Ceramics Course in Estoril

Ceramics workshop in Estoril area with Maria João Teixeira de Abreu, a calm, welcoming and almost meditative creative space where you learn traditional hand-building ceramic techniques and glazing and painting methods to create your own decorative or functional pieces. Maximum six participants, all materials and kiln firing included and no prior experience needed. Choose between a year-long continuous course for long-term artistic development or a focused series of four consecutive sessions, with classes available on Tuesdays at 7pm for 2.5 hours, Thursdays at 10am for three hours or Fridays at 10am for three hours.

The four structured sessions follow the full ceramic process from start to finish. You begin by shaping raw clay using hand-building techniques, complete the first firing, then return to paint and decorate your piece before the final firing produces the finished result. The pace is deliberately unhurried, creating the kind of space where working with clay feels genuinely restorative rather than pressured, and where each session builds naturally on the previous one. Maria João adapts her guidance to every level from complete beginners through to enthusiasts, always in a group small enough that every participant receives real personal attention.

What you’ll learn

🏺 Traditional hand-building ceramic techniques for shaping clay from scratch

🏺 How to prepare and work with raw clay through the full construction process

🏺 Glazing and painting techniques for both decorative and functional pieces

🏺 How the firing process transforms your shaped and painted work into finished ceramics

🏺 The complete creative process from raw clay to final fired and glazed piece

What’s included

🎨 All clay materials, glazes and tools for every session

🎨 Kiln firing included for all pieces

🎨 Full guidance from Maria João adapted to your level throughout

🎨 A calm and welcoming studio environment with a maximum of six participants

What you leave with

A finished ceramic piece shaped, painted and fired entirely by your own hands, a set of hand-building and glazing techniques to continue developing and the particular calm that comes from working with clay in a space that was designed for exactly that.

I am Maria João Teixeira de Abreu, 59 years old, born in Luanda and living in Estoril since the age of 7. After 25 years working in business management, I now dedicate myself to this project with the hope of bringing people together, creating moments of joy and creativity and watching each person discover what they can make. The greatest pleasure is seeing skills develop. The challenge is managing an activity where efficiency is not the priority.

Choose between a year-long course or a series of four consecutive sessions. Tuesdays at 7pm, Thursdays at 10am or Fridays at 10am. Takes place in the Estoril and Cascais area. Maximum 6 participants. Subject to minimum number of participants.