A five-day workshop: cost £315. Please book using the Eventbrite link below or contact us on admin@morayartcentre.org for further information.
A comprehensive introduction to the process of creating a life-size portrait sculpture in clay. Working directly from a model, students initially create small sketches in clay to get a feel for the material and as an introduction to capturing the general gesture and form of the head. Students then build an armature upon which they will sculpt their life size head. Students will be guided through the process of building a portrait in clay step by step, starting with the anatomy, structure and proportions of the skull to understanding the anatomy of facial features. Students will have a finished portrait in clay by the end of the course. Each day will start with a PowerPoint presentation on sculpture and related subjects. Note that because the clay has armature in it the finished head cannot be fired in a kiln unless such arrangements are made ahead of the class, but independent of the class the work can be put in a mould and cast. If possible a tour of the Black Isle Bronze Foundry will be organised during the week. The class is open to all levels.
All necessary materials will be provided and light lunches and refreshments will be available. Please notify us at time of booking if you have any dietary requirements.
Halla Gunnarsdottir studied at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy and received her M.F.A in figurative sculpture at The New York Academy in 2003 were she subsequently received the NYAA sculpture research fellowship. Halla has worked on private and public commissions and her sculpture of poet Tómas Gudmundsson can be seen in the centre of the old town in Reykjavik, were Halla is from. Along with painting and sculpture exhibitions Halla has worked as a set and costume designer for the theatre. She has received numerous nominations for her theatre work and in 2011 she won the Icelandic theatre awards for her set design on the rock opera Shockheaded Peter. Much of Halla’s work in recent years has focused on animals and the environment, inspired in part by her travels to the Arctic and Antarctica. Halla is currently working on a public sculpture commission that will be unveiled in Iceland this coming summer. Halla also holds an MBA from Paris-Sorbonne University. Halla lives and works in London.