A private four-day ceramic experience designed around one participant — your own pace, interests and level.
The programme combines wheel throwing, hand-building and slab rolling. The programme is suitable for complete beginners as well as experienced potters. You don’t need to arrive with a specific project in mind — we can discover what you would like to make together and adapt the four days accordingly.
Although the immersion is booked per person, you are welcome to come with a partner, friend or family member and share the experience. The programme can be adapted to two participants, even if you have different levels of pottery experience.
Our guest room has a 140 cm double bed, and we can also add an extra bed if you are travelling with a child or need separate sleeping arrangements.
The listed price is for one participant. If two people would like to take part in the ceramic immersion, the same price applies per person.
The programme below is a basic proposed structure for beginners. Because this is a private immersion, the content can be adapted considerably to your experience and interests. Experienced potters may use the same time for more advanced wheel work, porcelain, teapots, lidded vessels, more complex forms or a specific project.
We begin at 11:00 with a tour of Laima Ceramics and the surrounding farm.
You’ll get to know the studio, the people who work here and the animals who are part of everyday life — including our horses, ducks, cats and dog.
We’ll introduce you to the studio, our clays and equipment, and give you an overview of the ceramic process, from preparing clay and making forms through to glazing and firing.
After the introduction, we get straight into making.
You’ll explore hand-building techniques and create your first pieces, while getting a feel for the clay and the different possibilities of working with it.
Depending on your experience, this can range from basic construction techniques to more considered or sculptural forms.
For beginners, we begin with a one-hour wheel-throwing demonstration, covering the fundamentals of preparing clay, centring, opening, pulling and shaping.
This is followed by one hour of guided practice, giving you the chance to try the techniques yourself with individual guidance.
For more experienced potters, this time can instead be used to work directly on the techniques, forms or projects you want to develop.
We return to the wheel for another one-hour guided session, focusing on your individual progress and helping you develop greater control and precision.
After the guided session, you’ll have time to continue working independently at your own pace.
The level of work can be adapted to you — from learning the fundamentals to developing more complex forms, working with porcelain, making teapots or exploring other techniques and projects.
We continue with wheel throwing, building on the previous day's work.
Opportunity for more repetition and refinement.
In the afternoon, we move on to slab rolling in preparation for your dinnerware project.
Before making, we look at the principles behind designing functional dinnerware. We consider proportion, scale, ergonomics and how a piece actually lives in everyday use — how it feels in the hand, how it is eaten from, washed, stacked and stored.
You’ll learn how to roll and handle slabs, work with templates and think about how individual pieces can form a cohesive collection.
Rather than simply making a plate or bowl, the aim is to understand the relationship between design, function and making.
You’ll then prepare the slabs and components needed for shaping your dinnerware on Day 4.
We begin shaping your dinnerware using the slabs prepared on Day 3.
You’ll create your own plates and bowls while considering proportion, shape, function and consistency between pieces.
We look at how a small collection can feel cohesive without making every piece identical, and how the handmade quality can remain visible within a considered design.
In the afternoon, we return to the pieces thrown on Days 2 and 3.
You’ll trim and refine your wheel-thrown forms, making adjustments where needed and adding finishing details such as handles, lids or other elements.
We’ll then review the work created during the immersion and explore glaze and surface options, considering how different finishes will interact with the forms you have made.
Although the four-day programme has a suggested structure, this is a private experience and can be adapted to you.
If there is something specific you would particularly like to learn or make, we can build the programme around it.
If you would like the experience to extend beyond ceramics, part of the programme can be adapted to include an introduction to our approach to horses and inter-species communication at Laimes Zirgi.
This may include observing the herd, learning to read horse body language, basic ground communication and simply spending time with the horses.
4 days / 3 nights
The guided studio day generally runs from 10:00–16:00, with a lunch break in between.
There is also plenty of opportunity to continue working independently outside the guided sessions.
Arrival is at 11:00 on the day of the course.
Departure is after 16:00 after the final studio session on Day 4.
4 days of private ceramic instruction
Clay and basic studio materials
Firing of your work
Glazing in one glaze colour for up to 20 finished pieces/5kg
Accommodation at our family home
Use of the studio during your stay
Shuttle service to/from Bauska if needed
Materials allowance: up to 10 kg of stoneware clay.
Finished pieces are fired after the course and shipped to you once completed. Shipping costs are additional.
The immersion takes place in my light-filled ceramic studio in rural Zemgale, Latvia, surrounded by fields, an apple orchard and our horse sanctuary, Laimes Zirgi.
25 km from Bauska
70 km from Riga
Approximately 1.1 hours from Riga International Airport
5 minutes from the magnificent Rundāle Palace
The studio, horses and accommodation are all part of the same small rural setting.
You’ll stay at our family home, a historic brick house originally built in 1878 and carefully renovated in 2021.
The house is shared with our family, including our five cats and one dog. The horses' paddock and stable are between the house and studio, just a short walk away.
Your accommodation includes:
Private guest room with a 140 cm double bed and kitchenette
Shared bathroom with shower and washing machine
Bed linen and towels
Wi-Fi
The studio is a two-minute walk from the house.
Meals are self-catered.
The accommodation has a kitchenette where you can prepare your own breakfast, lunch and dinner.
If you have rented a car, you can also use the evenings to explore the surrounding area and visit local restaurants. Q&A — local restaurants
We are approximately 20 minutes by car from Bauska Bus Station and around 1 hour 10 minutes by car from Riga International Airport.
If arriving by public transport, we recommend travelling to Bauska Bus Station. We can provide a shuttle to and from Bauska when needed.
If you are arriving by Bolt taxi from Riga Airport, you can come directly to the studio.
A rental car gives you more freedom to explore the surrounding area, visit Rundāle Palace and go out for dinner.
Q&A — travel tips, arrival information and practical considerations
Write to us at laimaceramics@gmail.com and tell us:
Your previous pottery experience, if any
What you would particularly like to learn or make
Whether you will be travelling with a companion
A private four-day ceramic experience designed around one participant — your own pace, interests and level.
The programme combines wheel throwing, hand-building and slab rolling. The programme is suitable for complete beginners as well as experienced potters. You don’t need to arrive with a specific project in mind — we can discover what you would like to make together and adapt the four days accordingly.
Although the immersion is booked per person, you are welcome to come with a partner, friend or family member and share the experience. The programme can be adapted to two participants, even if you have different levels of pottery experience.
Our guest room has a 140 cm double bed, and we can also add an extra bed if you are travelling with a child or need separate sleeping arrangements.
The listed price is for one participant. If two people would like to take part in the ceramic immersion, the same price applies per person.
The programme below is a basic proposed structure for beginners. Because this is a private immersion, the content can be adapted considerably to your experience and interests. Experienced potters may use the same time for more advanced wheel work, porcelain, teapots, lidded vessels, more complex forms or a specific project.
We begin at 11:00 with a tour of Laima Ceramics and the surrounding farm.
You’ll get to know the studio, the people who work here and the animals who are part of everyday life — including our horses, ducks, cats and dog.
We’ll introduce you to the studio, our clays and equipment, and give you an overview of the ceramic process, from preparing clay and making forms through to glazing and firing.
After the introduction, we get straight into making.
You’ll explore hand-building techniques and create your first pieces, while getting a feel for the clay and the different possibilities of working with it.
Depending on your experience, this can range from basic construction techniques to more considered or sculptural forms.
For beginners, we begin with a one-hour wheel-throwing demonstration, covering the fundamentals of preparing clay, centring, opening, pulling and shaping.
This is followed by one hour of guided practice, giving you the chance to try the techniques yourself with individual guidance.
For more experienced potters, this time can instead be used to work directly on the techniques, forms or projects you want to develop.
We return to the wheel for another one-hour guided session, focusing on your individual progress and helping you develop greater control and precision.
After the guided session, you’ll have time to continue working independently at your own pace.
The level of work can be adapted to you — from learning the fundamentals to developing more complex forms, working with porcelain, making teapots or exploring other techniques and projects.
We continue with wheel throwing, building on the previous day's work.
Opportunity for more repetition and refinement.
In the afternoon, we move on to slab rolling in preparation for your dinnerware project.
Before making, we look at the principles behind designing functional dinnerware. We consider proportion, scale, ergonomics and how a piece actually lives in everyday use — how it feels in the hand, how it is eaten from, washed, stacked and stored.
You’ll learn how to roll and handle slabs, work with templates and think about how individual pieces can form a cohesive collection.
Rather than simply making a plate or bowl, the aim is to understand the relationship between design, function and making.
You’ll then prepare the slabs and components needed for shaping your dinnerware on Day 4.
We begin shaping your dinnerware using the slabs prepared on Day 3.
You’ll create your own plates and bowls while considering proportion, shape, function and consistency between pieces.
We look at how a small collection can feel cohesive without making every piece identical, and how the handmade quality can remain visible within a considered design.
In the afternoon, we return to the pieces thrown on Days 2 and 3.
You’ll trim and refine your wheel-thrown forms, making adjustments where needed and adding finishing details such as handles, lids or other elements.
We’ll then review the work created during the immersion and explore glaze and surface options, considering how different finishes will interact with the forms you have made.
Although the four-day programme has a suggested structure, this is a private experience and can be adapted to you.
If there is something specific you would particularly like to learn or make, we can build the programme around it.
If you would like the experience to extend beyond ceramics, part of the programme can be adapted to include an introduction to our approach to horses and inter-species communication at Laimes Zirgi.
This may include observing the herd, learning to read horse body language, basic ground communication and simply spending time with the horses.
4 days / 3 nights
The guided studio day generally runs from 10:00–16:00, with a lunch break in between.
There is also plenty of opportunity to continue working independently outside the guided sessions.
Arrival is at 11:00 on the day of the course.
Departure is after 16:00 after the final studio session on Day 4.
4 days of private ceramic instruction
Clay and basic studio materials
Firing of your work
Glazing in one glaze colour for up to 20 finished pieces/5kg
Accommodation at our family home
Use of the studio during your stay
Shuttle service to/from Bauska if needed
Materials allowance: up to 10 kg of stoneware clay.
Finished pieces are fired after the course and shipped to you once completed. Shipping costs are additional.
The immersion takes place in my light-filled ceramic studio in rural Zemgale, Latvia, surrounded by fields, an apple orchard and our horse sanctuary, Laimes Zirgi.
25 km from Bauska
70 km from Riga
Approximately 1.1 hours from Riga International Airport
5 minutes from the magnificent Rundāle Palace
The studio, horses and accommodation are all part of the same small rural setting.
You’ll stay at our family home, a historic brick house originally built in 1878 and carefully renovated in 2021.
The house is shared with our family, including our five cats and one dog. The horses' paddock and stable are between the house and studio, just a short walk away.
Your accommodation includes:
Private guest room with a 140 cm double bed and kitchenette
Shared bathroom with shower and washing machine
Bed linen and towels
Wi-Fi
The studio is a two-minute walk from the house.
Meals are self-catered.
The accommodation has a kitchenette where you can prepare your own breakfast, lunch and dinner.
If you have rented a car, you can also use the evenings to explore the surrounding area and visit local restaurants. Q&A — local restaurants
We are approximately 20 minutes by car from Bauska Bus Station and around 1 hour 10 minutes by car from Riga International Airport.
If arriving by public transport, we recommend travelling to Bauska Bus Station. We can provide a shuttle to and from Bauska when needed.
If you are arriving by Bolt taxi from Riga Airport, you can come directly to the studio.
A rental car gives you more freedom to explore the surrounding area, visit Rundāle Palace and go out for dinner.
Q&A — travel tips, arrival information and practical considerations
Write to us at laimaceramics@gmail.com and tell us:
Your previous pottery experience, if any
What you would particularly like to learn or make
Whether you will be travelling with a companion
