Traditional Portuguese Tile Painting
Portugal has an enormous wealth in the diversity of ceramic painting styles and techniques. From pieces made on the potter's wheel, hand-painted with large-scale designs, to tiles of Arab origin filled with colourful geometric patterns, and majolica-painted tiles featuring the cobalt blue so typical of Portugal.
From north to south, these teachings have been passed down from generation to generation, century after century, reaching the present day with the exact same processes and traditions. This residency is an invitation to get to know a country's culture through its ceramics, its people, its techniques, and its colours.
Dates 3rd February - 14th February 2027 (Check in 3rd Feb, Check out 14th Feb)
Slow Pottery Studio Location Velanga Orchard, Andhra Pradesh, India
Here's a guide to staying at our farm.
Accommodation & Studio Details below
Ceramic Artist /Facilitators Mariana Sampaio
Level Anyone can join in. Open to all. Non potters or non artists can join too
Duration 10 days
To Book an Intensive
Please email me at hello@slowpottery.com with your name, intensive you'd like to book, accommodation preference and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.
For payment, you can either pay the full amount, or If you'd like to pay in two instalments, we take 50% to book your slot and 50% to be paid two months before the course starts.
Cancellation Policy is mentioned below.
Note - If you'd like to sign up for two or three consecutive intensives you can stay with us at no extra cost during the break of three days. The Studio will be closed in preparations for the next intensive.
The Intensive
Portugal has an enormous wealth in the diversity of ceramic painting styles and techniques. From pieces made on the potter's wheel, hand-painted with large-scale designs, to tiles of Arab origin filled with colourful geometric patterns, and majolica-painted tiles featuring the cobalt blue so typical of Portugal.
From north to south, these teachings have been passed down from generation to generation, century after century, reaching the present day with the exact same processes and traditions. This residency is an invitation to get to know a country's culture through its ceramics, its people, its techniques, and its colours.
In this workshop, you will learn two techniques for creating traditional blue and white tiles influenced by Dutch pottery. These techniques will allow you to create single-figure tiles (figura avulsa), patterns, ornaments, lettering, and freehand landscape paintings with typical Portuguese tile borders, inspired by traditional Portuguese tile panels from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
The Tile Painting Techniques
16th-Century Single-Figure Painting
Discover the origins of traditional Portuguese tiles using Cobalt Blue.
Objectives:
Learn how to glaze tiles by dipping;
Discover the method for transferring a design onto the tile;
Paint unique figures freehand using paint directly from the palette.
16th-Century Pattern Tile
Learn how to paint a pattern that rotates and repeats across a panel of four tiles, creating a new and larger design through the connection of all four pieces.
Objectives:
Learn how to make and use a charcoal pounce bag (boneca de carvão);
Prepare your own paints;
Discover how to paint using more than one color and achieve various shades from the same color.
17th-Century Street Sign / Nameplate
This workshop will teach you how to paint a four-tile panel featuring your family name, house number, or favorite quote.
Objectives:
Create your own stencil (estresido) to transfer onto the tiles;
Personalize your panel with your own text;
Discover how to paint symmetrical borders inspired by antique Portuguese tiles.
18th-Century Ornamental Panel
Discover how the great master painters of the 18th century used to paint.
Objectives:
Combining freehand painting with natural and floral elements;
Learn how to prepare the back of the tile;
Understand the different tones of color and light.
Traditional Tile Panel
Combine the two main painting techniques featuring figurative painting and a typical tile border.
Objectives:
Learn paint-mixing techniques to combine freehand painting with pre-measured colors;
Learn specific brushstrokes to create a traditional Portuguese tile border;
Understand light sources and how they affect shadows and highlights;
Combine more than one color on the same panel.
About The Ceramic Artist
Mariana Sampaio was born in 1991, in Portugal. She lives in Caldas da Rainha—located one hour north of Lisbon—a city with a rich cultural heritage in ceramics.
She holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from ESAD-CR, and is a Creative Ceramics Technician certified by CENCAL in Caldas da Rainha, where she currently teaches. She has been showcasing her work in national and international exhibitions since 2013 and has won several Portuguese and international awards in the fields of ceramics and fine arts.
In 2017, she opened her own ceramics and fine arts studio, the Mariana Sampaio Studio—a creative space focused on student training and the proliferation of traditional Portuguese ceramic techniques. Since 2020, she has been teaching these techniques internationally, having visited countries such as the United States of America, Italy, China, among others. Her artistic work combines contemporary ideas with traditional Portuguese techniques, thereby ensuring the future of typical Portuguese ceramics.
Studio Facilities & Environment
The Slow Pottery studio is situated in Velanga Orchard, surrounded by mango trees. Our focus on natural light and airflow creates a minimal, inspiring space for our students. The local Kerala tile roof and glass tiles provide shade and brightness, even in the hottest months.
Maximum number of students per batch 9
Studio Hours & Materials
All days 10:30am to 5:00pm (workshop time)
Additional studio access from 5:00pm to 8pm
All materials will be provided
Studio facilities
We have an electric wheel for each student, one electric kiln, a small kitchenette with unlimited freshly ground coffee, plenty wedging tables to spread wide with projects along with a restful chai spot to catch a break during long work hours. Ample shelves, stoneware clay, all materials required for each intensive is a given.
Hoping the studio fosters inspiring intensives and nurtures a space where creativity, ideas, and positive energy flourish.
Farm Stay & Accommodation - Velanga Orchard
Velanga Orchard is located in Andhra Pradesh in a village known as Jambuneradipalli, a mango orchard, 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.
Here's a guide to staying at our farm.
The Stay
- We have individual cottages for single occupancy, a shared accommodation for double occupancy.
- The cottages are built 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.
Single Occupancy Private Cottage
Living space: Single bed with a side table, a study table and chair, Storage space for your belongings, with some décor elements.
Kitchenette: Kettle, hot plate, basic utensils, mini fridge, a clay water dispenser, basic cutlery.
Private bath & small patio
No air conditioners
Our common space for students has a laundry room for DIY Laundry, a dining where all meals including evening snacks will be provided, all day coffee & tea stations, a hang out space, library/study.
*The design of furniture varies in all cottages.
Double Occupancy Shared Cottage
Living space: Two Single beds with a side table, a study table and chair, two storage space for your belongings, with some décor elements.
Kitchenette: Kettle, hot plate, basic utensils, mini fridge, a clay water dispenser, basic cutlery.
Attached bath & small patio for two.
No air conditioners
Our common space for students has a laundry room for DIY Laundry, a dining where all meals including evening snacks will be provided, all day coffee & tea stations, a hang out space, library/study.
Here's a guide to staying at our farm.
Fees
Inclusive of the course, firings, materials & tools, studio time, valuable time with guest teacher, stay, wholesome home cooked meals and snacks, farm activities, tax for the entire duration of the course.
Double Occupancy Shared Cottage - Rs.1,31,500/-
Single Occupancy Private Cottage - Rs.1,42,000/-
To Book an Intensive
Please email me at hello@slowpottery.com with your name, intensive you'd like to book, accommodation preference and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.
For payment, you can either pay the full amount, or If you'd like to pay in two instalments, we take 50% to book your slot and 50% to be paid two months before the course starts.
Cancellation Policy is mentioned below.
Note - If you'd like to sign up for two or three consecutive intensives you can stay with us at no extra cost during the break of three days. The Studio will be closed in preparations for the next intensive.
Once the payment is made, we will get back to you with a welcome mail. If you'd like to chat about the course, the stay, travel, schedule a call or more, please write to us at hello@slowpottery.com and I'll personally get back to you within one working day.
Cancellation Policy
- If you cancel before and on the 3rd December 2026, we will provide you with a 100% refund.
- If you cancel between the 3rd to 15th December 2026, we deduct 50% of the total fees as cancellation fees and refund you the remaining paid amount.
- Post 15th December 2026, we will not be providing any refund or rescheduling.
- In case of International payment refunds, the customer bears the transfer fee. It will get automatically deducted by the payment gateway.
- In case of medical emergency informed at-least a week in advance, we can consider rescheduling the course (upon providing proof) Refund is not possible. Less than a week, we will not be able to help you.
- Due to any reason, you have to leave during the course, we won't be able to give you a refund or reschedule.
- We follow this policy without any exceptions.
- We take three to four weeks to process the refund.
Hope to see you soon!