Texture and Stillness in Clay with Ivana
Slow down and work with clay alongside master artist Ivana in a peaceful village surrounded by nature, just an hour from the Adriatic coast. Learn hand building, wheel throwing, and explore texture, guided by nearly 30 years of practice. In her studio, you learn to listen to the material, trust your intuition, and find your own way of making.
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, Coffee, & Tea
Pricing
- One Guest
- USD $1755
- Additional guest(s) (max 4)
- USD $735
Accommodation
- One Guest
- USD $415
- Additional guest(s)
- USD $90
Meet the Artist
Ivana is a Slovenian ceramic artist with over 30 years of experience, trained in social pedagogy and the philosophy of visual culture. Her practice is shaped by geomancy and guided by a “less is more” sensibility inspired by Japanese wabi sabi.
She works across functional pottery, porcelain, sculpture, and large-scale indoor and outdoor installations, moving between traditional and experimental firing methods like pit, barrel, smoke, raku, saggar, and electric kilns.
Texture is central to her work, often starting with rough surfaces and shaping them through different tools and firing methods. Inspired by things like bread or stone, she recreates their surfaces in clay, using minimal glaze. Experimentation drives her process, a constant search to bring ideas into form while staying open to what the clay allows. She believes technique matters, but imagination matters more. “You have to understand the qualities of clay and respect them for something meaningful to emerge,” she says.
Over the years, she has brought ceramics into prisons, immigrant communities, and children’s workshops, guided by a belief that clay has something to offer everyone. Each person brings something different into the studio, and that exchange is at the heart of her teaching. In her studio, surrounded by nature, you’ll find space to slow down, pay attention, and discover your own way of making.
She works across functional pottery, porcelain, sculpture, and large-scale indoor and outdoor installations, moving between traditional and experimental firing methods like pit, barrel, smoke, raku, saggar, and electric kilns.
Texture is central to her work, often starting with rough surfaces and shaping them through different tools and firing methods. Inspired by things like bread or stone, she recreates their surfaces in clay, using minimal glaze. Experimentation drives her process, a constant search to bring ideas into form while staying open to what the clay allows. She believes technique matters, but imagination matters more. “You have to understand the qualities of clay and respect them for something meaningful to emerge,” she says.
Over the years, she has brought ceramics into prisons, immigrant communities, and children’s workshops, guided by a belief that clay has something to offer everyone. Each person brings something different into the studio, and that exchange is at the heart of her teaching. In her studio, surrounded by nature, you’ll find space to slow down, pay attention, and discover your own way of making.
VAWAA Includes:
- Slow down into a quieter daily rhythm, developing your own way of working with clay.
- Find inspiration in nature, walking through the Karst landscape and observing its forms, textures, and surfaces.
- Learn wheel throwing and hand-building techniques including pinching, coil construction, and slab work.
- Work with different types of clay, experiencing how each responds to touch and form.
- Experiment with texture using tools, touch, surface treatments, and minimal glaze.
- Finish and dry your pieces; once fired, they can be shipped to your home for an additional fee.
- Spend time with other artists passing through, sharing ideas and creative energy in and out of the studio.
- Use quiet time for reflection, sketching, or reading from Ivana’s personal library.
- Visit nearby towns and places across Slovenia and into Italy for cultural context and inspiration in your free time.
Stay at Ivana's
Stay in a comfortable guest room in the same traditional stone house where Ivana lives and works, in the heart of Nova vas. The studio is on the ground floor, just steps from where you’ll be creating each day, while the guest accommodation is on the first floor. The bedroom and living space are private, with a shared bathroom and kitchen, and the room can accommodate up to two people with double beds.
The house is reached by an outdoor staircase, with additional stairs inside leading to the bedroom, so the sleeping area is not accessible for wheelchair users. However, the studio itself is on the ground floor, and wheelchair access there can be arranged.
The studio features a traditional low-fire clay floor that breathes and naturally regulates temperature, creating a uniquely comfortable space to work in, even barefoot. The house functions as an open creative community, with Ivana’s photographer housemate Bojan often around and other artists regularly visiting to work on projects, making it a naturally lively and inspiring place to stay.
The house is reached by an outdoor staircase, with additional stairs inside leading to the bedroom, so the sleeping area is not accessible for wheelchair users. However, the studio itself is on the ground floor, and wheelchair access there can be arranged.
The studio features a traditional low-fire clay floor that breathes and naturally regulates temperature, creating a uniquely comfortable space to work in, even barefoot. The house functions as an open creative community, with Ivana’s photographer housemate Bojan often around and other artists regularly visiting to work on projects, making it a naturally lively and inspiring place to stay.
Explore Nova Vas
Ivana’s studio is in Nova Vas, a small village on the Bloke Plateau in southern Slovenia, about an hour from the Adriatic coast and 1.5hr drive from Ljubljana. The plateau stretches into forests, peat bogs, ancient caves, hilltop villages, open karst fields, and Lake Bloke nearby. This is a place shaped by long winters and a culture of self-reliance, known as the cradle of Slovenian skiing. In warmer months, you can walk or cycle for miles through quiet trails; in winter, the same landscape turns into cross-country routes.
While it feels secluded, the region offers access to some of Slovenia’s most diverse landscapes, from the vineyards of Vipava Valley to the turquoise Soča River and alpine lakes like Bled and Bohinj. In under two hours, you can move from this still, expansive plateau to an entirely different terrain. It is the kind of place where time runs differently and you slow down. A chance to be more present, to notice more, and to experience yourself and the world in a different way.
While it feels secluded, the region offers access to some of Slovenia’s most diverse landscapes, from the vineyards of Vipava Valley to the turquoise Soča River and alpine lakes like Bled and Bohinj. In under two hours, you can move from this still, expansive plateau to an entirely different terrain. It is the kind of place where time runs differently and you slow down. A chance to be more present, to notice more, and to experience yourself and the world in a different way.
Additional Details
The best time to visit Nova Vas is in Autumn, Winter, and Spring, when the weather is mild and ideal for both studio work and exploring the Karst landscape. Summer can be too hot for those not accustomed to strong sun and heat. Throughout the year, guests can expect the "burja," a strong wind characteristic of the region and very much part of life here.
This VAWAA can be extended for up to 14 days. Please ask when you send your booking request.
Children above 5, when accompanied by a guardian, as well as elders and people with special needs, are welcome to participate. Wheelchair access to the studio can be arranged; however, accommodation is not accessible. It is located on the first floor of a traditional stone house, with no wheelchair access due to external stairs.
Ivana speaks Slovenian, Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, English
This VAWAA can be extended for up to 14 days. Please ask when you send your booking request.
Children above 5, when accompanied by a guardian, as well as elders and people with special needs, are welcome to participate. Wheelchair access to the studio can be arranged; however, accommodation is not accessible. It is located on the first floor of a traditional stone house, with no wheelchair access due to external stairs.
Ivana speaks Slovenian, Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, English