Back In May 2024, we were at Olympia West for Ceramic Art London, where we had an amazing time. A new venue and a long time since we had exhibited at CAL, so it was great to be there and see an audience with a more cosmopolitain, international flavour as well as a great selection of international makers too.
Two of the visitors Roop met introduced themselves as being from a ceramic school in Spain and after a short discussion, would we be interested in coming to the school to teach a workshop at some point later in the year.
A few weeks later the Carolina and Dolors got back in touch and after some Instagram DM’s and Zoom calls we arranged to come out in August and teach a week long decorating and making workshop.
The school, “Escola de Ceramica de la Bisbal”, was set up in 1972 by Dolors Ros Y Frigola. Situated just outside the pottery town of La Bisbal D’Emporda about forty minutes east of Girona in North East Spain, the school has taught a wide range of students for over 50 years training generations of potters for the local industry and also aspiring potters from across Spain and Europe.
We arrived in Barcelona on the Sunday night and were in the studio on monday morning at 8am to prepare for the students at nine. A little nervous and also a bit tired we launched into a day of making aquaintances with our students and the school and also the materials we would be using; local clay and slips, a yellow ochre sandy clay mined within sight of the workshop. Carolina, Brazilian and speaking at least 4 languages was our translator, as our Spanish is patchy and it was the same for the English of some of the students. Lots of gesticulation and a Spanish/English pottery dictionary soon emerged. After a while we realised that everyone who couldn’t speak Spanish or English could speak French, including us, which helped a lot.
It was hot….35 degrees on average and so we were delighted on many fronts to have an air conditioned studio. Partly for us and partly for the tiles which would have dried way too quickly in the heat otherwise. None the less we managed to make and decorate and fire not only a tile panel but also a handbuilt piece as well – all in 6 days. It must be a record!!!
Many thanks to Carolina for all her amazing assistance and guidance throughout the week. To Dolors for her amazing school and her incredible expertise, Patricia for her amazing organisation, Luis the cook for the wonderful food and Luis the kiln technician for all his hard work firing everything overnight on Friday/Saturday in the electric and gas kiln. Josep and the other teachers for their friendly welcome and expertise.
Thank you also too to all the students who took the course with us. Everyone was amazing and we have very fond memories of our week at the school. We hope to be back soon.
Soon we hope to write more about what we saw there, including the Museum of Terracotta in La Bisbal D’Emporda and the town itself….so many similarities in the slipware made there and in North Devon.