COIL-BUILDING THE SEATED FIGURE
Zoom Workshop with Adrian Arleo
Saturday, January 13, and Saturday, January 20, 2024
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This remote hands-on intensive workshop will be held over two consecutive Saturdays, and will be chock-full of useful information on coil-building an approximately half life-size ceramic seated figure. The week between sessions will give participants time to make progress on their sculptures, and then get a second installment of instruction with more demonstrations and feedback.
Adrian will demonstrate her building techniques, covering simple anatomy, problem solving solutions and creative ways to make evocative sculpture. The techniques covered will be applicable for large-scale sculpture. Time-lapsed video and slide presentations will convey large amounts of information in a condensed format, and will be enriched by live demonstrations addressing key details and participants’ needs. During the various demonstrations, students are welcome to ask questions. The days will consist of a morning session (10 am - 12 pm Pacific time) and an after noon session (2 pm -4 pm) with a two hour break in the middle (12 pm - 2 pm) for working in your own studio.
One of the most challenging aspects of coil-building a seated figure is figuring out where and how to begin; it’s critical to create a strong foundation in order to prevent slumping, leaning and cracking. Adrian will give individual feed back and suggestions to help participants with technical issues as well as general anatomical concerns. This course is designed for intermediate to advanced-level students and is limited to 12 spots.
Workshop Fee is $300.
A $75 non-refundable deposit is due at time of registration in order to hold your spot.
Tentative Schedule
Saturday, January 13
10 am - 12 pm (Pacific Time): Coil-Building Demonstrations in video, slides and live. Presentation on the Seated figure in Sculpture, Classical to Contemporary, and how/where to begin when coil-building.
12 pm - 2 pm: Work Break
2 pm - 4 pm: Check in with participants on their pieces, give feedback and demonstrations. Slide Presentation on some basic anatomy. Transitioning from legs to torso.
SATURDAY, January 20
10 am - 12 pm (Pacific Time): Check in with participants on their pieces, give feedback. Short slide presentation on rendering styles. Demonstrations focused on upper torso, arms, breasts, neck. Rough out head shape.
12 pm - 2 pm: Work Break
2 pm - 4 pm: Check in with participants on their pieces, give feedback. Demonstration on head and facial features, attaching head, playing with gesture and connection with arms, if arms/hands interact with head. Wrap up discussion and final feedback.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
ADRIAN ARLEO has spent the last 30 years living outside Missoula, Montana, with her family and a menagerie of animals. She works full time as a ceramic sculptor, and says this about her work: “For 40 years, my sculpture has combined human, animal and natural imagery to create a kind of emotional and poetic power. Often there's a suggestion of a vital interconnection between the human and non-human realms; the imagery arises from associations, concerns and obsessions that are at once intimate and universal. The work frequently references mythology and archetypes in addressing our vulnerability amid changing personal, environmental and political realities.”
She studied Art and Anthropology at Pitzer College (B.A. 1983) and received her M.F.A. in ceramics from Rhode Island School of Design in 1986. Adrian was an Artist in Residence at Oregon College of Art and Craft in 1986-87, at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in 1987-88, and in 2012 was an invited artist for the Jordan Schnitzer Printmaking Residency, also at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. Adrian’s work is exhibited nationally and internationally, and is in numerous public and private collections. She received awards from the Virginia A. Groot Foundation in 1991 and 1992, and in 1995 was awarded a Montana Arts Council Individual Fellowship. Her work has been widely published in books, magazines and online, and she is a frequent workshop instructor across the US and abroad.