Sat 12 & Sun 13 October 2024

$440.30 (Earlybird)
$480.30 (General)

Wax is a wonderful medium and has many unique properties that make it ideal for sculpting. Wax can be used as a liquid, as a paste, warm (like plasticine), or cold (carvable). During this workshop students will be shown various techniques to utilize these variable states of the medium. Students will be shown how to construct a wax armature, explore modelling techniques and the use of tools for smoothing and texturing. Students will have the opportunity (at an additional cost*) to have their finished wax sculptures cast in bronze by Michael, using the lost wax casting process.

*Bronze casting will be provided at a significant discount to students who wish to cast their work. However prices will need to be looked at on a case by case basis after the workshop concludes as it is impossible to predict the size and complexity of individual artworks before they are made.

About Michael:
Michael has worked as a professional artist since 2001, specialising in figurative and abstract bronze and stainless steel sculpture. The notion of beauty is a strong component of Michael’s contemporary art practice and each artwork strives to develop the aesthetic perfection of line and form within the context of the human experience. Over the years Michael has produced several private and public commissions and his sculptures can be seen in the film Mao’s Last Dancer (2008)

Currently Michael is on a path to explore the notion of the Sublime through the lens of sculpture with works like ‘Hope’, ‘Creation of Man’, and ‘Up, Up & Away’

*Early bird discount ends midnight 21 September.

Tuesdays: 15 Oct – 12 Nov (5 weeks)
Week 1: 9:30am – 1pm
Week 2, 3, 4, 5: 10am – 1pm

$330.30 (Earlybird)
$365.30 (General)

This brief course will help students undertake the basic techniques of carving. Learn how to remove step by step the material that is surrounding a sculpture, starting from unveiling the basic volumes connected together in harmonious composition and the beginnings of the finishing process where time permits.

Carving is a magical process that pursues the soothing of the soul and detaches ourselves from the modern chaotic life. It’s a way to connect to nature and it informs a sense of space, training the eye and the mind to see in depth!

Alabaster stone will be available to purchase at an additional cost to the course fee. Elena will have a good selection of stones to choose from which are best suited for this 5 week course.

Students are also welcome to bring work in progress stone sculptures, including marble works you may be currently working on. Elena can guide you in the next steps of your stone carvings.

Please note that for the first week, please arrive at 9:30am, this will allow 30 mins of time to browse and choose your piece/s of stone.

About Elena:
Elena Murgia is an Italian born artist. After studying ceramics in London, her sculpting journey started at the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School in 2017.

She undertook marble carving classes under the guidance of Usama Alnassar who continues to mentor her.  Elena has also been mentored and trained by TBSSS teacher Wendy Black, whom Elena continues to assist on a Wednesday during term time.

Elena participates in national prizes and group exhibitions around the country and had her first solo exhibition in December 2023 at the Clara Street Gallery showcasing works in marble, alabaster, bronze and porcelain.

Through her sculpture she explores the dichotomy between quality and image, inner beauty and the masks we wear to conform to the world, responding to both feminine and the feminist, her past and her present.

*Early bird discount ends midnight 24 September.

This Workshop is now SOLD OUT. If you would like to join the waitlist, please email admin@tbsss.org.au.

Sundays: 20 October – 15 December 2024 (9 weeks)

$800.30 (Earlybird)
$890.30 (General)

As one of the teachers of the life study class at the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School the main focus of my classes is to encourage students to develop a truly personal sculptural language.

The human body is one of the most challenging, eloquent and time honoured subjects for the exploration of artistic expression. Students will be encouraged to think about their intentions and motivations, with the end goal of developing a unique voice. This process can include the whole spectrum of artistic expression from realism to abstraction.

I will be encouraging students who have previously worked with the figure not to fall back into old habits, but to engage with the life study with intension and courage.

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 nine week term. Some previous experience of either sculpting with clay or working from a life model (life drawing included) is preferred.

Each student will receive one bag of clay with which to work and you are encouraged to buy more clay if you want to work on a larger scale.

The first six weeks of the class will consist of a single pose (a pose arrived at by a process of rigorous consensus between myself and the students), followed by three weeks in which students will have time to finish their work.

We will work without armatures with the intention that the pieces be hollowed out and made ready in the last three weeks so that by the end of term you will have a piece that will be ready to be fired. (Students who may prefer to cast their pieces in other classes are also encouraged to attend.)

Jenny Pollak 2024

Pictured: inspiration from Giacometti.

*Early Bird discount finishes 29 September.

Tuesdays: 19 Nov – 17 Dec (5 weeks)
Week 1: 9:30am – 1pm
Week 2, 3, 4, 5: 10am – 1pm

$330.30 (Earlybird)
$365.30 (General)

This brief course will help students undertake the basic techniques of carving. Learn how to remove step by step the material that is surrounding a sculpture, starting from unveiling the basic volumes connected together in harmonious composition and the beginnings of the finishing process where time permits.

Carving is a magical process that pursues the soothing of the soul and detaches ourselves from the modern chaotic life. It’s a way to connect to nature and it informs a sense of space, training the eye and the mind to see in depth!

Alabaster stone will be available to purchase at an additional cost to the course fee. Elena will have a good selection of stones to choose from which are best suited for this 5 week course.

Students are also welcome to bring work in progress stone sculptures, including marble works you may be currently working on. Elena can guide you in the next steps of your stone carvings.

Please note that for the first week, please arrive at 9:30am, this will allow 30 mins of time to browse and choose your piece/s of stone.

About Elena:
Elena Murgia is an Italian born artist. After studying ceramics in London, her sculpting journey started at the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School in 2017.

She undertook marble carving classes under the guidance of Usama Alnassar who continues to mentor her.  Elena has also been mentored and trained by TBSSS teacher Wendy Black, whom Elena continues to assist on a Wednesday during term time.

Elena participates in national prizes and group exhibitions around the country and had her first solo exhibition in December 2023 at the Clara Street Gallery showcasing works in marble, alabaster, bronze and porcelain.

Through her sculpture she explores the dichotomy between quality and image, inner beauty and the masks we wear to conform to the world, responding to both feminine and the feminist, her past and her present.

*Early bird discount ends midnight 29 October.

Workshop opens for booking, Tue 27 August at 10am.