Finding a way to fire your own pieces can be one of the first challenges when starting to work with ceramics. But do you really need a conventional kiln to experiment?
In the Kiln Building Workshop, led by Renato Costa e Silva and Kerstin Thomas, participants explore alternative approaches by building and using small gas- or wood-fired kilns.
Leia maisThere’s something special about working with clay for the first time. It’s a material that invites us to slow down, pay attention, and learn through our hands.
At Cerdeira, our Introductory Ceramics Course, taught by Renato Costa e Silva and Kerstin Thomas, is an invitation to discover this process from start to finish.
Leia maisWhen we think of watercolors, we picture boxes of paints organized by color. We rarely think of the earth beneath our feet. However, for thousands of years, it was precisely the landscape that provided the colors used for painting. Clays, iron oxides, charcoal, and various minerals were collected and transformed into pigments that gave rise to humanity’s earliest artistic expressions.
Leia maisWhy do some pieces just feel “right” in our hands? The answer lies in utilitarian ceramics, a discipline where form, function, and material work in perfect harmony.
Leia maisCeramic sound masks belong to an ancient tradition in which form and sound coexist within a single creation. In various cultures across the Americas, these objects were used in ceremonial and communal contexts, building bridges between humans, nature and the symbolic world.
Leia maisNatural pigments have been humanity’s primary source of color. Our ancestors collected earth, rocks, and minerals to create paintings, decorate objects, and express their creativity. This intimate connection between art and nature continues to inspire artists around the world, and it is precisely this experience that we offer in this workshop on Watercolors Using Natural Pigments.
Leia maisCeramic sculpture is a way of working with what is not yet defined. It does not begin with a fixed final form in mind, but with a direct relationship with the material - a substance in continuous transformation, responding to touch and time in unpredictable ways.
Leia maisCreating something from wood is like entering into a silent dialogue with nature (…)
Leia maisWorking with wood is an intimate dialogue with nature (…)
Leia maisCeramics is a huge world; ceramic sculpture another. Here, ceramic techniques and processes converge with the freedom to shape, construct ideas and arquitecture messages in clay, made to endure.
The final word will have the fire and the wood, in a prolonged high-temperature firing.
Who doesn't know the fascination we feel when we find a twig with a special shape or a piece of wood aged by time on a walk through the forest...
Leia mais“(…) wood carving has a long history throughout the world, as wood was an abundant raw material in most regions and relatively easy to work with.”
Leia mais“There is a moment when carving a spoon is truly magical. Your hands hold a piece of wood and a sharp blade. (…)”
Leia maisBasketry is an ancient craft. The earliest evidence found dated before 8,000 BCE and has been used primarily for functional purposes.
Leia maisSpoon carving is a form of celebrating trees. Each tree of each species is one of a kind, even if they share similarities, behaviors, and other natural properties.
Leia maisIn The Shapes of Esparto Course this material is explored as a sustainable raw material, in harmony with the principles of circular economy and low environmental impact production. In March 2026, Daniela Torres invites us to discover the unique characteristics of esparto and learn, through practice, the techniques that reveal its full potential.
Leia mais“As a ceramic artist, I am intrigued by the visual definition of form and its nuances. I employ many of the same processes that folk potters utilize. Production concerns were previously tied to societal needs to stock provisions, store liquids, cook, and serve food. Today, practical functions have given way to artistic concerns, where one’s creative voice is of paramount importance.”
Leia maisIn The Shapes of Esparto Course this material is explored as a sustainable raw material, in harmony with the principles of circular economy and low environmental impact production. In March 2026, Daniela Torres invites us to discover the unique characteristics of esparto and learn, through practice, the techniques that reveal its full potential.
Leia maisIn the heart of the Serra da Lousã mountains, where nature’s textures and colors are ever-present, we are once again honored to welcome the ceramic artist Matthew Blakely for a transformative workshop: "Rocks Making Glazes", returning this December to Cerdeira – Home for Creativity.
Leia maisIn the world of ceramics, some of the most captivating effects are born from happy accidents. One such discovery is the resist slip technique, developed from an observation made during Raku firings, where raku glaze unexpectedly chipped off pots and acted as a resist, preventing the smoke from penetrating the body and revealing a network of crackle lines.
Leia mais