Just wanted to let everyone know that Create with Clay class spots for kids are all filled up for the rest of the year. If you’re interested in joining in on a class at the studio, please join our safe subscribe mailing list so you get the 2016 schedule in your inbox. JOIN
Adult Clay Classes still have space!
B CR8IV!
Normally at this time of year, I’m adding the ever popular Winter Workshop to the schedule of events, I know a lot of you really look forward to this one. Unfortunately, due to some scheduling conflicts we won’t be able to offer the workshop this year. That’s the bad news, BUT the good news is…
There IS a limited time available for scheduling a few private class sessions if you are interested in coming to the studio to make some gifts. We can schedule two 90 minute classes (one for making, one for glazing) for a small group of 1 – 4 students on Tuesdays or Wednesdays during the first two weeks of December. Private classes are $75/student/90 min class, $10 for each additional student with a max of 4 students. Home-schoolers, friends & family (aged 7 – adult) are all welcome to join in. Contact me to schedule your holiday gift making class.
I don’t have a background in science, just an incredible curiosity for biology and how things work and what the insides of things look like. This fascination shows up repeatedly in my work, and when a parent of one of my students brought me an article on radiolarians last week, I of course started doodling with clay to make them right away. Then I did some research and found out that radiolarians are single-celled aquatic animals that have a spherical, amoeba-like body with a spiny skeleton of silica and that the slimy muck that can collect in the deep oceans is mainly made up of the skeletal remains of these creatures. I’m fascinated… and I see a new series on the horizon! Thanks to my students (and their parents!) who keep me inspired all the time!
My favorite thing about reopening the studio is reconnecting with my students and the creative people in my life. This week I was welcomed back with two perfect gifts. The first is half of walnut shell which reminded the giver of my work. I love that my work makes others connect with nature in a way they might not of otherwise. The other is my new ‘I’d rather be sculpting’ bumper sticker which goes perfectly with my ‘buy art’ sticker! Love these new additions to my collections…do my people know me or what?
So proud of my students from my summer workshops who all exhibited a piece of art at the Santa Cruz County Fair this year. I just picked up the work and was so impressed to see the number of ribbons on their work. In the category of ceramics or sculpture we had SEVEN 1st place winners, SIX 2nd place winners, THREE 3rd place winners, SIX honorable mentions and TWO special awards; one for excellence in originality and one for excellence in technique! Amazing amounts of talent coming out of the studio! Hope that you all had a chance to walk through the Fine Arts building at the fair this year and check out the work. See ya next year at the fair!
Every year Earth Art Studio summer workshop students participate in an end of summer art exhibit. In past years we’ve shown work at local coffee shops, local libraries and last year we displayed our work in the Fine Art building at the county fair. Students received ribbons for participating and we had a number of students who placed with 1st, 2nd & 3rd place ribbons in the ceramics and sculpture categories- so exciting! So, we are doing that again this year, all the work is packed and labeled for delivery to the fair. The Santa Cruz County Fair is open September 16 – 20 so while you’re chowing down on your corn dog and taking a break from the carnival rides, make sure to swing through the Fine Arts building and check out all the creative talent our county has to offer. See you at the fair!
Today we wrap up a summer of cr8iv sculpting for kids at the studio. This class will be making clay totems, a felt sewing project with Matisse inspired designs, plaster cast creatures and a few mini projects too. Thanks to everyone who joined in on the fun and made this a super cr8iv summer!
Join the mailing list to get the fall schedule of classes in your inbox!
Past the halfway point of summer workshops, today we are working with the basics. Pinch pots and coils to create cute coiled flamingos in pinch pot pools. We’ll be carving the pools to have wave patterns and when they are fired, we’ll melt some glass in the bottoms of them to appear like water. Once these guys are glazed and fired, we’ll glue in some wooden dowel legs so they can stand in their pools.
A few spots are still available if you’d like to join in on the fun: Sign Up for Summer Workshops Today!
Today we’re working on some watermelon paper mache bowls using a balloon as our mold. We’ll be looking to the color wheel to learn about complementary colors and choose which pair of colors we’d like to use to paint the surface of the melon bowls. I think an abstract purple and yellow watermelon would look pretty tasty!
We’re in full swing of week two of our summer sculpting workshops at the studio. We started off the week with clay succulent containers that have texture and pattern decorating the outside. We also made balance bowls, students were challenged to create a bowl that did not touch the table with a flat bottom, this has yielded some interesting results! Next up, we’ll be casting our arms in tape to create figurative sculptures with a focus on form, working with wire to create creeping spiders and painting our clay projects. Its going to be a busy week at the studio!
A few spots are still available if you’d like to join in on the fun: Sign Up for Summer Workshops Today!