Intro to Sculpture Using Wire Mesh & Plaster Cloth

In-Person Workshop

Dates: October 3-4, 2025

Time: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Studio: Madrone Arts, 216 Stage Road, Pescadero, CA​

Tuition: $375

Materials Fee: $25 payable to instructor 

Are you interested in exploring sculpture but not sure where to start? Or are you a painter who would like to try adding relief elements to your work?

Join Helen Dannelly for a fun, 2-day intensive on creating 3-D structures using wire mesh and plaster cloth. Surface treatment demos include acrylic, oil and cold wax, fabric, paper and encaustic. Use wire and wire mesh, plaster cloth, joint compound, and fiber to create expressive forms that are ready to accept a variety of surface treatments.

This course is for you if:

• You are an adventurous, beginner, skilled artist or anywhere in between. 

• You have painted with any media or worked with mixed media and want to add relief elements to your work

• You want to move off the panel with your work and create 3-D forms. 

• You want to expand your creativity while honing your critical thinking skills. 

“Creating 3-D structures for surface treatment is such a freeing process. The materials have so much potential! You realize how you can combine different materials together to create complex intriguing forms. Students get excited when they realize how very accessible the materials and processes are.”

-Helen Dannelly

Concepts covered in the course:

-Adding death to your work

-Transform wire and wire mesh, plaster guys joint compound and fiber into expressive forms.

-Learn an unconventional way of mixing mediums

-Discover new ways to express your ideas.

-Add relief elements to your 2D work.

-Expand your creativity while hunting your critical thinking skills. 

This course includes:

-Two six hour sessions with time for Q&A, live demos and exercises tailored to students needs

-PowerPoint presentations and discussions exploring artists working three dimensionally.

Student Testimonials

“I loved how this class really expanded my thinking about what was possible creatively! I’m a painter, but I always wanted to try working in sculpture. This was the perfect introduction. I highly recommend it! Can’t wait to take the next class! Helen is a terrific teacher!”

“Helen challenges students to build on the foundations of sculpture, encouraging students to begin to develop a body of 3-D work. Helen insured her knowledge and time to support each student individually as we experimented with these new materials. She challenged us to think a new ways and gave generously of her support when we had questions or encountered problems in our work.”

FAQ

Question: Do I need sculpture experience?

Answer:  No, this is a class for artists new to working three dimensionally and for those with some experience. You will learn additional techniques to expand your practice.

Question: Will we use encaustic in this class?

Answer: For those interested in encaustic as a surface treatment, I will provide a demo and materials for you to try.

Question: I work in mixed media. Will my imagery translate?

Answer: Yes. Anyone working two dimensionally can benefit from this course. We will discuss various surface treatments so if you are already used to working with multiple materials all the better!

Instructor Bio

An award-winning artist, educator and curator, Helen Dannelly is a formally trained painter and sculptor raised in California, currently living in Chicago. She studied art at San Francisco State University and the University of Minnesota. 

Dannelly’s work has been shown at Slate Contemporary in Oakland, CA, Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica, CA, Conrad Wilde Gallery, in Tucson, AZ, Adam Peck Gallery and Julie Heller Gallery in Provincetown, MA, Truro Center for the Arts, Truro, MA, Kolman & Pryor Gallery in Minneapolis, MN, Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, WI, Christopher Art Gallery, ARC Gallery, Stola Contemporary Art, CSI Project Space, Bridgeport Art Center, Addington Gallery, and Alma Art + Interiors in Chicago, IL and the Ballinglen Museum of Art in County Mayo, Ireland.

Her work in included in Encaustic Art in the 21st Century, by E. Ashley Rooney and Anne Lee (Schiffer, 2016). Her 2019 two-person exhibition "The Coral Project" was written up in the Chicago Tribune: https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/ct-sta-ent-impact-st-0201-story.html

Dannelly is Co-Founder of Catalyst Art Lab, an artists’ membership community and online teaching site. She is curator of the Forshey Gallery in Chicago that primarily highlights the work of women artists of color. She teaches workshops nationally (New Orleans, Asilomar in Pacific Grove, Maui) and internationally (France, Italy and Ireland). Helen will be a featured presenter at the NorCal Wax Encaustic Group Retreat at the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto, CA February 7 -8, 2026.