Pottery Retreats at Aura Pottery
This artist’s retreat in India is best suited to beginners and intermediates looking for a personalized pottery retreat, and peaceful practice time.
Discover a serene haven nestled in the picturesque countryside, where creativity meets relaxation. Join us for a rejuvenating pottery retreat filled with pottery workshops, tranquil surroundings, and unforgettable experiences. At our pottery retreat, we pride ourselves in providing comfortable accommodation, delightful amenities, and a warm, inviting atmosphere that will make your experience truly memorable.
Best suited to individuals who are at the beginner or intermediate level of ceramics, the courses range from one to eight weeks.
Meet your Hosts, Andy & Anya
Hi, I’m Andy, a self-taught ceramic artist with ten years of experience, and your head instructor and mentor during your time here. I love storytelling, whether through my work or while sharing moments in the studio. Anya, my creative partner, brings every experience to life—strategically coordinating operations, our online presence and your experience at Aura.
We’ve built this home with love and joy, and it’s our greatest pleasure to share it with like-minded creatives. This is more than a pottery retreat – it’s a piece of our life, designed with care and intention. Come join us and experience the art, nature, and beauty we call home.
Andy XO
What to Expect at the Pottery Retreat
1 Week Retreat
This pottery retreat will introduce you to the fundamental techniques of building in clay with the best tools a potter can have – their hands. The week is divided equally between hand-building and wheel-throwing. No prior knowledge is required and this retreat is perfect for beginners.
Techniques we will cover
- Introduction to stoneware clay, wedging, ceramic vocabulary
- Hand-building techniques – pinch, coil, and slab
- Introduction to pottery wheel- centering, coning, and pulling cylinder shapes
Cost per person
Residential Course
2 Week Retreat
This pottery retreat will cover all the basic techniques and focus on specific tips and troubleshooting tricks to improve your skills in hand building as well as on the wheel. Refine your work and continue to build upon your construction methods to form functional or sculptural ceramic shapes.
Techniques we will cover
- Everything mentioned in the 1 week retreat
- Basic surface decoration- textures, carving, colouring, and embellishments
- Hand build shapes like mugs/tumblers, handles, bowls
- Create basic wheel forms – cylinders and bowls
Cost per person
Residential Course
4 Week Retreat
The ideal program length to give yourself a good grounding in pottery is 4 weeks. Get introduced to advanced pottery techniques in both hand building and wheel throwing during this retreat. You will design your own concepts, both functional and conceptual and learn how to best execute them.
Techniques we will cover
- All techniques mentioned in the 2 weeks retreat
- Throwing consistently & altering shapes- bowls, vases, narrow/wider shapes, and plates
- Trimming on the wheel
- Making larger pots on the wheel and in hand building
- Exploring complex surface treatment
- Introduction to glazes and glaze application
Cost per person
Residential Course
6 Week Retreat
This pottery retreat offers exploration and understanding of ceramics for students to discover their own individual language in clay. Participants would be designing their ideas and building them under the guidance of our instructors.
Techniques we will cover
- All techniques mentioned in the 4 weeks pottery retreat
- Altering shapes- bottles, vases, lids/jars,
- Complex pieces using both handbuilding and wheel thrown pieces
- Loading, unloading pieces, basics to firing a gas kiln
- Learn about different glazing techniques
Cost per person
Residential Course
8 Week Retreat
The skills included in this pottery retreat cover all the fundamentals in ceramics that extend into advanced techniques such as execution of conceptual design strategies and construction with mixed approach to form complex forms (sculpture or functional).
Techniques we will cover
- All techniques mentioned in the 6 weeks pottery retreat
- Building your own designs, and sectional break down of design
- Hump throwing and sectional throwing
- Advance throwing- Lidded pots and pitchers
- Bigger handuilding projects
- Glaze making and application
Cost per person
Residential Course
Testimonials
The Studio
The studio is a roughly 1000 sq. ft. space, dedicated to the art of ceramics. The inside of the studio is segmented into throwing areas, hand-building spaces, and drying, finishing, and storage areas. It is a modern, well-equipped space with access to all necessary tools. The glazing activity is carried out in the open. All sides of the studio building open onto various courtyards that have other facilities. Find more here.
Your Stay - Comfortable and Just like Home
Aura is a private pottery farm and the accommodation is within the same premises. We have different options for stay & accommodation – the Potters Villa and the Main Private Residence. The potters villa is shared with the instructors, and other students. The Main residence is a shared space with the hosts/family of founders/owners.
Shared Room
Perfect for bringing a friend or sharing with a fellow potter, making connections and memories. All rooms are air-conditioned, cozy, and equipped with attached bathrooms and private porches.
Private Room
Ideal for those seeking a peaceful and private retreat. All rooms are air-conditioned, cozy, and equipped with attached bathrooms and private porches.
Luxury Room
A private double occupancy bedroom with two large picture windows and a beautiful pool OR garden view. Calming and nostalgic, the perfect room to relax after working in the studio. The Luxury Rooms are in the Main Residence
Nourishing Meals
We believe in the power of food to nourish both body and soul, which is why we take pride in serving simple home cooked meals made with farm grown/locally sourced produce.
Breakfast
9:30 am
Savory dishes like dalia, poha, upma, parantha, sandwiches along with scrambled eggs or boiled eggs, & toast. Jam and butter are in the fridge.
Lunch
1:30 pm
Wholesome Indian lunch e.g. rajma-rice, chana-kulcha, kadhi-rice, pav-bhaji, seasonal vegetables, roti, idli sambar with salad and pickles.
Dinner
7:30 pm
A light dinner e.g. baked vegetables, quesadilla, soup with breads, burgers, seasonal vegetable with rice and roti.
The Complete Farm Experience
Sprawled over 3 acres, Aura offers beautiful outdoor spaces for you to enjoy. Grab a book & a beverage and find yourself by our infinity pool. After a busy day in the studio, take a dip in the pool and relax. 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. You could also find a great spot for a picnic & catch some hammock time.
Interactive Sessions with the Team
Aura is run by a small happy team that is skilled at working and interacting with people from all over the globe. Anuja, the resident artist, and the studio co-ordinator are the organizers of all retreats, workshops, and classes. The team at our pottery school ensures that your time is well spent at the studio, you benefit from the activities organized, your stay is comfortable, and you enjoy healthy, organic meals that complete the experience!
Getting here
Aura Pottery is located near New Chandigarh, on the Siswan-Kurali Highway, about 19 km from Chandigarh City Center in Sector 17. Find us listed as “Aura Pottery” on Google maps.
International Travel: If you are traveling internationally, we recommend flying from your nearest International Airport to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi (DEL). You can go ahead and take another short (half-hour) flight from Delhi to Chandigarh International Airport. From the Chandigarh Airport, we will have a taxi arranged to receive you and have you reach Aura.
Distances
- From Chandigarh International Airport (IXC): 45 to 60 minutes by taxi (INR 2000)
- From the Railway Station: 45 minutes by taxi
- From the Sector 17 Bus Station: 30 minutes by taxi
Terms
- The pricing above is applicable per person
- Payments for the retreats are made in full in advance
- Bringing a friend along? Enjoy 10% off together!
- The Retreat Fee includes all meals, routine refreshments, mentorship, workshops, materials and other activities. Basically, everything – other than firing and shipping charges.
- Applicable GST: 18% (For Indian Citizens & Wire Payments in INR)
- Payment mode: Wire transfer or UPI
- At the end of the retreat, with the help of the instructor, students will identify the pieces that they would like to get fired. Firing charges are INR 100/ 100 grams. We need 3-4 weeks to fire the pieces. Once they are ready, they can be shipped to you with an additional delivery charge
- Student pieces are more susceptible to cracking during firing. The studio cannot be held responsible for any breakage that may occur.