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The course is directed at clay enthusiasts who already have ceramics experience and want to explore the mysterious alchemy behind clays and glazes.
What is a glaze? What is it made of? How do the ingredients interact? What are the rules of proportions in a glaze recipe?
Over millennia, human beings have been making glazes with materials collected from the ground and have developed a variety of techniques for glaze making. After the Industrial Revolution, western ceramists started working with processed materials, slowly losing the knowledge about their chemical and geological origins. Nowadays, glazes are delivered to ceramists mostly in the form of labelled ready-made powders. They are made of minerals, clays and oxides.
During this course, we will discover the chemistry of these materials and we will learn how to compose a glaze. We will experiment with three high temperature glazes, starting from the recipes and using both industrial and wild materials. We will explore how materials interact and how they transform the surface of ceramics after the firing. You will learn different techniques to make functional text tiles, how to mix and sieve a glaze, how to test it and how to adjust the recipes in case of undesired results.
At the end of the course, you will be able to make your personal glazes and freely play with colours and textures.
The course is focused on chemistry and has an experimental approach.
You will leave with:
You will be able to take with you only some of your tests, as not all of them will necessarily be fired before you leave. We can fire and ship the rest of the test tyles for you, but we do not cover shipping costs. Shipping costs are charged extra, and can vary from 40€ for 3 kg for Germany, to 80€ for 3kg shipped to the US.
This course is right for you if:
Marta Vino was born and grew up in Apulia, in Southern Italy. After a long period of academic study between Rome and Lisbon, she discovered clay and dedicated her whole self to ceramic. When back to Italy in 2017, Marta has been working as apprentice in a pottery studio for two years and attended dozens of workshops about ceramic techniques, from porcelain nerikomi to etruscan bucchero. Three years ago, she started experimenting with wood-firing. Her academic background stands through her interest in history, popular pottery and local ceramic materials. She’s currently based in Turin where she runs her own studio: here she produces her ceramic work and teaches wheel throwing and chemistry of ceramic materials.
We ask that you plan your arrival for Sunday. We have an included pick-up from either Palermo Centre (in front of Hotel Politeama) at 1100 or Palermo Airport at 1200. On Sunday afternoon (circa 1630, subject to change), you will be welcomed to Salemi by one of our team members, who will take you on an orientation walk of the historical centre. This will be followed by a welcome apericena (light dinner) with a Salemi Spritz at one of our favourite local restaurants.
We will bid you farewell at the end of your time in Salemi with an included transfer to either Palermo Airport or Palermo Centre (Piazza Politeama), departing Salemi at 0700 on Saturday morning.
**For pick-ups and drop-offs outside of these times and locations, please contact us for a transfer quote.
This is an intensive learning week! Teaching is primarily group-based with moments of individual feedback built in. Please note this is not one-on-one tuition.
You will be in the studio from Monday at 0900 through to approximately 1700 on Friday afternoon. Studio time is a combination of teaching and non-teaching time. You can expect a typical day to look like this:
0800 - Yoga in the courtyard (optional)
0900 - 1300 - Studio (teaching with a coffee/tea break at 1030 in the courtyard)
1300 - Shared lunch in the courtyard
1400 - 1630 - Free Studio Time - Afternoon studio hours are primarily self-directed practice, with your teacher available in the studio for guidance
1900 - Dinners are a combination of eating at local restaurants, home restaurants, and in-house at the studio
Please note
Our program is carefully designed to balance teaching, practice, meals, and cultural experiences, and we do our best to follow the planned schedule. However, all times and activities are indicative and may shift with the season, the weather, or the needs of the group. Studio sessions, meals, and excursions may be adjusted, rescheduled, or substituted at our discretion. Flexibility is part of the Salemi Ceramics experience, and we believe these small changes often add to the richness of your time with us.
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We want to make Salemi a recognised centre for contemporary ceramic art. Come and be part of it!
