Beyond Molds: Animal Head Mastery

18+

This comprehensive five-day workshop immerses participants in the art of sculpting lifelike animal heads with clay. Starting with press molds, attendees master techniques for expressive eyes and detailed mouth features, ensuring their clay creations possess depth and character.

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Overview

During this intensive five-day workshop, we will delve deeply into the intricate art of sculpting animal heads using clay. From day one, our focus is on crafting lifelike animal heads, exploring techniques that allow us to push the boundaries of creativity. We will kickstart your journey with press and sprig molds to create captivating and expressive facial features. The efficiency of working with molds moves you swiftly beyond the initial stages, ensuring you’re not stuck facing a blank canvas. Demonstrations will cover strategies on how to sculpt realistic anatomy such as cutting the lower jaw away from the head to insert intricate features like tongues and teeth and crafting the appearance of tension between two points to mimic membrane. By the end of this workshop, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of sculpting animal heads and be equipped with the skills to create realistic animal portraiture that is not only fascinating but also true works of art.

Additional Information

Russell Brian Wrankle was born and raised in the outskirts of Palm Springs, California. Russell’s formative years were marked with labor-intensive work, assisting his father gardening mid-century modern home of the stars and elite of Palm Springs. His exposure to the lines, patterns, and textures of those stunning architectures later inspired his interest in creating art. By chance, Russell attended college and enrolled in a ceramics class, changing his path entirely. That experience marked the start of his life filled with art and relationships among the creative community. In 2001, Russell and his family moved to Southern Utah, where he gained years of experience making pottery and sculpture. He now teaches as Associate Professor of Art at Southern Utah University.

Artist website: www.russellwrankle.com
Instagram: @russellwrankle

The lab fee includes clay, firing, and shared supplies.

The program will begin Sunday morning with a brief orientation at 8:30 am. Workshops will start at 9 am.

Sunday night will feauture a program mixer where you will have an opportunity to meet with your classmates and other students in our adult programs for the week.

Monday nights feature an opening reception at the Parks Exhibition Gallery, featuring work from our very own summer faculty!

Daily instruction occurs from 9am-12 pm with a break for lunch in the campus dining hall (included in tuition) and followed with more instruction from 1pm- 4pm.

Artist Talks will be held in the evenings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This is a wonderful opportunity to listen to our Metals Week and HOT Clay instructors speak about their art.

Friday afternoon, while work is being fired, enjoy other students’ work at the culmination event outside Parks Exhibition Center, before heading over to the H.O.T. Clay Pizza Party.

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