Workshop with the Cesis Art School during Rucka Residency Autumn Session, 2020
While Artist-In-Residence at Rucka Residency in Cesis, I conducted a clay workshop with children from the local art school exploring nature, connecting them with the local plant matter of Rucka Park. We explored hand-building techniques and mark-making with natural materials.
For the second part of the workshop, the girls painted their ceramic creations. I encouraged them to highlight the form and texture of the natural matter when painting, but other than that they were free to be as colourful and creative with their painting and they all produced very different and imaginative pieces. The final pieces are pictured below:
This was my first time solely facilitating a workshop with young people and was very encouraged by how well they engaged with the subject matter and techniques. Clay is such a tactile material and I found it was perfect for getting the girls involved in the making. I was really happy to see how much they enjoyed it, I found this form of engagement rewarding and can see how it makes my work more accessible.