Hello!
Welcome to Slow Pottery Intensives, a seasonal series of workshops conducted by potters and ceramic artists from around the world at our Slow Pottery Studio, nestled within Velanga Orchard, a mango farm in Andhra Pradesh, India.
We have compiled some of the commonly asked questions to help you book your slot easily.
I am a complete beginner. Can I come for the intensives?
These intensives are created for potters who know how to make pots on the wheel or through handbuilding. It is not for absolute beginners with no knowledge of clay. If you'd like to join in our absolute beginner course, we have a few slots left in this year's monthly courses - October Batch.
I've done a few classes of pottery. Am I eligible?
Yes, absolutely :) Finishing any basic level course at any pottery studio qualifies you for the intensives.
Take a look at the level requirement of the intensives. The ones which say 'All levels welcome' are good for beginners and advanced students. If you can make a pot all by yourself, without any help, can manage the drying process of a small batch, trim, finish, you are eligible for these intensives. Most of these intensives don't require you to have any firing knowledge.
I'm an intermediate advanced potter. Do you think these intensives will benefit me?
Yes, advanced potters will definitely benefit from the wealth of knowledge each artist brings. I've been practising pottery since a decade and I'll too be joining all the intensives with you. So I definitely think it will bring a lot of value to experienced potters.
How do I know which Intensive is right for me?
A detailed blog post coming very soon on this.
What will be the studio hours? Will I get enough practice hours?
Classes start everyday at 10:30am.
Lunchtime is 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Continue class till 5:00pm
Additional studio time access for self practice 5pm to 8pm.
Teaching hours may vary with every intensive.
Do I have to bring anything with? What about materials, firings?
Everything will be provided to you including aprons.
All we request is for you to bring separate studio footwear which you wear only in the studio to help keep it clean.
How do we travel to the farm?
Velanga Orchard is located in Andhra Pradesh in a village known as Jambuneradipalli.
Our location is available on google maps as ‘Velanga Orchard’. You can follow the directions given there.
Distance from Bangalore Airport - 164km
Distance from Tirupati Airport - 105km
Distance from Chennai Airport- 163km
Tirupati Airport is the closest, though we recommend taking a flight from Bangalore Airport or Chennai Airport as very few flights go to and from Tirupati and are normally expensive. Check all options before booking.
We recommend reaching Bangalore airport for more comfort and to have the option of carpooling with other students in your batch.
Buses and Cabs
When you reach Tirupati/ Bangalore/ Chennai, you can take a cab or bus from the city to our farm. There are plenty of buses and cabs available. Local buses, Volvos, Uber, Ola, airport taxis, Gozo cabs are just a few of the common options.
Taking a bus from Bengaluru city
Fresh Bus - An electric bus service from Bangalore to Tirupati. You can go to their website from the nearest bus stop in Bangalore.
If you don’t have a preference of the pickup point, we recommend Boarding Point - K.R.Puram. The bus stop on google maps is ‘Ganesha Temple, KSRTC Pick up point, K.R.Puram’
Enter drop point as Chittoor Bypass and ask the conductor to drop you off at ‘Nandi Food Plaza’ from where our farm is about half an hour away by auto.
We will book an auto/tuk tuk for you (The auto person is reliable and safe) which we can coordinate on WhatsApp. Do inform us beforehand if you’re coming by bus
Important Note - Do not reach before 11am or after 9pm. Plan your travel accordingly. In case of emergency, we will make an exception.
Could you tell me more about the farm stay, what can we expect from the accommodation?
Velanga Orchard, a mango orchard in Andhra Pradesh, India, skirting a reserve forest at the foot of a hill with a couple of lakes nearby. Surrounded by shrub forests endowed with over a 100 species of birds and animals.
We have built the cottages using vernacular design, local material and vintage aesthetics. The space is surrounded by neem, coconut, teak trees, under the canopies of mango trees, with the hill at the back and lush green all around.
We are offering individual cottages for single occupancy, a shared accommodation for double occupancy.
You will be provided with a kitchenette which has a kettle, tea pan, induction plate, coffee, tea bags, a small fridge.
There is no Air Conditioning in any room.
Please note we are a farm. Insects, centipedes, lizards, frogs, reptiles are a part of our environment. We do our best in keeping them away from our living spaces but do not harm them or chemically kill them.
If you come to our farm, please understand that they will be a part of our environment and we can't remove them.
Here's a comprehensive guide to stay at our farm.
What will be the food like? I have allergies, will you be able to help out?
The cuisine we cook here is south and north Indian food. Simple, wholesome, nourishing Indian food - vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes.
Every meal will have chapattis, rice, lentils/legumes, vegetables, salad, yogurt, pickles and papads.
If you have any allergies, the common ones being - lactose and gluten intolerance, we can help you with it. Plant based milk can be stocked, rice will be served in every meal as a gluten substitute.
Fruits, seeds, nuts, coffee, tea is available at all times. Besides this, if you need anything specific, you can carry it along. If your allergy is not very common, just let us know during registration and most of them can be managed.
Please do read the guide to stay at our farm.
How about Cleaning & Laundry services?
Your rooms will be cleaned everyday by our staff.
We have a DIY Laundry room and drying rack. Feel free to use it at your own convenience between 10am to 7pm any day.
You will be provided with extra bed linen in case you need an extra set.
Please do read the guide to stay at our farm.
How do I book my slot?
You can pay through our website link here.
If you'd like to pay in two instalments, 50% to book now and 50% to be paid two months before the course starts, please email me at hello@slowpottery.com and pay via a manual bank transfer/UPI/ International bank transfer or use Wise (non Indian International Payments)
Once you make the payment, I'll send you the invoice & receipt.
How can I contact you to ask more questions?
Please email me your questions on hello@slowpottery.com and I'll get back to you within 24 -48 hours or 1-2 working days. If you'd like to schedule a call, mention your contact number and we can coordinate a time that works for both of us and chat further.