Plaster Potential—An Exploration of a Thirsty Surface

With Stephanie Lee

I’m very excited to offer this 3-day comprehensive exploration of plaster as it applies to mixed-media art. We’ll be creating a myriad of surfaces with plaster, that we will then paint and use in a variety of forms. We’ll cast and alter found objects with plaster; create plaster forms using sculptural techniques (using wire, foam, found-objects and/or cardboard as our base); apply it in book arts, jewelry making—the possibilities are endless! I will show you how to apply paint to the surface, and into the surface, from silky smooth to texturally troweled, to deeply carved, resulting in dreamy abstracts or detailed realistic paintings. No potential stone will be left unturned! Stay tuned for a more detailed description and short supply list soon!

SUPPLY LIST

Click here for a printable supply list.

• 5 or more various substrates: wood art panels, canvas boards, wood boxes, etc. A couple of stretched canvases would be great (no smaller than 5"x7"), but don’t bring ONLY stretched canvases—you’ll want a variety of surfaces to work on. You can see examples here: http://www.dickblick.com/zz136/09a/
• three to five 4" rolls of "Rigid Wrap" brand plaster gauze
• four to six bricks of floral foam for silk or dried flowers (not fresh flowers) available at most craft stores; plain styrofoam works fine too)
• one to two yards of tan or cream jute, purchased by the yard at Walmart or Joanne’s
• 1.75# package of Sculpey Clay (white is fine), oven dry like found here: http://www.amazon.com/Sculpey-Clay-Sampler-Pliable-colors/dp/B000Q5ZI5G
• plastic or metal putty knife, 4-6 inches wide
• found objects: 3-dimensional hard objects for casting, such as buttons, shells, decorative hardware, etc.
• apron
• rags (2-3)—an old t-shirt is ideal
• your favorite gel medium (I prefer Golden Heavy Gel)
• awl
• craft knife and/or scissors
• acrylic paints in your choice of colors
• water soluble artist crayons. My favorites are these: http://www.dickblick.com/products/caran-dache-neocolor-i-artist-crayons/
• one or two chip brushes, 1/2" wide (the cheap wooden brushes from a hardware store)
• artist brushes for detail work
• steak knife or paring knife (it will not get ruined, I promise)
• paper ephemera such as images and old book pages (just a few pieces)
• pencil
• pliers and wire cutters
• 4-6 pieces of corrugated cardboard cut in matching pairs
• artist palette knives (if you already have them)

 

OPTIONAL MATERIALS

Found objects to be incorporated into sculpture (for example, the head of the sample photo of the Santos Doll is a garage sale ceramic egg.) Get creative!

 

MATERIALS PROVIDED BY THE INSTRUCTOR

• 18" tall Santos stand (if you choose to make one)
• Armature wire
• Masking Tape
• Plaster and plaster-like products
• Dust Masks
• Latex gloves
• Sandpapers
• Various tools

 

Materials fee of $10, plus an additional $20 if you would like a Santos form (paid directly to instructor on day of class).