Intuitive Vessel. Ancient Coiling & Mindful Making 5-Day Hand-Building. 4 - 8 May. Isabella Gorny
Workshop Overview
Immerse yourself in the ancient art of hand-building ceramic vessels through coiling. This intensive workshop invites you to create a family of 3 hand-built pieces that work together visually—a cohesive collection born from your hands and intention.
With an intimate group of 6 participants, you'll get personalized guidance and have plenty of opportunity to ask questions throughout the creative process. Open to all levels, though some clay experience is welcomed.
About Your Teacher
Isabella is a visual artist and sculptor working with clay. Her work explores the connection to Self through a poetic, contemplative lens. She interweaves memories, mythology, and poetry with her personal story. Creating is her meditation practice, connecting her to earth and the legacy of humankind. Working with the four elements, she creates bold, organic forms—raw and refined, strong and sensitive.
Her pieces invite us to pause and breathe, reminding us to be more compassionate with ourselves.
What You'll Create
Build a family of 3 vessels (varying sizes, 15–30 cm) using only your hands and the coiling method. Explore how pieces relate to one another through form, scale, and rhythm. Create moon jars, amphoras, jugs, or organic sculptural forms that speak as a unified collection—each piece distinct yet harmonious.
Workshop Journey
Day 1: Foundation & Intention
Each day begins with a gentle breathwork exercise and/or somatic movement to ground you in presence and creative flow. Isabella will demonstrate the coiling technique step-by-step, discussing what makes vessels structurally sound and how to envision a cohesive collection. You'll sketch your vision for your family of vessels, exploring how they might relate to one another through form, scale, and rhythm. If you already have ideas or photos, please bring them with you. You'll begin building the bases and lower walls of your first two vessels, establishing strong foundations. The pieces rest overnight, gaining strength for the next day's work.
Day 2: Building Your Collection
You'll continue building upward on your first two vessels, shaping their bodies and defining their character. You'll learn to read the clay and find your rhythm, maintaining structural integrity while embracing beautiful irregularities. You'll also prepare the base of your third vessel, so all three foundations are established. You'll explore how your pieces begin to speak to one another through their emerging forms.
Day 3: Upward & Outward
You'll build upward on all three vessels, bringing them closer to completion. As the forms take shape, you'll begin exploring surface decoration—smoothing, texturing, or adding sculptural elements.
You'll prepare and attach handles or other decorative elements as your designs call for them. The collection's visual relationships become clearer as each piece develops.
Day 4: Integration & Reflection
This day offers two paths:
Studio Option: Continue working independently in the studio, refining your pieces and exploring surface treatments.
Walk & Breathwork Option: Join Isabella for a gentle walk through the stunning Deià landscape, followed by a guided 90-minute breathwork session for deep integration and reflection.
Day 5: Finishing & Refinement
You focus on completing the surfaces of your collection. You'll get in touch with the rhythm of your forms and experiment with different surface decoration techniques that honor the raw clay aesthetic: smoothing, polishing, texturizing (with slip), carving, and possibly working with underglazes. You’ll choose if and how you want your pieces to be glazed. You'll learn finishing techniques that celebrate the handmade quality of your pieces.
If you have a special tool you like to use for surface work, please bring it to the workshop.
The Approach
This workshop celebrates the honest, imperfect beauty of hand-building. You embrace irregularities, asymmetry, and the marks your hands leave in the clay. The coiling method is intuitive and meditative—each coil is a breath, each layer a small meditation. With five days, you have the gift of time to develop not just technical skills but a deeper relationship with making, with the clay, and with yourself.
Daily Schedule (except Day 4)
10:00 – 13:00 Morning session
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch break
14:00 – 17:00 Afternoon session
What’s Included
Unlimited clay (red and white) for use during the workshop
Use of all tools and equipment
All tuition, demonstrations, and individual guidance
Glazing and firing of selected final pieces
Shipping of finished work included (see below)
VAT (Spanish IVA) included in the workshop price
Breathwork and/or somatic movement on each morning
A guided walk through Deià area with your teacher
A guided 90 min Breathwork session on our rooftop terrace
Lunch is not included, except on the first day. The studio is located in the centre of the village, close to a wide range of cafés and restaurants to suit all budgets and dietary requirements. A roof terrace is also available for students who prefer to bring their own lunch.
Shipping of Finished Work
The workshop fee includes shipping for one standard box (up to 60 × 40 × 40 cm) per participant.
At the end of the workshop, students will select their final pieces. These will then be glazed, fired, carefully packed, and prepared for shipment. All selected work must fit within the included box size.
Shipping is limited to one box per participant.
Price
€1,200 Includes VAT, materials, firing, and shipping (one standard box).
Cancellation Policy
Due to the limited number of places available and the advance costs involved, full payment is required to secure a place on the workshop.
Cancellations made 21 days or more before the workshop start date will receive a full refund.
Cancellations made within 21 days of the workshop start date are non-refundable.
In cases of illness or unforeseen circumstances, a credit toward a future workshop may be offered, subject to availability.
No refunds are given for no-shows or partial attendance.
We strongly recommend participants ensure they are able to attend all workshop dates before booking.
Workshop Overview
Immerse yourself in the ancient art of hand-building ceramic vessels through coiling. This intensive workshop invites you to create a family of 3 hand-built pieces that work together visually—a cohesive collection born from your hands and intention.
With an intimate group of 6 participants, you'll get personalized guidance and have plenty of opportunity to ask questions throughout the creative process. Open to all levels, though some clay experience is welcomed.
About Your Teacher
Isabella is a visual artist and sculptor working with clay. Her work explores the connection to Self through a poetic, contemplative lens. She interweaves memories, mythology, and poetry with her personal story. Creating is her meditation practice, connecting her to earth and the legacy of humankind. Working with the four elements, she creates bold, organic forms—raw and refined, strong and sensitive.
Her pieces invite us to pause and breathe, reminding us to be more compassionate with ourselves.
What You'll Create
Build a family of 3 vessels (varying sizes, 15–30 cm) using only your hands and the coiling method. Explore how pieces relate to one another through form, scale, and rhythm. Create moon jars, amphoras, jugs, or organic sculptural forms that speak as a unified collection—each piece distinct yet harmonious.
Workshop Journey
Day 1: Foundation & Intention
Each day begins with a gentle breathwork exercise and/or somatic movement to ground you in presence and creative flow. Isabella will demonstrate the coiling technique step-by-step, discussing what makes vessels structurally sound and how to envision a cohesive collection. You'll sketch your vision for your family of vessels, exploring how they might relate to one another through form, scale, and rhythm. If you already have ideas or photos, please bring them with you. You'll begin building the bases and lower walls of your first two vessels, establishing strong foundations. The pieces rest overnight, gaining strength for the next day's work.
Day 2: Building Your Collection
You'll continue building upward on your first two vessels, shaping their bodies and defining their character. You'll learn to read the clay and find your rhythm, maintaining structural integrity while embracing beautiful irregularities. You'll also prepare the base of your third vessel, so all three foundations are established. You'll explore how your pieces begin to speak to one another through their emerging forms.
Day 3: Upward & Outward
You'll build upward on all three vessels, bringing them closer to completion. As the forms take shape, you'll begin exploring surface decoration—smoothing, texturing, or adding sculptural elements.
You'll prepare and attach handles or other decorative elements as your designs call for them. The collection's visual relationships become clearer as each piece develops.
Day 4: Integration & Reflection
This day offers two paths:
Studio Option: Continue working independently in the studio, refining your pieces and exploring surface treatments.
Walk & Breathwork Option: Join Isabella for a gentle walk through the stunning Deià landscape, followed by a guided 90-minute breathwork session for deep integration and reflection.
Day 5: Finishing & Refinement
You focus on completing the surfaces of your collection. You'll get in touch with the rhythm of your forms and experiment with different surface decoration techniques that honor the raw clay aesthetic: smoothing, polishing, texturizing (with slip), carving, and possibly working with underglazes. You’ll choose if and how you want your pieces to be glazed. You'll learn finishing techniques that celebrate the handmade quality of your pieces.
If you have a special tool you like to use for surface work, please bring it to the workshop.
The Approach
This workshop celebrates the honest, imperfect beauty of hand-building. You embrace irregularities, asymmetry, and the marks your hands leave in the clay. The coiling method is intuitive and meditative—each coil is a breath, each layer a small meditation. With five days, you have the gift of time to develop not just technical skills but a deeper relationship with making, with the clay, and with yourself.
Daily Schedule (except Day 4)
10:00 – 13:00 Morning session
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch break
14:00 – 17:00 Afternoon session
What’s Included
Unlimited clay (red and white) for use during the workshop
Use of all tools and equipment
All tuition, demonstrations, and individual guidance
Glazing and firing of selected final pieces
Shipping of finished work included (see below)
VAT (Spanish IVA) included in the workshop price
Breathwork and/or somatic movement on each morning
A guided walk through Deià area with your teacher
A guided 90 min Breathwork session on our rooftop terrace
Lunch is not included, except on the first day. The studio is located in the centre of the village, close to a wide range of cafés and restaurants to suit all budgets and dietary requirements. A roof terrace is also available for students who prefer to bring their own lunch.
Shipping of Finished Work
The workshop fee includes shipping for one standard box (up to 60 × 40 × 40 cm) per participant.
At the end of the workshop, students will select their final pieces. These will then be glazed, fired, carefully packed, and prepared for shipment. All selected work must fit within the included box size.
Shipping is limited to one box per participant.
Price
€1,200 Includes VAT, materials, firing, and shipping (one standard box).
Cancellation Policy
Due to the limited number of places available and the advance costs involved, full payment is required to secure a place on the workshop.
Cancellations made 21 days or more before the workshop start date will receive a full refund.
Cancellations made within 21 days of the workshop start date are non-refundable.
In cases of illness or unforeseen circumstances, a credit toward a future workshop may be offered, subject to availability.
No refunds are given for no-shows or partial attendance.
We strongly recommend participants ensure they are able to attend all workshop dates before booking.