Portrait and figure sculpting

With ANDRIAN MELKA

10-DAY INTENSIVE WORKSHOP | GUIDED MUSEUM TOURS | MEET ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

FROM MAY 19 TO JUNE 1, 2024

$3100

Register Today with a 50% deposit! Deadline for registration and final payment: March 31, 2024

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

This intensive workshop consists of two parts - week one will be creating a clay portrait and week two will be creating small-scale wax maquettes for a figurative sculpture. In both weeks, students will be working through observation of a live model. 

For the portrait, students will be working with a water-based clay on a wooden armature which will be supplied. While most of the work will be from observation, some key measurements will also be taken using callipers to ensure the features of the portrait are correctly positioned and in proportion. Andrian will also be creating a portrait to demonstrate how to approach the work. Students will be able to take their finished portrait away with them at the end of the week and will be working towards a finished piece of artwork.

For the small-scale wax maquettes, Andrian will discuss the poses and composition of some of the masterpieces found in Rome and students will base their work on these sculptures. Working with a live model, students will use the same armature to create several maquettes, working quickly to sketch in three dimensions and photographing each piece before dismantling it to start the next one. This exercise is intended to help students understand the processes involved in creating a figurative sculpture, from two dimensional sketches or images, to maquettes through to a finished full-sized statue. Students will become more accomplished in expressing ideas in three dimensions and will also gain a better understanding of human anatomy.

In addition to sculpting from life, this course will include trips to museums, churches, and historical sites, lectures, discussions, and demonstrations. On Sunday, May 19 at 7 PM there will be a brief orientation and group meeting to get acquainted. Sculpting begins on Monday, May 20. On the final day, June 1, there will be a final critique, packing sculptures, and a group dinner at night. Each day will be a full experience from morning to night!

This course will have a maximum of 12 students.

BIO:

Andrian Melka graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Tirana and is best known for his figurative work in marble and stone and for his freestyle approach to carving. His skills were honed carving portraits and reliefs in a marble workshop in Albania where he also developed an interest in classical and Renaissance sculpture. 

Much of Andrian’s work is inspired by classical depictions of the Gods and Goddesses in mythology, and with idealised versions of the human body. Andrian is drawn to interesting faces, and figures, striving to express his subject’s personality and movement, in addition to their likeness, to capture the essence of a person. His figurative sculptures and portraits seem to come to life, often provoking a deeply emotional response.

Andrian’s list of prestigious clients includes HM King Charles III (his relief of Laocoon can be seen in The Royal Gardens at Highgrove) lords and well-known entrepreneurs. Andrian’s public work can also be seen at St Mungo’s Church in Glasgow, Scotland and the gardens of Chiswick House in London where he worked with English Heritage. His first over-life-sized bronze figure, of Captain Sir Tom Moore, was exhibited at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2022 to great acclaim and now welcomes visitors to Leeds Chapel Allerton Hospital.

He became a QEST scholar in 2008, winning the QEST Award for Excellence in 2020, and is a member of the Society of Portrait Sculptors and the Art Workers' Guild. 
www.melkasculpture.com

Clay, wax, armature wire, and a wood armature are included in the course fees. Students are encouraged to bring their own tools, but some basic tools will be available for use by the students. Tools will also be available for purchase from a Miroballi representative in Rome. The course does not involve mold-making and casting.

Accommodations: Housing is not included in the workshop fees. If you wish to share housing with another participant, please check the box upon registration and we will coordinate the communication with others seeking the same arrangement. It is recommended that participants arrive the day before the course begins, and depart no sooner than the day after the course ends.

PAYMENT: FULL PAYMENT OR MINIMUM 50% DUE ON REGISTRATION, REMAINING BALANCE DUE BY March 31, 2024.

We accept major Debit, Credit Cards and PayPal.

IF THE WORKSHOP IS FULL, YOU CAN REGISTER TO THE WAIT LIST

The workshops fill up quickly but sometimes last minute spots open up. Once the workshop is filled, a form will be available here for the Wait List.

PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT - TRAVELER INSURANCE

Rome Art Residencies HIGHLY recommends that you obtain Traveler's Insurance to protect your investment and to cover emergency medical expenses. You should seek insurance that will cover the following:

Trip Cancellation (total cost of trip, including course fees)

Medical Evacuation ($50,000 minimum)

Emergency Medical Coverage ($25,000 minimum)

To compare quotes, you may begin here:

For USA citizens; https://www.travelinsurance.com/

For non-USA citizens; https://medical.travelinsurance.com/