A passion for wood…
Who doesn't know the fascination we feel when we find a twig with a special shape or a piece of wood aged by time on a walk through the forest...
Wood, this raw material that comes in so many different shapes and colours, occupies a very special place among sculpting materials. It is alive, dynamic, has a ‘will of its own’, gentle, and a discovery for the senses. When you look closely, it reveals the whole history of its existence.
This enormous diversity alone can suggest a starting point or a path to follow for a sculpture. On the other hand, we may want to start from a drawing, develop a project and prepare the wood appropriately for that purpose.
In either approach, to be successful, it is important to have knowledge about wood, its characteristics and behaviour, and to choose the right tool and how to handle it.
This course is designed to offer all of this. It will be a space for dialogue, reflection about wood sculpture, from ancient to contemporary approaches, and experimenting with different tools and ways of working, and above all, for losing your fear and simply getting started!
There is room for everyone to work at their own pace, developing a small sculpture inspired by you, accompanied and supported by Kerstin and Renato, who will share with you their knowledge and experience of over 40 years of working in sculpture.
A course for EVERYONE! With two trainers and small groups of students, we are able to provide appropriate support for people with different levels of knowledge,
“All good art has contained both abstract and surrealist elements, just as it has contained both classical and romantic elements – order and surprise, intellect and imagination, conscious and unconscious. Both sides of the artist's personality must play their part. And I think the first inception of a painting or a sculpture may begin from either end. As far as my own experience is concerned, I sometimes begin a drawing with no preconceived problem to solve, with only the desire to use pencil on paper, and make lines, tones and shapes with no conscious aim; but as my mind takes in what is so produced, a point arrives where some idea becomes conscious and crystallises, and then a control and ordering begin to take place.”Henry Moore in “The sculptor speaks” 1937
Join us from July 3rd to 8th 2026 and come explore the art of woodcarving with us, and transform a simple piece of wood into a one-of-a-kind creation!
Written by instructor Kerstin Thomas one of the teachers of the Woodcarving course
Join us in July 2026 and register here.