Kosiv Painted Ceramics Masterclass, Kosiv

Painting in the Kosiv style

Yellow deer, green birds, riders and flowers on a warm white background — Kosiv painted ceramics are recognisable at a glance. The Kosiv tourist information centre (the Kosiv.life project) offers a Kosiv ceramics masterclass in the studio of a local craftsperson: you will see how a contemporary pottery family works and try painting a clay piece in the traditional technique yourself.

It is a good way to get to know the craft that has become the town's calling card — no lectures or museum cases, just a working studio where pottery is made every day.

How the class works

• You call or message the organisers and agree on a date and group size.
• At the agreed time you meet at the tourist information centre in central Kosiv.
• A transfer to the studio and back is included.
• On site there is a studio tour: clay, wheel, kiln and finished pieces.
• Then you paint your own piece under the craftsperson's guidance.

The class lasts about 3 hours; participants must be at least 5 years old. Afterwards you can buy the craftsperson's work.

Who it suits

Painting requires neither art training nor skill at the potter's wheel, so the class is equally enjoyable for adults and children. It is a good choice for a family day, a school or corporate group, or a rainy day when the mountains are out of the question. The craftsperson will show you how to hold the horn, how to lay out the ornament and why Kosiv patterns always "breathe", with free background left between the elements. The finished piece becomes a memento of the Hutsul region that you made yourself.

What to know about Kosiv ceramics

Hutsul pottery always came in a huge range because it was made for everyday life: bowls, platters, mixing pots, cooking pots, jugs, pitchers, ring-shaped kumanets flasks, mugs, candlesticks, and toys — whistles, little horses, hens and cuckoos. Kosiv potters decorated their ware with a rizhok, a horn from which a thin stream of coloured slip flowed, using a palette of just a few natural colours — yellow, green and brown on white. The motifs came from daily life: deer, riders, musicians, churches and scenes of Hutsul life.

In 2019 the tradition of Kosiv painted ceramics was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It still inspires potters as well as designers and artists.

Practical information

• Meeting point: 65A Nezalezhnosti St, Kosiv (tourist information centre). The studio address is given when you book.
• Booking: +38 096 096 16 06 (also Viber), e-mail [email protected].
• Price: by arrangement with the craftsperson; discounts possible for groups of more than 15.
• Group: the website mentions groups of 10 or more — check whether smaller parties can join.
• Tip: a painted piece needs firing, so agree in advance how and when you can collect it or have it posted.

Getting there

Kosiv is about 30 km from Kolomyia and roughly 110 km from Ivano-Frankivsk. Buses and minibuses run regularly from Kolomyia, which has a railway station. By car, take the N-10 via Kolomyia or the R-24 from the Yaremche and Verkhovyna side. The tourist information centre is in the town centre, near Nezalezhnosti Square.

Website and social media: kosiv.life

Photos: kosiv.life; i.ytimg.com.