I wanted to share in this post the 8 hour workshop I assisted with today. The accompanying image shows just one of 8 sculptures that were completed as part of the ‘Art Day’ based on Giacometti’s haunting, tall sculptures.

The day started with a brief life drawing session before we moved the withy wood, bags of plaster, buckets, rags and wooden bases out onto the top field. The school is within spitting distance of the Severn bridge and the grounds feature ancient trees and lots of grass! This seemed so apt as the students set about transforming the withy wood sticks and small wooden bases into elongated human forms amongst the oak trees.

By lunch it was time to move on to the challenge of plaster. This is normally no problem but using a specialist ‘water repellent’ (when dry) plaster was troublesome. The chemicals mean that it is mixed as thick as dough and has a very strange colour to it! None the less the students got the hand of this strange material quite quickly and soon had rags and twigs draped over the basic forms. As we progressed into the afternoon the sculptures were refined gradually and looked more anatomically correct by the minute. However, the real moment of truth came at afternoon break and they were required to stand unaided as a group of forms on the grass. Luckily I am pleased to report we only needed to balance one upright with a spare bin!

The only remaining problem I could foresee will be trying to find a suitable spot with such lovely landscape to choose from. Phew, at least that bit is up to the students, wouldn’t want it to be me!