Date:  18th – 21st September 2023
Artist: Alan Clarke
Medium: All tools and materials provided
Participants: Maximum 10
Course level: All levels welcome, artists with some proficiency in drawing/painting/sculpture will benefit the most

Alan Clarke is a sculptor and illustrator. His work is imaginative, but rooted in the ‘traditional’ skills of art-making. He is concerned with trying to create work that is executed with virtuosity and insight, in the pursuit of beauty, harmony, grotesquery, craft and drama. He has won numerous awards for both his drawing and his sculpture. He is the only Irish member of the Society of Portrait Sculptors, and a large collection of his drawings are held in the national collection, in the National Library of Ireland. He teaches regular drawing classes in NCAD and in the last few years has been invited to teach workshops in Ireland, the UK, Russia, Italy and Canada.

Course Concept

This workshop will offer the participant to sculpt, from life, a half life-size standing figure. All the necessary skills and processes will be discussed and demonstrated, including choosing an appropriate pose, armature building, basic anatomy, measuring, design, materials handling, surface finishing etc.

The first day will begin with an discussion about the process and what to consider when choosing a pose. Then, when the pose has been chosen, participants will build and pose an aluminium armature, using a combination of measuring and judging by eye.

Day two will begin with a short discussion about the basic points of human anatomy as it pertains to the major forms and important anatomical landmarks. Following this the participants will block in the major forms of the figure and the remaining time refining gesture, proportion, and surface finish.

Outcome: participants will finish the workshop with a half life-size figure in clay, which they can photograph and leave to be recycled, or they can take it away with them. **Important: The sculpture will still be wet at the stage, and will be quite heavy. A car/taxi will be needed to transport it. It should be noted that the clay is not stable in the long term, if participants want to preserve their work it will need to be moulded and cast. Alan can advise on this, but it is not covered in the workshop.**

All materials and tools will be provided and included in the price of the course (if you have your own tools please bring them along) except for a reusable sculpture stand. These can be returned to the tutor if the sculpture is being recycled. Alternatively it can be purchase at the end of the workshop from the tutor at a cost of €40 per stand.

* The course takes place in Artform modern light-filled seaside studio with 24hr access for each visiting artist, and runs from 11am to 5pm on the first day and from 10am to 4pm on the subsequent days. Cost does not include accommodation, on request Artform offers artist accommodation options. Details on art materials and safety will be provided after signing up to the course. Artform operates Health and Safety studio policy in keeping with updated national guidelines (for further information please see here https://www.artform.ie/covid-19/).