The LARA Sculpture Program

Daily timetable: 9:30 - 16.30 (1 hr lunch break)
Teachers:James Napier / Valentina Zlatarova
Max number of  students: 8
Clay and basic materials are provided - if you want to bring your own materials please view our material page, some materials can be purchased on site through LARA

Integral to the program are several key principles that form the basis of naturalistic figurative sculpture. It is the intention of the curriculum to instil these principles into the student’s creative process thus enabling them to bridge the gap between what they see and the quality of work they are able to execute. These include an accurate sense of proportion and gesture, a believable and strong structure, a sensitivity to contour, well articulated planes and transitions, and the correct application of anatomical knowledge. Students also become familiar with the practical considerations of figurative sculpture, such as armature making and casting their work.

Essential to the success of the student is the nature of the teaching, consisting of personalised critiques delivered throughout the day. The critical faculties instilled in the student through such critiques are considered crucial to their development as an artist, enabling them to apply an objective eye to their own work in future endeavours.

Curriculum

At the outset of the program the students divide their day between working with the figure and executing specific tasks set by their teacher involving the study of inanimate objects that present specific problems. (These tasks are designed to support the life studies, and depend upon the level of experience the student has when entering the program.) The kind of projects undertaken and their number depend on the individual needs of the student. The curriculum follows along these lines, in order of complexity:

Static forms

Casts of features from Michelangelo’s David

Masks of sculptures and casts from classical era

Life-size skull

Life cast copy of foot/hand

Portrait

Life-size portrait(s)

Figure

Half life-size figure(s)

Life size torso(s)

Three quarter life-size figure(s)

Life-size figure