What is Well Traveled Wares and Why Come to Portugal for a Residency?
Well Traveled Wares is a new residency and retreat program in the Silver Coast area of Portugal, about an hour north of Lisbon. We offer workshops, classes, retreats, and self guided or custom residency experiences. Our goals for our studio is to foster connection and community in the international ceramics community. We want to provide an attainable immersive experience, where we can all teach and learn from each other.
Two things that have greatly influenced my artwork and creative style are travel (experiencing new scenery and culture) and time for reflection. Sure we have time in our home studios, but we also have the push and pull of everyday life that distracts us. When’s the last time you sat in the middle of nowhere and allowed your mind to wander (without looking at your phone)? When’s the last time you doodled, or tried something completely new with clay?
Visit us in the tiny agricultural village of Salgueiro and take a deep dive into studio time.The residency house sits over the studio, so you can have 24 hour access, whenever you’re feeling inspired. We’ve got great natural light, 5 wheels, a 60 liter kiln (firing to cone 6 currently), and access to a larger kiln a short drive away, slab roller, studio made glazes, solid work tables, all the usual tools, and plenty of space to work.
About the Residency House and Studio
The house has three bedrooms and can sleep up to four artists at a time (one shared bedroom and two singles), there’s a full kitchen, two bathrooms with showers, and laundry on site. And while our village is small and remote feeling, we have a lunch restaurant, small market and cafe a 10 minute walk from the house. By car we are 15-20 minutes from shopping, restaurants, museums, castles, a sculpture garden and more. In 30 minutes you can be at the ocean/beach, and in 30-90 minutes you can be transported to some of the hidden gems of Portugal, or into Lisbon.
Help Us Grow and We'll Help You Create an Affordable Experience
We’re just getting started but we have big plans to continue growing and adding to the experience. We want to offer community studio members an affordable opportunity to visit, create and explore with us. Residency programs and getting to them can be so expensive and we believe everyone deserves to have such an experience at least once, so we’ve partnered with your studio to create some really dreamy offers for members who want to visit in 2026. And your visit helps us continue to invest in the studio and offer new programs. And we hope you'll share your experience with your artist friends.
What can we offer?
Two Week Collab Claycation
Gather your pottery and clay pals, and come play in the studio together for two weeks. We can accommodate up to 4 friends, and because you’re occupying the whole house, we can make it super affordable. What’s included?
- Studio Access
- Firing smaller pieces- we will cover firing the 60 liter kiln twice for bisque and twice for glaze (or we can transport work to the larger kiln to fire once for each) Additional firings can be purchased.
- 2 bags of clay (10 kg each)- more available to purchase
- Studio made glazes
- Garden grown fruits and veggies (in season)
- TOTAL: 2,250€ w/ 23% tax (1,733 before VAT)
- With four people the per person cost is 562.50€
- Guests will likely want to rent a car, and we can help make transportation arrangements from the airport, or for day trip adventures.
- Make it 3 weeks for 3,000€ (750€ per person for 4 people)
Two Week Solo Clay Adventure
Come hang on your own terms, you’ll get a private room in the guest house, with access to all shared areas, and you’ll either get to mingle with other visiting artists, or you may even have the place to yourself! Also includes:
- 24 hours studio access
- 2 bags of clay (10 kg each)- more available to purchase
- Studio made glazes
- Firing smaller pieces- we will cover firing the 60 liter kiln once for bisque and once for glaze (or we can transport work to the larger kiln as needed) Additional firings can be purchased.
- Garden grown fruits and veggies (in season)
- TOTAL: 750€ w/ 23% tax (577€ before VAT)
- Guests will likely want to rent a car, and we can help make transportation arrangements from the airport, or for day trip adventures.
Take a Retreat, and Get 3 Extra Nights Stay Free
Join us for one of our summer retreats with the option to add 3 nights stay before or after the retreat (subject to availability) as part of the retreat package. Bonus nights do not include meals or transportation, but the kitchen is available for preparing your own food.
- Option to add a full week’s stay for 350€. This includes studio access and one bag of clay. Additional clay and firings can be purchased.
- Three great retreats to choose from:
- The Magic of Double Walled Pottery with Jordan Coons July 12-18
- Woven Porcelain during the Solar Eclipse with Stela Ivanova POSTPONED
- Clay Imprintology with Helen Rasehky August 30- September 4
From Portland to Portugal: the evolution of Well Traveled Wares
In late 2024, my husband Nick and I relocated to a small agricultural village in the Silver Coast area of Portugal. We found a plot of land with two houses, and a giant garage big enough to house a ceramic studio. The bigger house was transformed into a residency house for up to 4 guest artists, and in 2025 they began hosting artists for residencies and teaching classes to local artists. Thus creating a new play on "Well Traveled Wares" and expanding it to visiting and local artists, and the wares they create here and travel home with.