From Earth to Art - Natural Clay Art Workshop September
Description
This workshop invites you to explore earth as an artistic material, using wild clays and soils that I have collected directly from the natural environment. It’s a creative and sustainable way to discover the colours, textures and possibilities already present in the ground beneath our feet.
Working in small groups, you’ll receive personalised guidance as you learn how to prepare and apply clay to create a textured art piece on a 30 × 30 cm canvas, which you’ll take home at the end of the session.
This is not a ceramics or pottery class. Instead, it’s a different approach to working with clay — one that uses natural materials and slow, hands-on techniques. These methods can be applied not only to small artworks, but also to larger surfaces, including walls. If the technique inspires you and you have a wall you’d love to bring to life, we can also chat after the workshop about the possibility of hosting a future collaborative mural workshop.
I bring these practices with me from South America, where I’ve worked for years with earth as both a building and artistic material. The use of earth for art connects to ancestral knowledge shared across cultures worldwide — from early cave paintings to Aboriginal Australian rock art. This workshop offers a space to reconnect with that timeless relationship through a contemporary, hands-on creative process.
What makes this workshop unique is that we are not working with commercial ceramic clay, but with the same earth found beneath our feet, transformed into a raw, expressive and sustainable artistic material. Guided in small groups, it’s an invitation to slow down, work with your hands, and rediscover earth as a creative and meaningful material.
FAQs
- Do I need any previous experience?
No experience is needed. This workshop is completely beginner-friendly and guided step by step. It’s designed for anyone curious about exploring earth as an artistic material, regardless of previous creative experience.
- Is this a ceramics or pottery class?
No. This is not a ceramics or pottery class. We work with raw, wild clay collected directly from the natural environment, then manually sifted and processed by hand. Nothing is industrially manufactured or commercially prepared. There is no wheel, firing or glazing involved — the focus is on exploring earth in its natural state as an artistic material.
- What will I take home?
You’ll take home your own textured clay artwork on a 30 × 30 cm canvas, along with the experience of discovering a new way of working with earth and the opportunity to connect with people who share similar interests — becoming part of a growing community brought together by creativity, nature and earth.
- What should I bring?
Everything is provided. Just bring water, sun protection and wear comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting a little dusty.
- What makes this workshop different from other art classes?
Unlike most art classes, the main material we work with comes directly from the earth. We use wild clays and naturally coloured soils, collected from the environment and processed entirely by hand rather than commercially manufactured materials. You’ll discover how different soils can become colour, texture and sculptural form — turning the ground beneath our feet into a creative medium.
- Is this workshop suitable for all ages?
The workshop is suitable for participants aged 15 and over. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian during the session.
- How long does the workshop run?
The workshop runs for approximately 4 hours, allowing enough time to explore the material, work at a relaxed pace and complete your artwork without rushing.
- Is the space accessible?
Please contact us in advance if you have any accessibility requirements, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
