Working from the Life Model with Jenny Pollak 2026

This intensive life study class offers students the unique opportunity to make a study of the nude in a single extended pose.

The human body is one of the most challenging, eloquent and time honoured subjects for the exploration of artistic expression. Jenny will be inviting students to think about how they might push their work towards a deeper expression of the human spirit, encouraging them to create work that goes beyond the anatomical representation of the body, and encouraging students who have previously worked with the figure not to fall back into old habits, but to engage with the life sculpture study with intention and courage. Jenny’s main objective is to support each student to develop a truly personal sculptural language – a language that can borrow from the whole spectrum of artistic expression from realism to abstraction.

While the class is not focused on the anatomical study of the body, deep observational skills are essential to the realisation of the finished work and will form a part of the discussions held over the course of the eight week term. Some previous experience of either sculpting with clay or working from a life model (life drawing included) is preferred but not essential.

Each student will receive one bag of clay with which to work, but you are encouraged to buy more clay if you would like to work on a larger scale.

The first six weeks of the class will consist of a single pose, followed by two weeks in which you will have time to finish your work. Students will be taught how to hollow the work out so that by the end of the term you will have a piece that is ready to be fired. (Students who may prefer to cast their pieces at a later date are also encouraged to attend.)