In this course students will gain deep knowledge and practice of sgraffito, a ceramic decoration technique that can be applied to both flat surfaces and wheel thrown pieces.
In sgraffito, a layer of slip is applied to completely cover the ceramic surface, which is then scratched or carved to reveal the colour 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:
Salemi Ceramics will provide all decoration materials, test tiles, and a few objects to be decorated: two tumblers (approx 12cm), and two vases (approx 20cm & 30cm). The course fee includes the firing and shipping of these test tiles and pieces.Students may also use free studio hours to make their own pieces to be decorated (either handbuilding or wheel throwing) or purchase extra pieces. Purchase, firing and shipping of these extra pieces is not included in the course price.
Students will learn the decorative technique of sgraffito and its variations, finding their own expressive voice through exercises and experimentation.
Participants will make a lot of tests, and eventually a series of final pieces. The course price includes the firing and shipping of: up to 10 tiles, two tumblers (aprox 12cm), and two vases (aprox 20cm & 30cm), which will be fired and shipped after the course.
Students who have taken part in the previous week's wheel throwing course will be able to decorate their own pieces. Students will also be able to purchase extra pieces to decorate, at an extra cost.
Students may choose to also keep, fire and ship more test tiles and pieces made during the course. However, firing of extra pieces will incur an extra cost of 25€ per kg.
Shipping costs may vary from country to country and are not included in the course fee. Shipping costs for 3kg packages range approximately from 40€ for most EU countries to 80€ for the US.
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.
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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/
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:
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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.
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:
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The Salemi Project wants to make Salemi a recognised centre for contemporary ceramic art. Come and be part of it!
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