Sun, Oct 19
|Marsala, Sicily
CLAY FIGURE MODELING with Brian Booth Craig
Package: $4,500
Time & Location
Oct 19, 2025, 7:00 PM – Oct 25, 2025, 7:00 PM
Marsala, Sicily
About the event
OVERVIEW
Arrival: Sunday,October 19th, 2024 with Orientation and Welcome Dinner in the evening.
Studio days: Monday, October 20th - Friday, October 24th, with Farewell Dinner on Friday evening.
Checkout/Departure: morning of Saturday, October 25th.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner (except on Wednesdays; the hotel's restaurant is closed)
How to Reach Us: Pickup from Palermo (PMO) airport See our pickup policy
Materials needed for the workshop: Oil paint, brushes, primed surfaces.
What we provide: solvent, medium, rags, brush soap, studio easels, support boards, sandpaper, pencil sharpener, kneaded eraser, chalk, palette knives, and jars at no additional cost. Please see these provided items.
Rentals: Sicily Artist Retreats provides Paint Pass and Plein Air Kit rentals. You are welcome to bring your own materials or rent ours. Paint Pass gives you unlimited use of paint for a flat fee. Plein Air Kits provide equipment for the field.
Purchases: In addition, painting surfaces (like paper and linen) are available onsite to purchase.
Rental Car: Car rental is not necessary but recommended if you'd like to explore the area after class.
A typical intensive studio workshop day can look like:
8:00 – 9:00 AM Breakfast
9:15 AM Transfer to Studio
9:30 AM Model is posed, class begins
1:00 – 2:00 PM Lunch break
2:00 – 4:30 PM Class resumes
4:30– 5:00 PM Clean up
5:00 PM Transfer to hotel*
8:00 PM Dinner at hotel
*Some evenings (after clean up) may also include a transfer to a local site visit before dinner.
ABOUT BRIAN BOOTH CRAIG
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a contemporary sculptor who specializes in bronze. Sculpting from life, his work translates the human form into contemporary icons. His figures are imbued with a sense of agency. Mixing 21st century gestures with surprising talismans, his statues are very much of our time, despite the medium’s antecedents. Verist in nature, Craig’s figures capture moments of individual self-assertion. Brian holds a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University (1993) as well as an M.F.A. from the New York Academy of Art (2013) and is an Honorary Member of the International Sculpture Center (2013).
A former apprentice and assistant to the painter and sculptor Audrey Flack, Brian also has extensive teaching experience, first as a professor of sculpture at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts (2004-2015) and at art studios throughout the world. He has been running and teaching art workshops in Italy for eight years. His work has been exhibited extensively in the United States and Internationally. Brian is represented by Louis K Meisel Gallery in New York City.
WORKSHOP DETAILS
In this workshop, students will work directly from a live model to create a 61 cm (24 inch) tall figure in water based clay over an aluminum wire armature. Students will learn how to create an accurate reproduction of the model's proportions using calipers, while also emphasizing composition, gesture and the study of form through observation. Brian will create a sculpture alongside the students to demonstrate principles and techniques, while also providing individual instruction tailored to each student's level of experience. Techniques for building and finishing forms will be demonstrated. Brian will also give a lecture on the history of figure sculpture methodologies within the context of his approach sculpting. At the end of the course students will have the option of having their piece molded and cast for shipping home.
BRIAN'S MATERIALS LIST:
Armatures and clay will be provided. Students may bring their own sculpture tools, but there will be an opportunity to purchase hand made tools for the course. Each student should also bring a spray bottle, a cotton cloth and plastic bag for covering their piece at the end of each day.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
For your convenience, essential materials for the workshop are available for rental or purchase to facilitate your travel. In addition, you'll enjoy several excursions to gorgeous local sites during the week.
Refreshments are available during studio breaks. Delicious home-cooked Italian lunches are provided on studio days. Box lunches are provided on most excursions. Dinners are provided at the hotel except on Wednesdays (when the hotel's restaurant is closed). You will have the option to eat at a local restaurant or pizzeria with Brian and other participants on this day. This dinner is not included.
For those bringing a Non-Participating Partner, we highly recommend that they book local excursions or tours while you are in the studio here! We recommend that Non-Participating Partners rent a car or arrange car services through Baglio Custera in advance so they can easily travel around on their own. Since there is no lunch service at Baglio Custera, Non-Participating Partners are encouraged to eat lunch at a local cafe.
ACCOMMODATION
You will be staying at Baglio Custera, a boutique hotel in the heart of Marsala’s countryside. Known for its gardens and luxurious swimming pool, this modern resort stands on the Rakalia hill, the site of an ancient shrine to Hercules, surrounded by olive and orange groves. Baglio Custera is a brand new hotel built on ancient lines, those of the "baglio," or farmhouse.
From start to finish you will enjoy the extraordinary cuisine of the region influenced by the unique flavors of the Mediterranean including garden-fresh vegetables, ancient grains, and seafood. All meals, accommodation, and daily ground transport are Included in your package, including a celebratory welcome dinner with Brian.
Package
- Sale ends: Oct 12, 2025, 7:00 PM
Regular Priced Tickets
Package $4,500
From $1,250.00 to $4,500.00- $4,500.00
- $2,250.00
- $1,250.00
Total
$0.00