about this workshop

With the inspiration of the setting in Russborough and the tuition from Alan Clarke this workshop is going to stimulate both mind and soul.

You’ll spend the first morning immersed in the art collection at Russborough. A private guided tour will give participants insight about the sculptures over the ages and an opportunity to sketch and study the sculptures in the main house before spending the remainder of the course learning to sculpt a life size portrait from a live model. All the appropriate techniques will be discussed and demonstrated, including basic head and neck anatomy, measuring, design, materials handling, surface finishing, etc. Alan will sculpt a demonstration piece alongside the participants, and discuss his own approach and philosophy. Sculpting a portrait in clay is a very enjoyable process and this workshop is suitable for all levels, including total beginners.

PLEASE NOTE: students will have a finished sculpture at the end of the workshop but it will be in wet clay, and therefore delicate and quite heavy. If students wish to preserve their work in the long term, it will need to be hollowed out and fired, or moulded and cast, Alan will advise on these processes but they are not covered in the workshop.

All skill levels welcome, even total beginners. However, people with a little bit of experience in representational/observational art will benefit the most and get the best outcomes.

Materials

All tools and materials will be provided.

Meet alan

Alan Clarke is a sculptor and illustrator. He was born into a family of artists, and first became a commercial illustrator, before gradually evolving into fine art and then into sculpture. From the outset his work focused on the human form, in it's endless variety and complexity. Sculpting from life in clay, his work is energetic but sensitive. He combines a knowledge of materials and anatomy with an in-depth understanding of drawing, design, and three dimensional form. He has worked and taught in studios in Ireland, Italy, England, Spain, Canada and Russia. His award winning work has been exhibited all over the world, and a large collection is held in the national collection by the National Library in Ireland. He is the only Irish member of the Society of Portrait Sculptors. He gives regular sculpture workshops, and is a drawing tutor at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin.