September 7 – 13 2025
Techniques for tableware
Hand building. For all
Handbuilt Tableware: A broad introduction to handbuilding, focusing on tableware pieces – plates, bowls, mugs and platters. Students will first learn the basics of working with clay, and then designing tableware and choosing the most appropriate approach and techniques of making for their specific designs.
For their tableware, students will learn the three main handbuilding techniques: pinching, coiling and slabwork, starting with the basics and then advancing to variations as they choose. We will look at additions that can be made to basic forms, both in a functional and decorative sense, and discuss the options and associated decisions. With ths in mind, students will then progress to designing and making a 5-piece set, choosing techniques and planning the shapes and sizes of each piece, studying how they interact and considering additions to enhance function and aesthetics.
Lisa will demonstrate each technique, often encouraging students to work alongside her as she does so, to grasp the physical specifics of making. Once the basics are understood, students will make their own pieces using each technique, with Lisa offering support and advice throughout.
Lisa’s teaching process is collaborative and non-prescriptive. Students will be encouraged to take creative, independent approaches to design and making, with aesthetics and function considered in whatever balance they choose. Weird, wild, wonky, heavily decorative and novelty-shaped pieces are just as welcome as sleek, simple or traditional shapes. There are infinite possibilities and plenty of time to explore them!
On every classday, a delicious meal will be served. At booking, you may select your preferred room type, choosing between standard lodging, single room and/or upgraded accommodation. Please note that depending on the availability, certain types at times may not be offered.
Students will arrive on Sunday 7th September and leave on Saturday 13th September 2025. Our last kiln opening will be on Saturday morning, so please plan your travel so as not to leave La Meridiana before 9.30 am.
Lisa Ommanney is an Oxford based ceramic artist making functional and sculptural hand built pieces, with a focus on tableware. She studied Fine Art at London Guildhall University. In 2015, Lisa won the Jameson Works Bursary, and in the years since she has shown work in galleries including Thrown Contemporary, Lacey Contemporary and Kobi & Teal.
Lisa works with Michelin-starred restaurants across the globe including Hide (London), Mirazur (France), Cycle (Tokyo), and Moss (Iceland). Her tableware has been included in multiple cookbooks and magazines. Chefs who have featured her work include Yotam Ottolenghi, Jamie Oliver, Meera Sodha, Anna Jones, Tom Kerridge, Mauro Colagreco and Ollie Dabbous. www.lisaommanney.com
| Artist | Lisa Ommanney |
|---|---|
| Length of course | 5 working days in the studio |
| Technique | Handbuilding |
| Level | For all levels |
| Workshop fee (without lodging) | € 1700 |
| Deposit for booking | € 500 |
The costs listed include both: the workshop fee and the lodging.
Standard accommodation in shared double room, at 15 minutes walking distance from La Meridiana – Final course cost: Euro 1920
Standard accommodation in single room, at 15 minutes walking distance from La Meridiana – Final course cost: Euro 2100
Course without lodging Euro 1700
Please note that rooms may have shared bathrooms with a maximum of 3 people per bathroom.
The workshop fee includes the following:
Tuition of 6 – 8 hours per day;
Studio open 11 hours per day;
All materials and firings;
Freshly prepared three course lunch with wine on all working days;
Welcome breakfast, Welcome and Final dinner;
Coffee break in the mornings and in the evenings.
A deposit is required at registration. After submitting the registration form, you may proceed with the payment on-line. If you choose to pay by bank transfer, the registration will be confirmed once the deposit has been accredited in our banking account. The balance must be paid at the beginning of the course.
Cancellations
You may withdraw within 14 days of registration without incurring in any penalties and will have the deposit fully refunded. No refund of deposits past 14 days of registration, pursuant to articles 53 and following of the Italian consumer legislation, in accordance with the EU consumer protection legislation. In the event of disputes, the competent court is Florence. If the workshop cannot be hold because of an insufficient number of students, the deposit will be fully reimbursed.
Force Majeure
Students must know that cancellations may occur due to events beyond our control (e.g. pandemic, civil disorder, medical or family issues of the instructor). In such case, La Meridiana reserves the right to offer a voucher for a different workshop of your choice. The voucher is valid for two years. The deposit will be transferred to the workshop of choice.
Lisa Ommanney’s overarching aesthetic is informed by the relationship between the human and natural worlds, and specifically the parallels between their visual languages – pattern and repetition, growth and decay – these form the spectrum within which she works: rustic and organic forms, earthy tones, soulful objects that resonate with a sense of the human.
She has a strong interest in ancient and prehistoric ceramics from across the globe. Much of her work is built with rough, groggy clays, and she leaves traces of the making process on each piece. Alongside her preference for the rustic and the natural, she also enjoys precision work, designs that require a level of rigour, pushing the limits of handbuilding techniques.
