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2010 WORKSHOPS - ENROLLMENT IS OPEN! WORKSHOP NOTES May 2010
New Workshops I’m pleased to announce that Donald Tucker, one of America’s foremost authorities and talents in the art of faux bois, is coming to SWH Art Studio Inc. in Bell Buckle, TN, to share his experience and teach two workshops: Introduction to Sculpting Ferrocement Faux Bois, May 29 – June 2, and Advance Faux Bois Sculpting, June 3 & 4. Faux Bois, literally translated as ‘fake branch’, is the art of sculpting concrete to look like wood branches and logs; fresh cut or weathered drift wood. Metal armatures, special concrete recipes, and the use of concrete coloring are combined to fool the eye and create solid exterior forms for both functional and decorative applications. Follow the links in the workshops descriptions for more information.
Yes, this is concrete!
Open Studio Saturdays This year we have also started a series of ‘Open Studio Saturdays’ to help you finish some of your ‘works in progress’. New dates have been set for the remaining summer months. I hope you’ll be able to join us!
Design your own workshop… If you have a group of 6 – 10 participants and would like to develop a custom workshop that works with your schedule, please contact us to see what we can come up with. Mosaics, garden sculptures, water features, sculpture…let’s talk.
Whether you can join us for a week, a weekend or just a few hours, I’m hoping we can help you succeed with your studio projects.
Make your dreams concrete! Sherri 2010 SUMMER STUDIO WORKSHOPS Take a few days for yourself. Learn a new skill, refine your technique, or give yourself time and space to be creative…to play. The Summer Studio Workshops, presented annually since 1991, are held just outside the historic town of Bell Buckle at the studio of Sherri Warner Hunter. It’s about an hour drive southeast on I-24 from Nashville. If you live locally, you may want to commute or, like out-of-town participants, stay at a local Bed & Breakfast to make the get away complete. Refreshments and delicious lunches are included in the cost of the workshop and all supplies are covered by the Materials Fee. Workshop enrollment is limited to ensure personal attention so register early. B & B stays are extra and are arranged by the individual. Visit www.bellbucklechamber.com for local dining and lodging selections.
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| MOSAIC 101 Instructor: Hunter Date: TBA Workshop Fee: $250 Materials Fee: $40 Limit: 10 Friday, 7 PM – 9 PM Saturday, 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday, 9 AM – 5 PM |
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Bring the ancient art of mosaic into the present as you design and create a small wall panel or mirror. Learn how to cut and form ceramic mosaic materials, choose the correct adhesives, grout, and finish your piece for hanging. Informational handouts, technical demonstrations and individualized instruction will guide you through the skills you need whether you are a beginner or just want to improve your mosaic skills. All materials will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring ideas and images with them, but don’t worry if you don’t know where to start. Designing for mosaics will be presented the first evening and a wealth of books and resource materials will be available to provide inspiration. |
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BIRD BATH WORKSHOP Instructor: Hunter Date: TBA Workshop Fee: $250 Materials Fee: $45 Limit: 8 Friday Evening, 7 PM – 10 PM Saturday, 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday, 9 AM – 5 PM And 2 additional hours for final cleaning |
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Create a unique piece of yard art for your garden. Model a one of a kind bird bath as you learn the basics of simple armature construction, cast bowl forms and hand forming concrete. Your bird bath will take on added personality as you embed the surface with a variety of materials including ceramic tiles, glass, marbles, shells, and rocks. All materials are provided however you’re encouraged to bring personal objects to give your bird bath more meaning.
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| INTRODUCTION TO SCULPTING FERROCEMENT FAUX BOIS Visiting Artist: Donald Tucker Date: May 29 – June 2 Workshop Fee: $650 Materials Fee: $65 NEW WORKSHOP! Limit: 10 Saturday – Wednesday, 9 AM – 5 PM |
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| Ferrocement; any cement-based media, such as concrete or mortar, which is internally reinforced with ferrous metal such as iron or steel. Faux Bois; (pronounced foe-bwah) French for ‘false wood’. Ferrocement Faux Bois is the very nearly lost art form that employs steel and cement-based media to sculpt three dimensional representations of wood and wooden objects. The purpose of this five day course is to provide the basic skills, techniques and information necessary to create works that are both decorative and functional. Learn from the Master! Click here for more information on the workshop. | |
| ADVANCE FAUX BOIS SCULPTING Visiting Artist: Donald Tucker Date: June 3 – 4 Workshop Fee: $225 Material Fee: $25 NEW WORKSHOP! Limit: 12 Thursday & Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM |
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Take your cement sculpting abilities to
the next level. This two day advanced course will provide participants
with the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully formulate, mix,
apply, sculpt and finish works employing very unique "neat Portland
paste" formulations. These remarkable clay-like mixtures are the lost
secret to the extraordinary detail seen in the finest
Faux Bois
masterworks ever executed...and these techniques have never been shared
before. Join us now and learn how to create your own.
NOTE:
This course will deal ONLY with the advanced techniques involved with
working in the neat Portland paste finish mixture described above.
The
subjects of design, armature construction and the basic sculpting of
traditional cement based media will not be addressed.
In order to get the
most from this class, it is therefore recommended that the student
possess a fundamental knowledge of basic additive sculpting techniques
and armature construction as well as a reasonable familiarity with basic
cement mixing and application practices.
Click here for more information on the workshop.
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| CONCRETE FORMS Instructor: Hunter Date: July 16 - 18 Workshop Fee: $250 Materials Fee: $75 Limit 8 Friday Evening, 7 PM – 9 PM Saturday, 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday, 9 AM – 3 PM |
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Learn how Hunter creates the large concrete forms that are the base for her mosaic sculptures. You will start by learning carving techniques in polystyrene foam and then the application of polymer fortified concrete combined with AR fiber glass mesh. This system results in a relatively light weight sculptural process for exterior and interior artworks. Once completed, the piece can be used as a base to mosaic or finished with a variety of surface treatments.
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| ARMATURE BASICS Instructor: Hunter Date: July 19 - 21 Workshop Fee: $250 Materials Fee: $45 Limit: 8 Monday, 7 PM – 9 PM Tuesday – Wednesday, 9 AM – 5 PM |
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It doesn't matter if you're using clay, plaster, concrete or some other media, many sculptures need some type of inner structure to help them stand rigid, a skeleton, an armature. Several different construction methods will be demonstrated to address the needs of sculptures in different scale and media. Wire, rebar, other metals, and foam will be some of the basic materials presented Monday evening. The balance of the workshop is for you to work on an armature for a project that will be completed on your own.
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| MOSAIC SCULPTURE Instructor: Hunter Date: TBA Workshop Fee: $250 Materials Fee: $50 + (based on project) Limit: 8 Friday, 7 PM – 9 PM Saturday, 9 AM – 5 PM Sunday, 9 AM – 5 PM |
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You’ve made your concrete forms or you’ve
found the perfect sculptural object, now let’s mosaic them! Learn the
fundamentals of applying ceramic mosaic to both curvilinear and angular
3-dimensional forms in this intensive weekend workshop. Technical considerations for exterior sculptural pieces will be presented in lecture and demonstration followed by studio time to develop your design and work on your techniques. Skill enhancing presentation will include tile shaping, finishing, adhesives, and placement. Grouting 3-D forms will be demonstrated. Participant supply their own sculptural form. Please contact us prior to registering if you need a concrete form or have questions about your selected object. |
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| CONCRETE CAMP Instructor: Hunter Dates: August 18 - 22 Workshop Fee: $600 Materials Fee: $125 Limit: 8 Wednesday – Sunday, 9 AM – 5 PM Programs, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM |
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This intensive, week-long workshop is designed to introduce the studio artist to a wide variety of methods used to form concrete. Hands-on projects will result in three pieces to take home, each using different forming technique including carved polystyrene foam and polymer fortified concrete, metal armatures (no welding) and simple casting techniques. Surface treatments, concrete colorants and mosaics will be presented with some hands-on exploration.
Afternoon presentations by visiting artists and Hunter will provide additional information on techniques, public art, and inspiration. Participants are asked to bring images to share and ideas to discuss.
The instructional information provided in this workshop will be useful to any artist interested in exploring 3-dimensional forms in concrete in combination with their chosen media.
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| OPEN STUDIO SATURDAYS: Let’s finish that project! Dates: August 14 September 11 November TBA December TBA Fee: $10 per hour + materials Saturdays, Time: 10 AM – 4 PM | NEW DATES! |
| Need to use the tile saw, add a layer of concrete, or get some input on a design you’ve been struggling with? This is your opportunity to finally finish projects that you’ve gotten stuck on and just need a little boost. Bring your work(s) in progress to the studio, where you can spread out and use the tools and equipment you need to complete your artwork. Hunter will be in the studio to give you advice or instruction as needed. Drop in during scheduled hours for as long or as short a time as needed. Call if you’d like to discuss your projects before coming | |
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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS |
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SHERRI WARNER HUNTER has concentrated on creating large scale public sculptures since moving to Bell Buckle, TN in 1994. Her work is included in numerous publications and private collections, and can be viewed publicly at The Nashville International Airport, the children’s courtyard of the Memphis/ Shelby County Public Library, TN; and TigerTown shopping complex in Opelika, AL. Hunter is the author of “Making Concrete Garden Ornaments” and “Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden.” DONALD TUCKER is a Texas based artist and sculptor specializing in the old and very nearly lost art known as Ferrocement Faux Bois (French for "False Wood"). To learn more about the artist visit these site: http://fauxboisinconcrete.blogspot.com |
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REGISTRATION INFORMATION - A 50% deposit is required to secure your place in a workshop. The balance is due on or before the first meeting. - You will be sent a confirmation form once the workshop has enough registrations to be held. Your deposit will not be cashed until that time. - Make checks payable to: SWH Art Studio Inc. - There is a $50 cancellation fee. - If a workshop has filled at the time your registration is received, your check will not be cashed. You will be notified and given the opportunity to be placed on the waiting list. If a place opens, people on the waiting list will be notified in the order they were received. - Workshops that do not meet minimum enrollment may be canceled. - I you would like to bring someone to work with you on a project, a ‘Creative Partner’, add $50. This option is ONLY available for the following workshops: Bird Bath, Concrete Forms, Armature and all mosaic workshops. |
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