Polymer Clay Workshop in the South of France with Gwen
July 15—22, 2004
Gwen returns once more to La Cascade
with her popular one-week polymer clay workshop. Nestled by a waterfall in Durfort,
a small village in the South of France, La Cascade is
an 18th century house renovated for
art retreats. This year there are three bedrooms ready for six students and a
studio with ancient stone walls.
Each year brings new approaches, new techniques and new discoveries as well as a reworking
of old favorites. This year I’m introducing a new feature, the clay clinic. Students will
bring a few representative pieces of their best work in order to see how they might tailor
what they learn in the workshop to fit their personal style.
Since Romancing the Clay in 2003, I’ve been exploring dyes, stamping inks and embossing powders
in a search for new and unusual surface effects. I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve come
up with in Romancing the Clay 2004.
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Yet more surface effects
 The
African images were made using screen stencils with acrylic paint and embossing powders
to build up layer upon layer of embossing powder and paint. As I went along, I sanded through
underlying layers to reclaim buried images. This painterly technique allows for endless
experimentation because it’s possible to continue screening images onto the baked clay and
then sand through to what lies below the surface. The time worn effect conjures up the mystery
of lost legends. There will be plenty of silk-screen images and embossing powders available to all.
 Turquoise
and green stamping inks were used on black clay to achieve a
patina effect on the two
toned necklace. Stamping inks create a soft, chalky surface when baked on polymer clay yet are
extremely durable. The inks work especially well on relief patterns. There will be a good selection
of stamping inks for general use on hand.
 The
ribbon-strung beads are the unexpected result of an encounter with Japanese dyes. There’s a
surprise ingredient mixed in the dye that creates a naturally mottled surface similar to a bird’s
egg. (See detail) The simple, slightly flattened shape of the beads was used as a canvas for the
richly speckled surface. There will be a colorful selection of dyes for mixing your own shades. I
will talk about the process of building each project, how one thing led to another to create the
finished piece.
The charms of the oval bead
I’ve enjoyed exploring themes and variations of the oval bead. Now that I know the secret of
making those perfect pointy ends on covered beads, I can drop them from tube beads to show off
their elegant, pod-like shapes. There will be a good selection of small patterns on silk screens
to borrow or buy. The pod necklace is somewhat Japanese in its quiet aesthetic.
The oval beads with the bright metallic patterns were made by packing a thick layer of paint
into textured patterns rolled into the clay. Finding a way to use this technique on beads opened
up ways to create necklaces with convincingly metallic surfaces. A selection of texture plates
will be available.
These are a few of the adventures in clay that await the seven of us who will Romance the
Clay from July 15 to 22, 2004.
The price for the week is $1650 which includes room, meals and class. There
will be two persons in each of three bedrooms. Dates are the date
of arrival and departure -- seven nights with six days to romance the
clay.
An information packet is available on request
with specific information on transportation,
car rental, what to expect, what to bring, how to find Durfort on the map, etc.
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