Portrait Sculpture in Clay
Dates: 6/18/2011 - 6/25/2011
Location: Tuscan Renaissance Center
Instructor: Stuart Williamson
Price: $2,495 
workshop details |
From the Inside Out
A structural route to successful portrait sculpture
by
Master Sculptor Stuart Williamson
I teach sculpture, based on traditional principals. Structure, Form, Articulation and human anatomy being at the centre of the demonstrations seminars and courses that I offer.
I believe that a good grounding in these traditional principles is a sound base for sculptural expression in whatever style or form that it might take. I also like to think that this discipline can be useful to a student exploring any area of creativity. It is also a way of building the creative confidence necessary for commercial work.
At this week-long workshop at the Tuscan Renaissance Center we’ll sculpt a head in clay with the help of a model.
Arial view and facade of the church of the monastery of San Fedele
I will conduct daily demonstrations and each student will have their own sculpting stand and clay to practice those techniques. We will have our own dedicated studio that students can use at any hour. Models will be available during the workshop hours each day.
The course will be useful to a broad spectrum of people, from beginners to those with experience looking to develop their skills further towards a more certain result. We will work in a manner designed to remove some of the frustration associated with working 3 dimensionally and in the process attempt to understand the underlying elements that give sculptural portraiture a fresh and lively presence.
I will briefly show how photography and a few simple measurements can help for those who feel more comfortable working in this way. We will also explore surface form and the construction of facial features and discuss pose and expression.
During our time away from the studio, the plan is to look at some art works and discuss these informally as a part of the whole experience.
I look forward to sharing with you the methods I’ve developed based on traditional techniques and the collected knowledge kindly imparted to me by other sculptors in the past.
Activities:
In addition to the activities of the workshop, we will also see and explore this area of Tuscany with various excursions:
- visit medieval Siena
- winery tour and tasting at a local Chianti winery
- explore other small hilltowns (selected from Radda, Castellina, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni...) to shop for local crafts or just relax at a cafe
- nature walk through the vineyards, olive groves and villages
The Food:
for us at Il Chiostro, helping our guests to experience the food in one of the earth`s richest, most sensual areas is our pleasure. Chianti, the part of Tuscany where we are, is Italy`s famous wine and olive oil producing region. Here we want to expose you to the wonders of simple Italian cooking. We pick wild herbs to create our own twist on a pasta dish, shop in local markets for fresh mozarella and peccorino, pick mulberries from the tree in our garden for tarts and search for the best of Tuscany to serve you at our dinner tables. Tuscan cuisine is a simple art that has been refined over the centuries to surprise our palates while the wine comforts our souls. Come explore what food can really be all about.
Dinner on the terrace of San Fedele
About Your Il Chiostro Hosts: Linda and Michael, who will be hosting your Tuscan Renaissance Center program, have been organizing workshops in Italy since 1995. You can read more about them by following the About Il Chiostro link. The owners of San Fedele, Nicolo and Renata, live on site. They will be available throughout the program to talk about the history of the monastery, the renovation and this area of Tuscany they call home.
Price: $2,495; $2,195 for non-participants
Supplements: $550 for single room; $150 p/p for suite, if available
Includes:
- Shared double room in restored monastery
- Daily traditional breakfast and dinner, including wine
- Daily workshop activities and excursions
- Excursion to Siena
- ½ day excursion to nearby hilltown (Monteriggioni, Radda, Volpaia…)
- Pick up from Florence train station at 3:30pm on arrival Saturday
- Transfer to bus/train station in Siena on final day
Does Not Include:
- Airfare
- Lunch (Lite lunch available for 15 euros when we are not out on excursion)
- Sculpting tools
- Independent meals and sight-seeing