POTTERY COURSES
Q&A
HOW DO I ARRIVE AT YOUR PLACE FROM THE AIRPORT?
Fly into our only airport RIX in RIGA, 70km from the studio.
The BEST way to get to us from airpot is by booking BOLT taxi ride. Make sure not to take any random taxi, install the app BOLT and book the ride. It should cost you around 50-60eur for the 1hour ride (it’s about 70km).
Arrival with car
If you would like to be independent- rental car is ideal as we are 7km from nearest shop, but if you are on a budget or don't have drivers licence- you can get by with public transport, get the occasional taxi ride or hitch a ride with us to the closest town for groceries.
Car rental is around 500eur/month and it is best to rent the car from RIGA AIRPORT. You will not find rental cars in the small towns such as BAUSKA.
By car: please simply enter LAIMA CERAMICS in google and follow through with your navigation app (Waze or google maps).
Food / catering info
Is there meals/food provided?
No, sadly we don't yet have a cook on site to provide full service, there is a shared kitchen though to make your own meals, and the schedule allows plenty time to prepare your meals too.
There is kitchen on site too make meals in.
Kitchen features electric hobs, kettle, hand blender, fridge, and of course pots and pans and handmade tableware.
It is a basic setup, there are some spices, salt, oil.
Where I can do food shopping ?
We recommend the farmers market in Bauska for local seasonal vegetables, meat and fish. And Rimi shopping mall has everything else. There is also a small seasoning shop in Bauska.
The nearest shop next to Bauska Bus Station is the mini Rimi. If you arrive with a car, it will be more convenient for you to shop at hypermarket Rimi. Rimi has the widest selection (also vegan and gluten-free stand) as well as “ready made” meals.
There are amazing restaurants and cafes in 5-20min driving distance.
Aveņi (in Bauska)
Tornis (in Bauska)
Rezidence (near Rundale palace)
Baltā Māja (near Rundale palace)
What to bring along?
There is bedding and basic kitchen equipment provided as well as basic selection of ceramic tools.
Bring your:
Slippers for the bedroom
slip-in shoes (like crocs or sandals) for the studio
2 sets of aprons (we don't allow working in dirty apron due to health and safety)
WHAT WOULD A REGULAR DAY LOOK LIKE FOR ME?
The artist residency is fully self-directed so you decide how to organise your time here. Studio is available 24/7 so feel free to work as much or as little as you like there.
HOW MUCH GUIDANCE/CONTACT TIME DO I GET?
We include welcome tour and basic intro to materials/equipment at the start of your residency to introduce you to the equipment and guided tour around the premises.
The rest of your stay here is fully self-directed. You may book individual lessons during your stay, but if you feel you will need more guidance please reach out beforehand so a comprehensive course structure may be devised for you individually.
We also have a fantastic guest lecturer Laura, who teaches traditional pinch pot coil-building skills and reduction wood firing.
How do you manage reclaim?
There are shared buckets for white/grey stoneware and 2 plaster bats for drying the reclaim. If you don't want/know how to process reclaim, then we do it for you, but that means you don't get to re-use your leftovers.
Are there throwing bats for wheel?
No we don’t have/ don’t use a bat system for throwing. Throwing is directly on the wheel head. If you have/need bat system you might want to consider bringing them along. Wheel size is 30cm and 35cm.
How much cleaning will I do?
During your personal practice: You are always required to clean up your working area after use. There is hoover and mop to minimize dust and health hazards ceramic dust poses.
What kind of firings do you have?
There are two electric kilns in the studio space so whenever it is full it gets fired up, generally we fire at least twice per week ( 1 bisque to 980 C, 1 glaze fire 1260 C)- each firing takes 2.5 days to heat and cool down.
The wood, raku and reduction gas firings at Laima Ceramics studio are on an irregular basis and dependent on the type of commissions we get. We can discuss before or during your stay to see if you would like to join any of the speciality firings and if it is possible in the timeframe.
How about glazing? Will I get pre-mixed glazes?
There is a selection of several containers with our pre-mixed MAIN STUDIO GLAZES (transparent, white, beige, black and a few more) that is most reliable and kept in larger quantities where you can dip/submerse small-medium sized work.
We generally fire to 1250 C in oxidised atmosphere in electrical top-loader rhode kiln so most of our glazes are suitable for this range.
There are recipe EBOOKS available via my website with many of my favorite recipes for sale. Have a look at our gorgeous studio glazes for sale here!
Can you help with taking photos/ video of my work?
Yes, Krišjānis is a photographer so he can do both a lesson for you or a photoshoot for yourself and/or your pottery. The photoshoot costs are starting from 80eur/hour.
How many people work for the studio?
There are 4 people at the core of this company
Laima - the potter, doing all the design, wheel-throwing, most glazing and firing, part of marketing (IG) and photography
Oksana - an assistant, customer service, packaging
Vēsma -Laima’s mother, doing all the book-keeping and finances
Krišjānis - doing photography, graphic design
How will I transport my pieces home?
Most people take an extra baggage allowance for their return trip or can be delivered to your address with EMS or DPD courier.
After your residency, all pieces can be packed and shipped to your address.
We can arrange to fire and glaze your work after your departure too, and you can also take bisque-fired (980 C) pieces with you if you prefer that.
To plan your time consider this making cycle :
1day throwing+1day trimming+3days drying+2days biscuit +1day glazing+3days glaze fire= 11days .
11 days is how long it takes to get a piece from start to finish.
EXTRA EXPENSES
Most of our courses include material and firing package. If you plan to make more work we have these materials available:
Porcelain Audrey Blackman 12,5kg - 40eur
stoneware (white/speckled/grey/black) (sibelco/witgert) 10kg - 15eur
firing 200-litre kiln up to 1280° C (2336 F) 90€ (+50eur per kiln load for pre-mixed glaze)
firing 200-litre kiln up to 980° C 80€
WHAT ARE THE TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES?
The studio is located 20km from the town of Bauska and only 70km from the capital Riga. There is convenient and cheap public transport everywhere. The studio is located “middle of nowhere” so there is a sort of bubble feeling here where you need to make a certain effort to get out of the farm and start exploring the surroundings.
We do recommend to reserve some time to explore this beautiful, natural country.
Our top 3 favourites:
Kolka- where the open Baltic sea meets the bay
Kuldīga- the most beautiful, charming old town
Gauja National Park
Have a look here for more details.
Are there any dangerous animals in Latvia?
There are ticks (that carry encephalitis and lyme disease). Please always check your body (March-October) after coming in from the garden to notice any ticks while they are still crawling.
If lucky you may see some deer, fox, badger, moose, mice and lots of birds in the countryside.
What kind of electricity plug there is in Latvia?
Latvia is a standard European plug.
When purchasing this course via the website, you will be asked to agree on our Terms and Conditions. Please get acquainted with them here:
Terms & ConditionS
Congratulations for making until the end to this extensive page.
If you have more questions please reach out to us via email. We hope to meet you here in Latvia!
Warmest wishes,
Laima & co