BIRD ASSEMBLAGES WITH BILL SKRIPS
Los Cerillos, New Mexico
September 21-24, 2022
Everybody’s heard about the Bird…
Bird, Bird, Bird-Bird is the word
This workshop is full.
There’s no denying when you walk into Bill Skrips’s studio, that you are in for a visual overload. Not only from his creations that are hanging on all the walls, but by all the projects in mid-creation. And. Then. There are the SUPPLIES! It’s an assemblage artist’s dream come true.
You are welcome to join Bill for his second Bellissima Art Escape in his studio and this time we will be making bird assemblages.
Carved bird head samples
“I will stress technique and ability in order to propel you into independent creative thinking (and carving!). Treat the lessons taught as methods and tools new to you to help generate more creative possibilities…the sculpture that you go home with is secondary to the techniques you’ll learn.”
In this workshop, we’re going to carve a bird head and wings out of basswood or pine, make some simple wire bird legs and feet, and then assemble everything around a small hinged craft box which class participants can fill/paint in class or at home.
Itinerary
Day 1, Wednesday Sept. 21. We will meet at Bill’s studio at 9:30 a.m. After settling into the studio, and after introductions, we will go over the schedule and then it is off to work! We will break for lunch around 12:30.
After lunch, we will continue working on our projects, ending the day around 4:30. We will leave the studio and have an early dinner nearby.
Days 2-3, Thursday-Friday, Sept. 22-23. We will meet at the studio at 9:30, break for lunch and end the day around 4:30. Dinners will be on your own.
Day Four, Saturday, Sept. 24. We will meet in the studio at 9:30, continue finishing our projects, breaking for lunch. Then we will finish up, and around 3:30 we will pack up and have our Show ‘N Tell, sharing our work.
Bill uses a lot of bird imagery in his assemblages. Shown below are some of his unique creations.
One of Bill’s bird-like assemblages
COVID REQUIREMENTS
Each participant will need to show proof of vaccination at registration and you will be required to take a rapid test two days before the workshop. We will wear masks whenever we are in a public place. There are no exceptions. We will also follow any local requirements as needed.
This Escape Includes:
Four days of instruction with Bill
Some Materials
Other materials will be for sale for your use
Use of tools on site (limited)
Welcome Dinner
Four lunches
Carving Tools
Price: $1,400, limited to 8.
A $700 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration with the final payment due June 1, 2022
Price does not include airfare to/from New Mexico, lodging or alcoholic beverages. There are many hotels, VRBOs and B&Bs nearby. Santa Fe is 36 minutes from Los Cerrillos.
Bring ideas and supplies for filling the bird bodies (aka unpainted, hinged craft boxes), wing covering and/or texture, bird eye(s).
If you are not already an ornithologist, it might help to gather some bird photos for reference before the class…Bill will have some bird head and wing shapes roughly cut in wood to choose from to help you get started.
Student Supply List
modeling paste for texture
favorite carving tools (or use Bill’s)
sculptor’s rasps to help refine your carvings
Water soluble paint that you may want to use to highlight your finished form-(although, this can be done after the class at home)
Ephemera to embellish
Pencils, sharpies for detailing or delineating modeled form and carved head
We Will Provide
Soft carving wood-basswood or pine
Plain, hinged craft boxes
bird head blanks provided
wing blanks provided
wire for legs and feet
carving tools
Some vises and bench hooks
Clamps
Nails, dowels
Some rasps
Chisels/knives
Bits of wood and tin that you may want to use
Some items from Bill’s studio will be for sale for you to use (limited amount)
Los Cerrillos artist Bill Skrips has always collected things or their constituent parts, treating them as raw material for his sculptural work. Sometimes mysterious in origin or purpose, sometimes more obvious, these bits and pieces tend to spur him on creatively. Added handmade components bring the sculptures to completion—including carved, welded, painted and otherwise constructed bits. In the work, he attempts a union between the humorous and the dark, which represents his outlook on life. Using the influence of Southern folk art as a springboard, his work often approaches the absurd and sometimes the surreal. In incorporating found, “dirty” materials, the grittiness of the work neutralizes its playfulness. His artwork rarely draws conclusions or edifies—he finds posing questions more satisfying.