Aaaaand relax! There’s nothing quite like touching clay to relieve the stresses and worries of the world. As soon as your fingers tips touch the wonderfully malleable material, your stresses just melt away. It’s really quite bizarre. This course could be your weekly appointment for a creative massage. This untutored session will give you the opportunity to create human forms and portrait heads in clay.
Each term you will study three life models. Typically each model holds a single pose for three consecutive weeks. Following on from the 9 days of modelling, we have a final ‘finishing off’ week on the last week of the term should you need to touch up and finish your pieces a bit more.
With your muse positioned in the centre of room, you and your fellow students work from a model stand to steadily produce either a portrait or life study of the model. The model rotates every few minutes, giving you the chance to adjust your piece with them and thus see every profile. As time passes, you will start to develop your form, it is up to you whether you build up towards a likeness or work more abstractly. This session is untutored, but there is such a positive and encouraging atmosphere in the studio, if you are relatively confident and have a ‘can do’ attitude that will not be a problem. More often than not, James will be around to give you a fewer pointers, but you will be able to get a lot from watching those around you and in letting the clay show you the way!
Once your pieces have been finished, they will need to be dried out before being fired in one of our kilns. There are additional charges for bags of clay and the firing of your work in the kiln (which is based on the fired weight post firing).
If you that you would benefit from some tuition then do sign up for either the Wednesday Tutored Clay Life Modelling Term or one of Karin’s Clay Life or Portrait Modelling weekend courses. As well as coming to a clay life modelling day, do consider adding a morning of life drawing to your week too (taught by Jo Harris on Tuesdays). It will surprise how much doing life drawing will improve your observational skills and thus sculpting!
The autumn term will kick off on the 12th September 2024.
This fun course provides:
- Informal, relaxed & welcomin environment for you to explore clay life modelling
- Whilst not tutored, it is an encouraging and supportive space
- 3 life models life models for you to study, studying muse for three consecutive weeks each
Suitable for?
Anyone, regardless of experience – no younger than 17 years old though I am afraid. Please note that the life model will sometimes be undressed throughout the class.
What is included in the price?
- Ten full days of studio time (10am-4:00pm)
- 3 professional life models
- Tea, coffee, biscuits and maybe the occasional cake
- Tools can be provided if you need any during the class
- Use of a beautiful purpose-built art studio with all the equipment & materials you will need
- Beautiful countryside setting
This course is for you if:
- You want to explore your artistic practise and throw yourself into creativity
- You want to explore the properties of clay, as well as understand the construction and firing process
- You want to improve your observational skills
- You want to improve your own artistic practise (even if you normally create in an entirely different medium entirely)
- You want to get away from it all and immerse yourself in a fun, creative environment
- You love creativity
- You want to spend time with a lovely bunch of people!
Term Dates and Times
The sessions will take place on Thursdays, between 10.00am – 4pm. The dates for the forthcoming term are as follows:
- 12th September
- 19th September
- 26th September
- 3rd October
- 10th October
- 17th October
- 7th November
- 14th November
- 21st November
- 28th November
What to bring?
A packed lunch and maybe an apron. Feel to bring your own tools and clay if you have your own, otherwise you can use ours.
Additional fees
There are additional fees for clay and firing of your work in our kilns.
- A bag of clay can range from approximately £10 to £25.
- The firing of work for students on this course is charged at a rate of £1.50/lb fired weight, per firing.