Wheel Throwing

15-21 NOVEMBER 2026

One week dedicated to working on the wheel guided by Masha Bezuglaya.

Build your skills, find the confidence in your hands and see how far your imagination will take you.

Wheel throwing is learned through repetition. The more you throw, the more your hands begin to understand pressure, movement and clay.

Spend six days away from home, and five days at the wheel learning the fundamentals or pushing your existing skills further, with daily guidance plenty of time to make, repeat, experiment and improve.

Eight people. One ceramicist. One week. All levels welcome. Secure your place with a €300 deposit.

With only eight places per retreat, booking early is recommended. We know all too well that plans can change. You can move your booking to another date when arranged well in advance.

Accommodation is booked separately.

€1,350.00

This course is for you.

01.

IF YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD, WORK WITH YOUR HANDS AND SPEND FIVE DAYS ABSORBED IN MAKING AWAY FROM HOME.

02.

IF YOU WANT TO MEET OTHER CREATIVE MINDS, SHARE IDEAS, AND CONTINUE CONVERSATIONS OVER DINNER OR A LONG WALK IN NATURE.

03.

IF YOU WANT TIME TO DISCOVER THE WILD BEACHES, BUZZING TOWNS AND MEET THE MAKERS OF THE SOUTHWEST ALGARVE.

What happens when your hands start knowing what to do before you think about it?

Depending on your experience and what you want to explore, you can work on throwing with more control, refining forms and proportions, improving consistency, trying larger or more complex pieces, or developing ideas of your own.

The aim isn't for everyone to leave with the same set of pots. It's to leave with stronger skills, more confidence and a few pieces you're genuinely excited to call your own.

Included

  • Six-day get-away. Sunday afternoon - Saturday morning.

  • Five-days wheel throwing course led by a practising ceramicist

  • Small group of up to eight participants

  • Clay, glazes, tools, studio use and firing

  • Shipping of your finished work up to €50

  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the retreat, including two dinners out

  • Time for activities away from the studio

  • Making your own olla and planting for the landscape

  • Two additional activities, such as yoga, breathwork or a visit to a local maker or craftsperson

Not included

  • Accommodation

  • Travel to and from the studio

  • Alcoholic drinks

  • Optional activities booked separately

  • Shipping costs above the included €50 allowance

For more information on what’s included and excluded, accommodation, travel, arrival and departure, the weekly schedule, changing dates and our cancellation policy, and more see Plan Your Week & FAQs

Time beyond the studio

THE SOUTHWEST OF PORTUGAL HAS BEEN MAKING WITH CLAY FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. IT IS ALSO HOME TO FARMERS, CREATIVE MAKERS AND REGENERATIVE PROJECTS FINDING NEW WAYS TO WORK WITH THE LAND AND PRESERVE HERITAGE CRAFTS.

Two additional activities are part of every retreat, think of yoga and a visit to a local maker, grower or craftsperson.

Hands off

During the week, we step outside the studio and off the land to discover more of the region. We will eat out at local places serving seasonal food, visit local makers and craftspeople, and spend time in the Bravura landscape. You’ll also have the possibility to explore the wild Atlantic coast between the west Algarve and Alentejo.

If you’re looking to do more

If you want to explore further, we can advice where to go for surf classes, mountain biking, a visit to the springs of Monchique, or other activities around the region.

Masha Bezuglaya

Wheel Throwing | Handbuilding | Artist | Clay & Glazes

Body Copy

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Meet your guide

Clear head. Calm nervous system.
Fired-up creativity.

Leave with stronger skills, work you’re proud of, new friends, and that strange combination of being tired yet feeling rested and reset, wondering how six days somehow feel so much longer.

All that, and an unstoppable urge to keep making.