In the industrial area of Northeast Portland, there is an amazing studio space called Arcangelo Studio offered by Stacey Mattraw where she holds workshops, gatherings, meet-ups and get-togethers of all kinds. Her assistant Cecily Cacau helped me gather a group for a two day paper clay workshop and we were off and running. I always love my workshops, they are filled with fun-loving people who are ready to try something new. I teach what I know, but everyone contributes something special to the class and we all benefit.
The first day was devoted to sculpting in bas-relief on panels with paper clay. People picked a bird or a rabbit from my pile of images or brought their own. Here are the working hands from the first day:
The second day, we dove headfirst into painting our clay work after it dried overnight. Some were going for more of a realistic look, while others were more abstract and fanciful. I love the results people got. And am very impressed with how everyone did since only a couple people had used paper clay before this class. I think the hardest thing about teaching any workshop is that I meet a bunch of new, fun, interesting art makers and then when class is over, I rarely see them again. But still I am grateful to have spent the time we had together. I feel very blessed to be able to help others learn a new medium. Aside from making art, there really isn’t anything I’d rather do.
Below are the “almost finished being painted” pieces. I am hoping to post final art if they send me images to share. But I think this work looks pretty darn good for paper clay beginners! (click on the images to see them larger)
