Welcome to a luxurious and serene one-week ceramic retreat on a creative farm in India, where you'll indulge in a sensory experience.This retreat with The Great Pottery Throwdown finalist- Peter White will explore wheel thrown and Hand built sculptural pieces adding surface decoration using texture, hand built elements and distortion to create unique pieces of art that are inspired by the world around us. Observing the beautiful setting of Aura farm will provide stimulation through shapes and forms that will be used to inspire the pieces we create.
Peter White has been inspired by the creative industries for most of his adult life. He has worked as an engineer, teacher and designer, but now he uses clay to create unique sculptural forms, inspiring vessels and tableware, using both traditional firing and alternative firing methods. He trained and worked as an art and design teacher, started his own pottery studio and became a much-loved and very successful contestant on Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throw Down. Peter works with his wife Gill who is a trained art and design teacher. Gill works with glass and clay, she loves manipulating the surface of the forms she creates.
Retreat Fee: £1200 inclusive of all studio materials, glazes and firings, meals, accommodation, airport transfer, activities and a guided visit to Chandigarh for sightseeing and shopping.
Arrive at Aura, get acquainted with the farm during an introductory tour, learning about its sustainable practices and meeting the team.
Introduction to the studio space along with a session with Peter to understand the tone of the creative retreat and understanding the art of manipulating, decorating and distorting a clay form.
Welcome dinner in the main house, followed by a presentation by Peter and Gill, sharing their insights and journey as artists.
Start the day with some soothing Yoga and meditation followed by breakfast.
In the studio, learning how to distort a thrown form and how to decorate using manipulation, texture, and glaze printing and painting. Observations sketches from around Aura to inspire the distortion of your form. Studio work will continue till early evening with a break for lunch and tea.
Post studio time, freshen up or take a swim before diving into a pizza dinner by the pool, followed by some fun games.
Embark on a refreshing morning trek, immersing yourself in the beauty of nature, followed by a picnic-style breakfast by the lake.
Dive into a creative session. Peter will have thrown you a form that you will distort and manipulate using your observations for inspiration, adding surface decoration to support your observations.
End the evening with dinner and discussions with Peter and Gill on individual projects.
Begin the day with a tranquil yoga and meditation session, allowing your body and mind to find balance and serenity.
In the studio we will create a hand built altered form - finalise designs and ideas for individual manipulate and altered pieces. Plan and start the building process.
Indulge in a fun culinary experience with our "make your own pizza" night, where you'll unleash your inner chef and create your own delicious wood-fired pizza.
Early morning boating experience, followed by a fulfilling breakfast.
Engage in a productive studio session with lunch and tea breaks. Peter and Gill will guide and help you work on your hand built projects.
In the evening, enjoy a delicious dinner and unwind with a movie night in the home theatre.
Start with yoga and meditation, followed by breakfast on the pool deck.
Add surface decoration by applying slip, underglaze,scraping and glaze printing. Incorporate the techniques in your projects.
Enjoy dinner and a presentation by Andy, your host, on her journey and style as a ceramic artist.
Get some alone time and relax this morning, followed by breakfast.
Wrap up projects in the studio by adding final touches, cleaning up and storing for drying.
Venture beyond the farm for a nice lunch, some shopping and sightseeing around the beautiful city of Chandigarh.
Farewell dinner in the main house, share experiences and conclude the retreat.
Farewell breakfast together before proceeding to depart.
Pottery Retreat residents stay at the Potters Villa during their residency. The villa is a small building towards the far end of the property; it faces the orchard and is a two-minute walk from the studio. The villa is a cosy space with all rooms opening onto a central lounge where residents get together for meals, music and socialising with other residents.
Each room is tastefully furnished and equipped with modern amenities, ensuring a restful and relaxing stay. Sink into the plush beds after a long day of pottery, and refresh yourself in the privacy of your ensuite bathroom, complete with all the essentials to make you feel at home.
We believe in the power of food to nourish both body and soul, which is why we take pride in serving delicious vegetarian & non vegetarian meals made with farm grown/locally sourced produce.
Sprawled over 3 acres, Aura offers beautiful outdoor spaces for you to enjoy. Our infinity pool is open to our guests to use and enjoy. A walking path around the entire periphery of the property takes you through our fruit orchard, organic kitchen garden, ponds, potters villa and the meditation circle.
| DAILY SCHEDULE | |
|---|---|
| 7:00 - 8:00 am | Morning activity |
| 9.30 - 10:00 am | Breakfast |
| 10.30 - 1.30 pm | Studio time |
| 1.30 - 3:00 pm | Lunch and rest |
| 3:00 - 6:00 pm | Studio time |
| 6:00 - 7:30 pm | Rest and freshen up |
| 7.30-8:00 pm | Dinner |
| 8:00 - 10:00 pm | Interactive activity |
