Fish Project

The past weeks, Christie's afternoon sculpture/modelling class has been working on a fish project.

Fish can be built in various different ways, but for this project we decided on building the body using dishes as moulds. The clay was rolled out in an even thickness.

Anne - rolling out clay with a rolling pin and 2 sticks

Afterwards the clay was placed in round salad bowls.

Christie - smoothing out the clay after putting it in to a bowl

Next step: Dry the clay so that it isn't quite as soft as when it was rolled out. On Sunny summer days this is done outside the natural way - but we have not been blessed with good weather the last weeks.

Irene - drying her clay

When the two halves are half dry, they are taken out of the bowl and smoothed on the outside.

Titia - smoothing her 2 halves

Now the exciting bit starts - "glueing" the 2 halves together.

Celina and Irene - "glueing" the fish

Next step is to add all the details to change the "ball" made from the 2 halves in to a fish. Many comments floated about - "looks like Dumbo the elephant" - "not a fish - more like a flying saucer".

In the end they all looked like fish. Judge for yourself:

Irene's fish

Titia's fish

Celina's fish

Now they are all in the back room - slowly drying. They will be bisque fired in about a months time and hopefully we will find somewhere to do Raku glazing.

An evening with Abstract Landscapes

This monday evening, 10 artists participated in the abstract session. The topic at the moment is abstract landscapes. Pim has shown examples of artists such as Richard Diebenkorn and Nicolas de Stael and talked about their techniques. 

While working on the abstracts the group continuously hears Pim say - "not too realistic" or "not too nice".

Irene at work

Marie Helen at work

Sylvia at work

Merete at work

Anne Marie at work

Karin at work

Some people work really fast - others continue the work at the Wednesday or Saturday acrylics class. Below are some of the finished (or nearly finished) works.

Barbara Gentsch 

Merete Frickmann

Marie (Lom) Butet

Abstract classes have resumed

Abstract classes started up again at the beginning of October. For the first lesson everyone just got back in to the mood of abstract painting.

Everyone busy at work.

Above you see Tatiana at work.

 And this is Sylvia at work.

Marie Helen at work. 

Karin at work. 

Irene trying to decide which way her painting looks best.

Imme has joined the class.

And here is a typical "Anne" abstract

The first common subject for the group to tackle is a combination of abstract and realism.

Above you see the result of Michele's work - an abstract with a drain pipe.

And here you see Imme's work - an abstract and a light bulb.

Sylvette made this inspiring picture.

The car is painted - not from a magazine !

Marie Helen's finished work

Sue's tap

And Barbara decided on a chain in her abstract.

Friday with Christie at the Hangar

Christie Robinson organizes the "atelier libre" every Friday - this includes contacting a model, making sure that there is extra clay for those that don't bring their own, putting on the heating in the cold season - and often doing a spot of tidying before the session starts at 10 o'clock. The morning is primarily for those doing sculpture - but is there is room enough artists who would like to draw can join the class.

Here you see her with her interpretation of today's model.

The afternoon session is a class in all variations of modelling. This semester most of the "students" started out indoors with clay. Some, like Titia Buter, have been working on figurative subjects. Her you see her working on her dog.

Sam Watson has previously made a whole series of heads in clay. For the last month or so she has been working outdoors on some big sculptures in plaster.

Irene has worked in clay most of the semester and finally finished off her owl which has been put in the shelf to dry. Irene has now started off with her first sculpture in plaster. The first hours were spent getting the metal and wire in the correct shape. Very tiring work because one sees so little progress. Afterwards the fun started when the plaster could be put on the wire frame.

Anne Beaurin has worked on abstract sculptures all semester, taking her inspiration from nature. Here she has been inspired by shells and has produced a beautiful sculpture in white clay. Today's session was spent applying colour so as to finish of the artwork.

Drawing the light

You don't want to miss this, the results of one of our Model-drawing sessions, where we just drew 'the light'...

Model Franck was 'allongé' on the table and all paricipants squinted and closed one eye, and with a white crayon drew the light instead of the dark lines... Behold the result and note that the last two (sitting pose) are made in the Model Theory class on Thursday, by starters! Amazing how much progress they have made...

Betty Schep

Joop van der Zon 

Neville Moray

 Sue Ellis

Ann Thomson-Kindström 

Irene Olkkonen

Pim’s Acrylics class - a special project

Once a month Pim has a special project for his Acrylics classes. Last month the project was “Summer: Hot & Dry”. The February project was “Spring: New life & rebirth”.  Members can either come with their own photos or images that they want to paint, they can paint from memory or use one of the many suggestions Pim has prepared for the class. Below you see 3 of the artists with their work.

Anne Marie Viborel and her interpretation of spring

Gonnie Rikken and her interpretation of spring

Irene Olkkonen an her interpretation of spring

by Irene Olkkonen