OPENING THE WALL
SUMMER 2014
Instructor:
Class Hours:
Dates:
Pamela Avril, Lee Tribe & William Tucker
Monday – Friday; 9am- 1pm & 2pm- 6pm
June 16-27, 2014
Course Description
Relief sculpture and fresco painting have been important in many cultures, notably in the Classical
period and Renaissance in the West, but with modernism have been relegated to the periphery of art
practice. We believe that an introduction to both relief and fresco could offer fresh possibilities to
students of both painting and sculpture. Relief, in combination with drawing, can realize for sculpture
the embodiment of perception in material and the invention of a convincing illusion of volume and
space in and on a flat vertical surface. Fresco, as its name implies, can combine the freshness and
immediacy of watercolor with the permanence and durability of color fused with the brilliance of the
lime-plaster surface.
Course Outline
Early in the program and possibly at the end we will visit the Met to look at examples --- as in Classical
Greek and Indian reliefs and Roman fresco murals
Drawing from the model will be an important component of the program, especially in the first week:
charcoal drawing at life size and above, searching for images to develop in painting and relief; and
smaller drawings as studies for the construction of volume and space from a limited view, i.e. relief.
Clay, plaster and structolite will be the materials for relief, both used directly and as a molding and
casting material. In fact the casting process itself involves the reciprocal creation of both positive and
negative forms and spaces. We will start by making in negative a clay mold of an observed still life, and
then fill with structolite, with the option of carving the resultant cast. Then make a clay low relief of the
same view and compare the results (clay work can be fired later). In the second week, reliefs will be
modeled in clay, working from drawings of the model; and if time permits modeled directly in plaster
over a constructed wood or metal armature, with a more liberate and imaginative approach.
Learning Outcomes
The fresco component of the program will necessarily be an introduction, to give students an
understanding of the process (with an awareness of the potential hazards of lime and powdered
pigment). After a demonstration of the traditional method, students will be led through a simplified
version of the fresco process, on a small scale; working on individual panels of wood and structolite,
they will apply two layers of lime plaster, painting on the final intonaco layer. Working with dry
pigments and water, they will learn techniques for painting on wet plaster.
Assessable Tasks
5 reliefs and 1 fresco panel, many drawings, per student. We need to keep things moving, nothing
should be larger than 24".
Recommended reading and viewing:
1. Please visit the Metropolitan Museum before the class begins. Spend some time looking at Greek
classical relief sculpture, the Roman frescos, and Assyrian relief sculpture.
2. You might also look up a New Yorker article "Stereo Sue" by Oliver Sacks, and perhaps the book
"Fixing My Gaze" by Susan Barry, the subject of the article.
3. You might bring a piece of fruit, an apple, a pear or a lemon, with your lunch on Monday.
Materials and supplies
 Clay
 plaster burlap
 Lime structolite
 Paper, sketch book Pencils
 Charcoal Erasers
 For fresco -- 2 sheets 4 x 8 1/2 ply,
 4 - 2 x 8 1"rigid blue insulation board
 2 bags regular powdered lime.
 2 bags fine white play sand
 Paper
 Sketch book
 Pencils
 Charcoal
 Erasers
 Basic tool kit for Clay
 Glue Gun
 Glue sticks
 Pliers/Wire Cutters
 Fresco Pigment will be supplied by Pam (mainly earth colors, for safety reasons) though, if you
have some, please bring along …
 Also, if any pigments are brought to class they should already be mixed in water.
 Clean mixing tray / pan - such as for watercolors and not previously used for oil paints.
Safety materials/clothes: Lime is extremely caustic - skin and eyes should be well protected.
 Face Mask – good quality (not the paper, throw away ones..- though, No need for a super-duper
face mask - the pigments will be pre - mixed in water)
 Safety glasses - they should fit well and wrap around on the sides, as best as possible, be sturdy
and not fall off easily.
 Playtex type gloves - long and thick enough to be reusable.
 Protective shirt for clothing, if desired (lime will eat holes)
 closed - toed shoes are a must
School, Department & Class Policies
Please refer to the Student Handbook for information regarding the School’s policies on academic
integrity and plagiarism. All students must abide by the general health and safety regulations laid out in
the Student Handbook, as well as any specific instructions given by the Instructor.