This 14‑day workshop led by Ivan Albreht invites you to a hands-on, sensuous exploration of clay and the overlooked objects of everyday life. We will take a hybrid approach that blends contemporary, industrially informed techniques within the quiet traditional setting, transforming plastic and glass bottles, cases, aluminum trays, cans and other consumer remnants into molds and new forms. The workshop is designed to be tactile and immersive, encouraging curiosity, risk taking and the pleasure of making.
You will learn practical mold making methods, from simple 1- and 2-part press molds to more complex 2-to-4-part molds for slip casting, then move into casting and assembly as soft and hard casts become modular elements for sculptural or vessel-based work. Each participant will make at least one mold and will be able to share and trade cast parts, so ideas circulate through the group. While the focus will be on the process with an open-ended outcome, several smaller scale pieces will be created by participants. Surface options include glazing or leaving pieces unglazed to emphasize form and texture.
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
This workshop on sculpting the human figure in clay emphasizes an experimental, improvisational approach to discovering movement, gesture and vitality. Through live demonstrations, hands-on exercises and slide presentations, participants will learn to manipulate the clay figure and push past common stumbling blocks of proportion, movement and balance.
Students will build small-scale maquettes in anticipation of larger work, learn solid sculpting methods, and discover how to hollow and prepare pieces for firing. We'll break the figure down into basic components to explore their potential for various poses, with special sessions focusing on challenging areas such as heads and hands.
Surface techniques will be explored using texture, underglazes, stains, pencils and mark-making to strengthen the form and develop rich visual effects. Michelle will work individually with each participant on their artwork. All skill levels welcome!
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
October 11 - October 25
This workshop addresses the question, “just how much can I communicate on the ceramic surface, and how deep is it really?” Over this two-week intensive, Eva offers step by step technical demonstrations, probing writing and imagery prompts, one on one mentoring, and open-forum discussion, as we create several series of investigative tiles and wall boxes. Our emphasis will be on creative experimentation and exploring strategic layering and combinations of techniques in order to develop tableaux of complexity and depth, be your aim dramatic and lively, or subtle and resonant.
All techniques will be low-tech but high-impact, meaning they can be used in any studio setting, using any clays and any firing temperature, with no need for special materials or equipment. The magic is in how we apply them in service to our vision, and there will be as many approaches as there are makers. Employing Eva’s “freestyle” way of hand
building, we compose personal narrative and meaning through the interplay of form, mark making, texture, and color.
This is an opportunity to hone in completely on the painterly potential of ceramic materials and processes. An intensive session of discovery, reflection, and production will impact our existing studio practices greatly, broadening the spectrum of means for bringing creative vision to light: this exploration is applicable to pottery, sculpture, or even painting with non-ceramic media. This workshop is open to all levels of experience.
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
8 people are attending The Ceramic Surface: Finding Your Voice Through Technique, Improvisation, and Design Eva Champagne
8 people are attending The Ceramic Surface: Finding Your Voice Through Technique, Improvisation, and Design Eva Champagne
This workshop on sculpting the human figure in clay emphasizes an experimental, improvisational approach to discovering movement, gesture and vitality. Through live demonstrations, hands-on exercises and slide presentations, participants will learn to manipulate the clay figure and push past common stumbling blocks of proportion, movement and balance.
Students will build small-scale maquettes in anticipation of larger work, learn solid sculpting methods, and discover how to hollow and prepare pieces for firing. We'll break the figure down into basic components to explore their potential for various poses, with special sessions focusing on challenging areas such as heads and hands.
Surface techniques will be explored using texture, underglazes, stains, pencils and mark-making to strengthen the form and develop rich visual effects. Michelle will work individually with each participant on their artwork. All skill levels welcome!
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
In this workshop we will explore new ways to construct functional pottery forms from slabs and paper templates, and transforming those flat shapes into functional pots. Focusing on the intimate objects that we use regularly; primarily cups, mugs, bowls, and vases, we will use these objects as canvases to explore surfaces and develop new ways to convey and layer our ideas. Working within our beautiful Italian surroundings, we will use our time equally between making and looking. We will step out of our comfort zones, finding beauty in the mundane, and finding surfaces that are captivating in both our environment as well as our pottery. We will utilize various regional clays to make terra sigilatta, historically used in this region of Italy since the Etruscan times, that will become our canvas to build upon in our explorations.
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
Staging the Narrative:
Ceramic Hand building with Ceramic and Cold Finishes
Inspired by Monte Castello di Vibio's Teatro della Concordia (the smallest Italian style theater in the world) and grand theatrical vision of La Scarzuola, let's explore the drama of the human narrative! During this retreat Kirsten will guide the class to build a 3/4 life size head that can hang on the wall or sit on a table. Kirsten has a step-by-step approach to figurative ceramics that is easily accessible, even for the beginner. Her class demonstrations and hand-outs are followed-up with individual tutorials, enabling her to help each student achieve their narrative vision.
After the build, Kirsten will explore the potential of adding layers of texture before firing. Post-firing, Kirsten will guide the class in using cold finishes to mimic, complement, or enhance ceramic finishes. She will share her techniques as well as encourage experimentation and play with different mediums. Participants will walk away with a stronger knowledge of human anatomy and the narrative value of expression, as well as an approach for finishing their works that is layered and complex. Finished sculptures will be able to be packed in a carry-on suitcase for travel and transportation convenience.
In addition, participants will enjoy several excursions to nearby Umbrian towns such as Perugia, Spoleto or Todi to explore the history and art that shines in the green center of Italy. Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio where you can wonder its quiet streets and enjoy the vistas of the valley and other hill towns. Explore the history of this medieval village and experience the jewel-box of a theater that is one of the smallest theaters in the world.
Your weekend is free to catch up on studio work, relax, or take advantage of the other sites or activities in Umbria. These additions can be arranged through ICArts for an additional fee. This class is for ALL LEVELS: whether you have never touched clay but yearn to stretch your creative potential, or if you are a seasoned ceramicists that want to add a few new techniques to your toolbox.
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
Fueled by a new interest in the individual, the birth of the Renaissance in Florence in the 15th century brought a rebirth of the long dormant art of Portraiture. What better place to study the art of Portraiture than in Monte Castello di Vibio, just a stone’s throw from that extraordinary city?
This comprehensive two-week workshop offers a unique opportunity to study classical realist Portraiture in both two and three dimensions under the expert guidance of renowned sculptor Constance Ramsey Bowden and acclaimed painter Karen Warshal.
Workshop Focus
Working from live models in an intimate studio setting, students will explore the fundamental principles of portrait creation across three classical mediums: drawing, painting, and sculpture. This intensive program emphasizes the essential building blocks of representational art, making it ideal for both beginners seeking solid foundations and more seasoned artists looking to refine their skills. The small class size ensures ample individual instruction for each student.
Class Structure
Students will draw or paint the model in the morning. After lunch, students will sculpt the same model in water based clay. Models will maintain the same pose for the duration of the workshop.
Curriculum Highlights
* Design Elements: Explore the principles of traditional design inherent in each portrait.
Cultural Immersion Beyond the Studio
Students will journey to the artistic heart of Renaissance Italy with guided excursions to Rome and Florence. These field trips will serve to deepen students’ understanding of the skills and concepts they’re learning in the studio. In addition, they’ll come to appreciate the history of Portraiture itself and its place in the overall history of art.
Florence: visit to the world class Palazzo Pitti, including the Galleria Palatina and the Gallery of Modern Art. The Palatina features some of the greatest paintings of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, while the Moderna hosts masterpieces of traditional art from the 19th century.
Rome: visit to the Musei Capitolini complex, filled with many of the finest Roman copies of Greek sculptures in existence.
Weekends
Weekends are reserved for relaxing and recharging, with optional visits to nearby towns such as Deruta and Todi. Open model time will also be available for those interested.
Join us for this unique experience in Monte Castello di Vibio, where life is always just a little bit magical!
Included in the price
Transfer to and from airport on designated pick-up and drop off dates*
Transportation for excursions to Florence and Rome
Entrance fees to Palazzo Pitti e Musei Capitolini
All class instruction
All meals except for lunch and dinner on the days of our field trips to Florence and Rome
Accommodations in single room with shared bath in the Asilo. (One “matrimoniale” room is also available.)
Private tour of the Teatro della Concordia
Clay and armatures for sculpture
Not included in price
Optional excursions on weekends
Housing upgrades to private room with bath or entire apartment (see options below)
*Pick-up and drop-off at Fiumicino airport on days other than those designated. For those arriving at a different time, an additional charge will be added.
About the food
Delicious meals are lovingly prepared by our expert chefs, Cristiano and Loris. Featuring traditional Umbrian cuisine and always using the freshest ingredients purchased daily, Cristiano and Loris work hard to please everyone, honoring dietary restrictions and food preferences. Breakfast (buffet) and lunch are served indoors, while dinner is held on the scenic rooftop terrace ove
rlooking the valley surrounding Monte Castello di Vibio. To say that this is a breathtaking venue and an extraordinary experience would be an understatement.
Class Schedule
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday (of both weeks):
9:30-1:00 class (drawing/painting)
1:00-2:00 lunch
2:00-2:30 rest
2:30-6:00 class (sculpture)
Wednesdays: field trip Saturdays, Sundays: optional field trips, optional model time, free time
A PERSONAL NOTE FROM CONSTANCE AND KAREN TO YOU, OUR POTENTIAL STUDENTS:
We’ve designed this program with the goal of maximum learning because, as teachers, that’s our responsibility and it’s also who we are. But remember that this is YOUR special experience and it needs to meet your needs. This is an intensive program, so if you’re tired, take a rest. If you miss an hour or even a session, the world won’t come to an end.
Join us in the heart Italy - in our mountaintop "castle town" of Monte Castello di Vibio for an intensive week of wood kiln construction with renowned potter and master kiln-builder, Rudie Delanghe!
Here, deep among the mountains and ancient forests, Roman and Etruscan kilns still dot the clay-rich landscape of the Tiber Valley. Our participants live and work in an ancient mountain village made of stones, which is unchanged since the middle ages. We are surrounded by vineyards and olive groves -and steeped in traditions. This is truly a side of Italy that most travelers never experience!
In this landscape where past meets present, we will follow in the path of the ancestral crafts of the region as we construct a kiln that Rudie has designed and has himself built many times. The 1.5 meter wood fired trolley kiln we build together will constructed with over 2,000 refractory insulation bricks and provide a useable space 100 cm wide, 120 cm long, 130 cm high. This remarkably efficient kiln design is very economical in its use of wood and easy to fire by one person.
Building a wood-fired kiln is a complex process that requires both extensive knowledge and experience as well as careful planning. Rudie will select materials, weld our metal frames and trolley, and lend his direction and masonry expertise to the group as we build the kiln itself. Participants will learn principles that underlie the successful design of a wood kiln and the complex process behind its construction from a master European kiln-builder! This workshop is open to all levels of experience. Those interested in firing their work and experiencing the kiln in action, should consider our subsequent Workshop: Earth, Hands, and Fire: Building Epic Vessels for the Wood Kiln with Eva Champagne October 5- 19, 2025.(Be sure to inquire about reduced pricing for both workshops.)
During the Workshop, participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO) aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
Would you like to master one of the most intriguing graphic techniques?
Join "Linocut and Book Illustration" course, which will open up a world of creative expression through linocut and the art of illustration!
You will learn about the history of linocut — from its origins to modern trends.
Understand how different types of strokes, lines, and dots affect the final image.
Gain practical knowledge of compositional rules and learn to convey space, light, and shadows through line work.
Immersion in the creative process:
The course is divided into three practical themes:
You’ll learn how to turn the abstract ideas of poetry into concrete graphic elements, balancing both the text and imagery in a harmonious composition. This will be a opportunity to combine literature and graphic art, allowing participants to deepen their understanding of both mediums while creating a series of meaningful, artistic works.
Join us for an immersive two weeks of creating meaningful ceramic vessels and firing them in ICA Italy’s new wood kiln. Be in the first group to fire this custom-built kiln!
Throughout history ceramic vessels have told stories far more profound than the mere fact of storage or service. During this workshop, we plumb the depths of our own motivations to create vessels which carry our contemporary, personal narratives.
Taking inspiration from the landscape and historical-cultural milieu of Umbria, as well as the unique ideas and influences we each contain within us, we create a series of works that embody a specific moment, investigation, and touch. This workshop explores the vivid possibilities for expression when one adopts a “freestyle” approach to making. We create personal narrative and content through the interplay between form, surface embellishment, and wood firing atmosphere on a series of works inspired by vessels of antiquity.
Eva’s intuitive hand building method creates 3 dimensional “canvases” upon which to explore multiple techniques for mark making, printing, adding depth and texture— in effect, telling a visual story across the surface of each vessel, and then offering these highly expressive works to the new wood kiln, allowing it to have the final word in design.
During our first week together, Eva offers step by step technical guidance, demonstrations, one on one mentoring, and open-forum discussion, as we create our series of vessels at varying scales. We quickly hone our hand building skills, develop tactile acuity, and push our ability to make clay do what we want and convey the thoughts and concerns we wish it to. We investigate numerous ways that the form and surface can be handled for expressive results, be your aim dramatic, vivid, or subtle.
At the end of the first week, we dig up some local clay to work with, allowing us to compare the material qualities and firing results between clay bodies. During week two, we turn our attention to finishing touches to our series, drying them, and preparing for the wood firing. We discuss all aspects of this process, and everyone is hands-on during the inaugural firing itself, which takes about one day. We experience the exhilarating freedom of giving our works over to the wood kiln, since results cannot be entirely predicted. Our process can be described as a collaboration between the maker’s planning and execution, and the kiln’s sweeping endowments and editing: a meeting of intention and fortune.
This intensive period of creative reflection and production undertaken in such a breathtaking setting as Monte Castello Di Vibio will impact your studio practice for a long time to come. This workshop is open to all levels of experience.
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
Ancient cultures resonate in Umbria and in particular was the cradle of Etruscan Civilization. In respect for these traditions, ICA is proud to offer an intensive -hands-on- studio pottery program on the techniques of Ancient Ceramics, focusing on Greek and Etruscan Pottery. Experts in these techniques will lead participants into one the most appreciated ancient forms in the history of ceramics: Greek and Etruscan Vases. Participants are accommodated in Monte Castello, and the workshop is to be held at our Deruta laboratory, in the Umbrian town renowned for its majolica traditions.
The intensive workshop provides four days of "in-class" work studying decorative techniques of the famous black-figure and red-figure vessels focussing on analysis of specific examples such as the Krater of Euphronius, which describes the history of the Trojan War. The workshop includes lectures focusing on history of the medium with special attention to technical aspects and practical dimensions as well as aesthetic considerations -manifest in their classic shapes and colors.
Participants will work with shapes and decoration characteristic of the Greek Classical Period. The workshop will also focus on sources of the pigments which were harvested from the earth and decanted from clays. The colors we use will be derived from clays, just as in ancient times - participants will even paint their pots with brushes specially made with hare whiskers. Traditional techniques to be covered include: painting, scgraffito, sanding and firing - there will also be a traditional "egg" decoration test, in which color changes with heat, providing insight into a simple but historic decorative technique.
Throughout the workshop, participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
Closely linked to Zen culture, in which the beauty and harmony of simple things is exalted, the Raku technique was born in the 16th century as an art for the creation of bowls used during the traditional tea ceremony. It is characterized by a rapid production process and a particular process from which ceramics are obtained which differ in their characteristic cracking and coloring, giving life to unique pieces.
In the 16th century, a type of rapid clay firing, called Raku, was discovered in Japan. This Japanese term has the meaning of "relaxed, pleasant, joy of living" and is traced back to the suburb of Kyoto where clay was extracted at the time. The birth of the Raku technique for creating ceramic objects seems to be attributed to a Korean craftsman, Chojiro. This ceramist, who mainly made tiles, began to use the particular clay, rich in silica sand, to speed up the production process of bowls for the tea ceremony.
The origin of Raku ceramics, with an improvised appearance, full of defects, almost unfinished, is closely connected to Zen thought which is inspired by simplicity, poverty in forms. All those that may seem like "imperfections" in Raku objects are instead exalted and considered "beautiful" in Zen culture. This aspect is also evident in the Kintsugi technique, which involves the repair of a vase or other object through the use of a precious metal: this Japanese art valorises "flaws" and becomes a metaphor of resilience.
The four-day course will cover: modelling, creation of sheet shapes, brush and airbrush glazing techniques, firing with crackle and metal effects. The course also includes 2 or 3 firings which are one of the most fascinating things about the technique.
Throughout the workshop, participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
Kurinuki (the term is Japanese) is a Japanese ceramic technique that embraces the natural surface of the clay and the individual imperfections that form in the intuitive process of making. Each vase is hand built and hand carved inside and out.
The kurinuki process is a "sculptural" technique of volume formation: instead of adding material, as happens in the dovetail or slab construction, we start from the block of clay and gradually remove it, digging internally and modeling the external wall with the help of tools, until the desired shape is obtained. It is therefore a question, as in sculpture, of freeing a form enclosed in the formless.The idea of the artistic object may not be clear at the beginning: it is precisely the lack of clarity (not seeing clearly) that guides the path, that digs a path. What he obtains in the end is a symbol, something that continues to be linked to his origins, but like a child his destiny is autonomous.
The program will also be a way to travel internally, allowing yourself to abandon yourself to this ancient art, creating unique objects linked to Zen culture with different stoneware clays. At the end, a tasting of Japanese tea will be offered on cups made of kurinuki.
To complement the program, a visit to the famous Deruta, its museum dedicated to majolica and a Deruta artisan workshop.
Throughout the workshop, participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
July 4, 2027 - July 18, 2027
Join us in Italy for an inspiring workshop focused on building large-scale clay sculptures. This unique experience encourages experimentation in a safe, inclusive studio environment, allowing participants to push their technical boundaries without the pressure of keeping their work. We’ll troubleshoot technical issues together, fostering a spirit of collaboration and growth. In addition to hands-on building, you’ll spend a day in Florence, surrounded by iconic sculptures that showcase technical excellence. This immersive experience will not only expand your skills but also deepen your appreciation for large-scale art. We’ll also hold glaze and finishing demos featuring Trey’s under-glazing techniques as well as other surfaces for finishing sculpture. Participants are encouraged to bring small bisque ware pieces to glaze and finish. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your craft while exploring the beauty of Italy!
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
Early Bird Workshop Special: Register and pay in full before December 22, 2025 and save 10%! Just use Discount code: zejzwzeg when registering.
5 people are attending Large-Scale Ceramic Building Techniques with Trey Hill
5 people are attending Large-Scale Ceramic Building Techniques with Trey Hill
Mastering Still Life in Oil Painting: The Play of Light and Shadow with Daria MostWe invite you to discover the enchanting world of still life through the technique of oil painting! This course will help you not only master practical skills but also unlock your creative potential by working with everyday objects and conveying their essence through the interplay of light and sh
adow. The course is suitable for both beginners and intermediate artists.
Course Program:
This intensive workshop will be a hands-on immersion into the art and science of taxidermy for conservation and public education. Students will create taxidermy birds and mammals with techniques used in museums, utilizing custom forms and advanced methods for accuracy of any specimen they may work on in the future.
Students will learn to skin animals, prepare skins, read reference materials, create custom forms/armatures, pose animals, assemble specimens, groom and finish the pieces for realism. We will also be teaching advanced techniques such as creating death-masks and molding & casting head forms in order to make both 3D reference and provide an incredibly accurate facial structure.
Our goal is that students leave with both finished work and the ability to practice the craft of taxidermy themselves.
All specimens will be by products from other uses; hunting for food or non-native pest control.
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
This is a 2 week class covering both birds and mammals.
Bird taxidermy is its own unique craft requiring anatomical knowledge, technical skill and an artistic sensibility. In this intensive workshop, we will be teaching students all of these fundamentals utilizing museum techniques. This class is recommended for both beginners and those with taxidermy experience looking to learn Allis Markham’s museum techniques. Birds are also a perfect way to start learning taxidermy because students can go from frozen to finished all in one course. We will be working on Magpies and Crows locally collected as part of abatement / pest control; their deaths are not exclusively for this course. These species also lend themselves well to learning taxidermy and can create beautiful results with a lot of character. In fact, Allis has had the pleasure of creating and displaying both species for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
We will begin with a discussion of Avian anatomy, how to obtain legal specimens and general techniques for working on birds. Students will be learning the skills of: skinning, fleshing, wiring, wrapped body creation, mounting, posing and grooming. All supplies, tools and specimens will be provided for your class. After the end of this course, students will be able to take their own Crow or Magpie home on a base. After the course ends, every student will receive a list of documents, including a list of steps, supplies, tools and video resources all to assist in gaining the knowledge to start their own projects at home.
The ICArts team will also assist students with the logistics of getting their final pieces home safely.
The nature of Mammal taxidermy is far different from that of birds. Students will find this course to be more sculpting-centered with a large attention to muscle detail. This class is recommended for both beginners and those with taxidermy experience looking for a way to learn mammal taxidermy and the art of creating custom-made mammal mounts utilizing museum techniques.
In this class, we will be focusing on the taxidermy of two common North American mammals, the Grey Fox and the Striped Skunk. These were collected in the United States as part of abatement / pest control; their deaths are not exclusively for this course.
While these specimens are native to the US, we have taken great care to make sure our materials are all commonly available in Europe and around the world. For instance, we will be learning the very custom technique of wrapping the bodies of the animals instead of ordering commercial forms which may not be available outside of the US, and are not nearly as accurate as creating a form for your specific specimen. This technique is used often for more exotic museum specimens due to the lack of commercial forms for them and the ability to create a more accurate form when custom-made.
We will begin with a discussion of each animal’s anatomy, how to obtain legal specimens and general techniques for working on mammals. Students will start with tanned specimens (due to the process of tanning which requires weeks) but will be given a tutorial and documents on skinning and tanning.
In class, students will learn the skills of: measuring and wrapping forms, posing the forms for behavior and anatomical accuracy, custom-carving heads, Earliner-creation, skin fitting, creating/setting paws, sewing, facial details, and grooming/finishing work. We will also perform a demonstration on how to mold & cast for the creation death masks in order to create incredibly accurate headforms. All supplies, tools and specimens will be provided for your class. By the end of the class, students will take home their own Grey Fox or Skunk on a base. After the course ends, every student will receive a list of documents, including a list of steps, supplies, tools, formula for tanning, and video resources all to assist in gaining the knowledge to start their own projects at home.
The ICArts team will also assist students with the logistics of getting their final pieces home safely.
This intensive workshop will be a hands-on immersion into the art and science of taxidermy for conservation and public education. Students will create taxidermy Mammals with techniques used in museums, utilizing custom forms and advanced methods for accuracy of any specimen they may work on in the future.
Students will learn to skin animals, prepare skins, read reference materials, create custom forms/armatures, pose animals, assemble specimens, groom and finish the pieces for realism. We will also be teaching advanced techniques such as creating death-masks and molding & casting head forms in order to make both 3D reference and provide an incredibly accurate facial structure.
Our goal is that students leave with both finished work and the ability to practice the craft of taxidermy themselves.
The nature of Mammal taxidermy is far different from that of birds. Students will find this course to be more sculpting-centered with a large attention to muscle detail. This class is recommended for both beginners and those with taxidermy experience looking for a way to learn mammal taxidermy and the art of creating custom-made mammal mounts utilizing museum techniques.
In this class, we will be focusing on the taxidermy of two common North American mammals, the Grey Fox and the Striped Skunk. These were collected in the United States as part of abatement / pest control; their deaths are not exclusively for this course. While these specimens are native to the US, we have taken great care to make sure our materials are all commonly available in Europe and around the world. For instance, we will be learning the very custom technique of wrapping the bodies of the animals instead of ordering commercial forms which may not be available outside of the US, and are not nearly as accurate as creating a form for your specifi
c specimen. This technique is used often for more exotic museum specimens due to the lack of commercial forms for them and the ability to create a more accurate form when custom-made.
We will begin with a discussion of each animal’s anatomy, how to obtain legal specimens and general techniques for working on mammals. Students will start with tanned specimens (due to the process of tanning which requires weeks) but will be given a tutorial and documents on skinning and tanning.
In class, students will learn the skills of: measuring and wrapping forms, posing the forms for behavior and anatomical accuracy, custom-carving heads, Earliner-creation, skin fitting, creating/setting paws, sewing, facial details, and grooming/finishing work. We will also perform a demonstration on how to mold & cast for the creation death masks in order to create incredibly accurate headforms. All supplies, tools and specimens will be provided for your class. By the end of the class, students will take home their own Grey Fox or Skunk on a base. After the course ends, every student will receive a list of documents, including a list of steps, supplies, tools, formula for tanning, and video resources all to assist in gaining the knowledge to start their own projects at home.
The ICArts team will also assist students with the logistics of getting their final pieces home safely.
This intensive workshop will be a hands-on immersion into the art and science of taxidermy for conservation and public education. Students will create taxidermy birds with techniques used in museums, utilizing custom forms and advanced methods for accuracy of any specimen they may work on in the future.
Students will learn to skin animals, prepare skins, read reference materials, create custom forms/armatures, pose animals, assemble specimens, groom and finish the pieces for realism. We will also be teaching advanced techniques such as creating death-masks and molding & casting head forms in order to make both 3D reference and provide an incredibly accurate facial structure.
Our goal is that students leave with both finished work and the ability to practice the craft of taxidermy themselves.
Bird taxidermy is its own unique craft requiring anatomical knowledge, technical skill and an artistic sensibility. In this intensive workshop, we will be teaching students all of these fundamentals utilizing museum techniques. This class is recommended for both beginners and those with taxidermy experience looking to learn Allis Markham’s museum techniques. Birds are also a perfect way to start learning taxidermy because students can go from frozen to finished all in one course. We will be working on Magpies and Crows locally collected as part of abatement / pest control; their deaths are not exclusively for this course. These species also lend themselves well to learning taxidermy and can create beautiful results with a lot of character. In fact, Allis has had the pleasure of creating and displaying both species for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
We will begin with a discussion of Avian anatomy, how to obtain legal specimens and general techniques for working on birds. Students will be learning the skills of: skinning, fleshing, wiring, wrapped body creation, mounting, posing and grooming. All supplies, tools and specimens will be provided for your class. After the end of this course, students will be able to take their own Crow or Magpie home on a base. After the course ends, every student will receive a list of documents, including a list of steps, supplies, tools and video resources all to assist in gaining the knowledge to start their own projects at home.
The ICArts team will also assist students with the logistics of getting their final pieces home safely.
In a world leaning towards the virtual and on-line, there is a need for artists to come together to share their experiences of using tangible materials. The knowledge of the body and use of ‘haptic’ skills are being lost and now is the time for reconnecting with these materials in order to re connect with ourselves, each other and with the environment we live in.
Ceramic sculptor Sharon Griffin aims to use her work to express how we can connect with ourselves and each other using clay as a tool of experiencing the body. Within this short course, Sharon will demonstrate her knowledge of working with clay as an expressive material, one which will release the innate stories of the maker, acting as a mirror to the artist.
Sharon explains that...’ the clay acts as a mirror to our own experiences. Learning how to listen to the clay helps us have a truer understanding of ourselves... we can tell all of our secrets to the clay. It is our truest friend!'
The course content
You will learn to let go of preconceived ideas of what a sculpture ‘should’ be through a series of fast and furious making techniques. Gestural mark-making using found clays, slips and oxides taken from the local landscape will enable you to truly find your freedom and capture expression within the clay material.
Using a combination of found objects and resources such as images, reference photos and books, you will have fun exploring and making a series of playful clay faces and bodies. These playful experiments will provide more in-depth opportunities to explore surfaces and patterns within a unique piece or series of works made within the course.
Sharon will guide you in your personal journey of studying the human form and face to create a unique sculpture, one which explores 3 D formal elements such as weight, shape, form, composition, and texture; all of which will help you tell a story.
We will visit Rome and explore the work of the ancient Greeks, drawing inspiration from the ancients and stories told through artefacts and sculptures. Sketching, photographing, and journaling will help inform your own ideas, not just within the course, but in your future developments as an artist if you so desire.
At the end of the course, you will have the opportunity to take home a unique hand-built sculpture which is individual to you. It may need to be sent out at a later date and can be negotiated as your work develops. You will have learned about the processes of clay, where to dig it, sieve it and use it to create your own piece of work- expressing your own unique story.
Drawing, sketches, and experiments within clay are used to capture feeling and express emotion, captivating your audience with a shared human experience.
Through taking part in this course, Sharon Griffin hopes that you will come away from it with a renewed sense of connectivity, one which connects you to history, the people around you and the landscape you live in.
Aims: How to capture expression and emotion using clay within figurative sculpture
Objectives: At the end of the course you will
Be inspired by and understand how shape, form and composition can help to tell a story
Techniques we will cover:
Participants in the workshop will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
This course is suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced levels but some knowledge of clay is beneficial. Please do feel free to bring sketchbooks and previous drawings to work from but this is not a necessity. For more details, please contact Sharon Griffin at the ICA
Unlock your imagination and develop coil-building and figure modeling skills in this two week human and animal hybrid ceramic sculpture workshop. Much of ancient Italian art is rich in mythological creatures and transformation that continue to speak to us, often on a visceral level. During this course, we’ll delve into the stories behind some of these beings, and create contemporary interpretations and invent new amalgamations that possess compelling personal narratives.
Through live demonstrations, slide presentations, and time lapsed videos, Adrian will impart a wealth of technical information based on 40 years of working with clay. Human and animal anatomy will be covered, with special attention to heads and faces. We will create medium size pieces, approx. 18” tall; the techniques covered will be useful for building large scale sculpture in the future. This includes sectioning, internal supports and the use of a base and rod for tall sculptures. In addition, we’ll make small sprig molds for surface texture and embellishment. Presentations on contemporary ceramic sculpture, as well as mythology will also be shown as time allows. Each Friday we’ll venture out of the studio to nearby sites, cities and museums for a full-immersion experience.
*Participants are encouraged to take good documenting photos of the process of building their piece and the final sculpture. Arrangements can be made to have work fired after the workshop. Packing and shipping will be at participants expense.
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
The class will focus on what are perhaps the two most expressive parts of the body: the head and hand. In this two-week workshop, students will learn various techniques to create a series of life-sized bust and hands. Both hollow and solid construction methods will be taught as we work from a live model. Participants will gain understanding of the underling anatomical structures that allow these body parts to be so communicative while learning new techniques to achieve life-like sculptures with clay.
With this objective in mind, it is appropriate that the class should take place in one of the great centers of world sculpture! Indeed, through drawing sessions at the Medici Chapel and Academia Museum in Florence and the Vatican Museum in Rome, students will have the direct influence of the masters!
The class will start with a clay skull and add layers of muscle, culminating in a solid finished bust that will be hollowed out. This will allow us to learn about each muscle and its function in creating expression. Various techniques to hair, eyes, and ears will be covered, as well how to utilize the rules for proportion in your own work.
Students will also learn my hollow construction method used for creating instinctive, fast, and stable forms. Numerous presentations, discussions, and demonstrations will cover topics such as: conceptual considerations, how to measure models for reference work, professional development, impactful contemporary figurative artist, portfolio strategies, and any other topics that students might be interested in. Students will have an opportunity to exhibit their work at the end of the workshop. Open to all skill levels.
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided.
Materials to bring from home:
Xiem, clay tools recommended, Towel, wire tool, paddle (or flat wood), Water spray bottle, small mirror, fabric tape measure
Working on heavy grade watercolor paper, using ink and watercolor, students will employ geometry, line, shape and form to create 2 non-objective paintings.
We will research designs and interpret them for our various individual projects during the second week. Please feel free to bring your design ideas and other inspirational materials to adapt as well.
As inspiration, we will be looking at historic designs found in art and architecture during our trips to both Florence and Rome.
We will be using a variety of techniques gained from studies in both European and Indian processes (including; color filling, line and design work, burnishing, washing, sanding and waxing),
Students will aim to create a harmonious balance from a mix of structure and improvisation by daily:
Meditation— finding thoughtless awareness through the use of affirmations, self awareness and inner peace.
Yoga— basic Hatha yoga practice allowing the student to slow down, tune into oneself and ones breathing and let the body guide you through simple movements such as Surya Namaskar.
Mindful observation 1— sit in silence drawing an object for three minutes, at the end of this time restart, drawing the same object again. 30 minutes.
Mindful observation 2— using the senses to raise awareness and explore imagination through the use of taste, touch and sound.
The course will be run with the help of Danish artist and assistant Emma Holm.
For more information, contact us.
Working from a model for 4 days we will get a chance to hone in on all the details it takes to capture a likeness. Using clay packed onto a pipe armature, we’ll create a solid bust which we will cut off the armature, hollow and reassemble by the end of the 6th day.
The anatomy of the head, the determining facial muscles, neck and clavicle will be demonstrated. Students will come away with an understanding of proportions and how to create believable details of the face and expression.
All levels are welcomed.
During this 10-day workshop led by Cristina Córdova, students will create a 30” torso through the use of slabs with the support of simple patterns and photographic references. Daily demonstrations will cover the construction and articulation of the hip area and upper torso, arms, hands, head and neck. We will touch on general anatomical concepts and modeling strategies to facilitate accuracy and expression as all the components come together. Surfaces will be developed through the use of slips and underglaze transfers among other approaches. In preparation for this project students will develop some smaller pieces to explore the construction of more abstracted, open compositions that will be fired and glazed. All levels are welcome.
Included in the cost of the class is an excursion to the nearby city of Orvieto in order to see the majestic Duomo there, with its fantastically expressive sculptures decorating the façade. For wine lovers, Orvieto has many extraordinary options available for sampling some of the finest white wines in Italy.
For an additional fee, we will also offer a trip to the village of Deruta in order to explore its Maiolica traditions. We will have an opportunity to visit several studios as well as the ceramics museum, the wonderful Museo Regionale Della Ceramica di Deruta. We will also visit the remarkable church of Madonna del Bagni. Here devotional ceramic plaques that decorate the walls. Each of the plaques was commissioned in commemoration of miraculous healings by the Virgin Mary—the oldest (and first) of the plaques is over 400 years old and commemorates the first miracle healing at the site. From here we will travel on to Assisi in order to visit the Church of San Francesco, one of the most richly decorated church in Christendom. The church contains frescos by Giotto, Cimabue, Lorenzetti and many other early renaissance masters. On the road back to Monte Castello, we will stop for a wine tasting at one of the local vineyards in order to see why our territory is considered the best upcoming wine region in Italy.
Minimum Enrollment: 10
Deposits are due by January 21, 2021 to secure your spot.
For more information, contact us.
