The Creative Mix is an ideal way to explore a variety of artistic methods. Over the five days, students will work through various exercises in drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. This is a great ‘taster’ course and an excellent opportunity to both develop skills and get creative with your own ideas.

This is a fun, day-long taster course in hand built ceramics for those who may be considering a longer evening or Saturday course and would like to try it out first. Throughout the day the tutor will lead the class in practical demonstrations to help you to learn the various processes involved in working with clay by using classic hand built ceramic techniques such as pinching and coiling as well as basic finishing techniques. We aim to foster self-certainty and enjoyment of the media within this workshop and offer a relaxed yet stimulating environment. Please note that at the end of the day there will be the possibility to choose to have your work kiln fired.

Portrait sculpture is an immensely absorbing and enjoyable discovery with every new sitter. This course aims to build upon your previous experience [Intermediate/Advanced] to further how to observe and translate your observation into a clay portrait sculpture from a life model. Refresh, renew or find alternative ways of looking through group and individual discussion with your tutor, David Klein, member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors (MRBS) and the Society of Portrait Sculptors (SPS). Whether setting out a portrait head from a structural point of view with a clear path of constructive method and/or searching for a more expressive manner of approach, you will benefit from exploring with a professional sculptor to help build upon your own sculptural experience. David Klein hopes to impart a few of the tools he has learnt and explore on this course that wonderful tension between finely rendered form and unworked chaos. Portraiture is a search. This search for form, truth and personality requires tools. From the force of the neck into the weight of the head, which in so many ways defines and marks exceptional sculpture. This course will explore the structure, turning points of form, emphasis and simplification.

This is a fun, day-long taster course in sculpting with clay and plaster for those who may be considering a longer evening or daytime course and want to try it out first. Spend the morning with the joy of clay to create a small figure sculpture from a life model. In the afternoon mix plaster and other media to make your own creative sculpture. No need to worry if you have nothing in mind. This is a great opportunity to combine these two basic sculpture skills and techniques. There will be the option to leave your clay sculpture for hollowing and firing for an additional fee and you are welcome to take home your plaster piece. Throughout the day the tutor will lead the class in practical demonstrations to help you get a feel for the medium and the way it can be manipulated into shape and form. We aim to foster self-certainty and an enjoyment of sculpting in a relaxed yet stimulating environment.

The first part of course teaches the basics of making a reusable rubber mould from flexible silicone rubber with a supporting hard jacket made with jesmonite which can be used to produce up to 20 casts of a sculpture. Skills taught are based on practical and safe application methods of both silicone rubber* and polyester jesmonite materials, including building seam walls, mixing and the application of silicone rubber, key making, mixing and applying the jesmonite jacket, and finally cleaning and dismantling the mould. The second part of the course teaches practical skills in the use of jesmonite to cast a sculpture from the rubber mould and the addition of materials such as bronze powder, showing the different finishes that can be achieved as well as the removal and repair of seam-lines, ready for patination and waxing.