimentation. They will practise drawing and explore the narrative aspect of illustration.

The final outcome of the course will be two tumblers (aprox 12cm) and a cermics mural, which will be fired (and optionally glazed) after the end of the course. 

The cost of firing and glazing the pieces is included in the course fee, while shipping costs are extra. Shipping costs for 3kg packages range approximately from 40€ for most EU countries to 80€ for the US).

Who is the course right for?

This course is suited for anyone with any level of ceramics experience.

This course is designed to help people with a background/interest in illustration to apply their drawing skills to the ceramics medium. We highly encourage you to apply if you have an active drawing/illustration practice or a background in illustration/drawing/graphics/painting/visual arts. 

If you do not have such a background or an active drawing practice, we recommend that you practise your drawing skills before attending the course, and come prepared with a few drawings or designs of your interest. 

Your Teacher

Clara Holt is an Italian artist, born 1987 and raised in Pescara. She has a background in classical studies and graduated in neuroscience before discovering her interest for ceramics, specifically ceramics decoration, as well as print-making and etching.

Clara has exhibited her work in Italy and abroad and is the co-founder of Fuoco Blu, a ceramics studio in Milan, a sharing space dedicated to ceramics where she teaches decoration techniques and complements commissioned work with personal pieces. In 2024 she opened a second small ceramics workshop in Genoa, by the sea, where she works and occasionally hosts art residencies.

Clara's work focuses on storytelling, with the ongoing drive to convey stories, characters and experiences. These tales are inspired by mythology, folk traditions, legends, real or fantastic tales of the places she lives or explores. Stories handed down through tradition or emerged from the unconscious: full of symbols that speak of the most irrational and hidden sides of human nature.

Autobiographical practice allows her to question her own identity, sowing symbolic clues without revealing transparent meaning. Her illustrations leave room for different interpretations, not limiting themselves to being purely decorative, but becoming the very essence of each piece. The search for harmony between form, technique, materials and illustration is an ongoing challenge for her. 

https://www.instagram.com/clara.holt.ceramics/

www.claraholt.com

Meeting Sicily

During this week, you won’t just get a ceramics course. We’ve also organised a program of activity so that you can connect with Sicilian culture, get to know beautiful Salemi and its rich history, territory and natural ecosystem.

You will:

  • Eat breakfast like the locals do in our favourite local bars
  • Enjoy meals in a variety of authentic, local Sicilian restaurants / home-restaurants
  • Carry out at least one excursion to a local cultural heritage site or natural parks, to get inspired by Sicilian history with its rich tradition of Greek mythology, folk stories and legends

The Project

The Salemi School of Ceramics is a social enterprise that has been opened to create a learning centre for contemporary ceramics, the first of its kind in Sicily.

The School has been created in partnership with the local town of Salemi, which has provided the gorgeous space - the Sant'Agostino Monastery - that will be used for the school.

Salemi has a gorgeous historical centre and because it is quiet and peaceful, it is the perfect place for a mindful ceramics retreat.

What's Included

  • Ceramics classes and mentorship by Clara Holt
  • All decoration materials, 2 tumblers (aprox 12 cm) and ceramics needed for mural
  • Palermo Airport pick up (12-noon Sunday) or Palermo City Pick Up (11am Sunday). There is an additional charge for any pick ups at other times.
  • Return Palermo Airport transfer and Palermo City drop off on Saturday, departing Salemi at 7am.
  • 2 x Yoga and 2 x meditation classes
  • All meals and non-alcoholic beverages from Sunday dinner through to Saturday breakfast

What's Not Included

  • Accommodation
  • Additional costs for purchasing extra pieces to be decorated
  • Additional cost for firing and glazing extra pieces
  • The cost of shipping of the pieces that will be fired by the studio  (shipping costs for 3kg packages range approximately from 40€ for most EU countries to 80€ for the US)
  • Alcoholic beverages

A Typical Day

Classes will be held from Monday through to Friday. On Sunday, there will be a welcome dinner and on Saturday, we will bid you farewell.

Classes will be 4h each morning (9am-1pm). Afternoon schedules will vary: 2/3h of class on Monday and Friday (2-5pm), 2/3h of free studio time on Tuesday and Thursday, and Wednesdays outside the studio on a field trip to discover the local heritage.

Order of the day:

  • Yoga or meditation (2 classes x week)
  • Breakfast
  • First Class 9am-10.30am
  • Break
  • Second Class 11am-1pm
  • Lunch
  • Third Class 2pm-5pm or Open studio or Cultural activity
  • Finish

EUR €1399
Special Course
Storytelling with a Sgraffito Ceramics Mural with Clara Holt
11th May - 17th May 2025
Learn from our resident teacher
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Meet the team

Our team is passionate about bringing Salemi to life and providing you with an authentic Sicilian experience