Miniatures workshop programme
22-27 June 2009 - The Crooked House - Rik Pierce
Rik Pierce emerged as a premiere miniature artisan in 1999 when he displayed his castle "East of the Moon". Since that time he has rapidly become the leading castle and fantasy structure creator of our time. Rik crafts stones, bricks, walls, all masonry, rocks, cobblestone streets and other parts of his unique structures from an airdrying modelling clay called Creative Paperclay© (see www.creativepaperclay.com). Most of his pieces are large special commissions, but for this workshop he has agreed to 'cross the pond' from California for a European workshop with us, timed to occur in the week just after the biggest French miniatures show, SIMP, in Paris on 21 June.
The Crooked House is typical of existing European half timbered houses that have survived for a few centuries and have settled and twisted over that time span. In this 5-day class you will make this wonderful medieval two-roomed cottage and learn techniques for using Creative Paperclay to create rocks, bricks and plaster. You will also learn techniques for distressing and aging the timbers along with painting techniques to give a weathered look.
Click here for pictures of this fantastic project. For bigger, close up pictures of this project, click here to go to Rik's online album. For further information on Rik Pierce and to see other examples of his work, go to www.frogmorton.com.
All of the materials needed to build the house will be provided (everything in the pictures except the flowers and sheep, the interior lights, paint, and glue). Rik will provide a tool and paint list and will also make some specialised tools for you. Please note that the finished piece is 18 inches by 18 incheswide, and it is 24 inches tall, so plan accordingly for getting it home!
Skills required: prior experience of modelling would be helpful but is not essential. This is an intermediate level class and will be taught all day.
10-14 participants, full board all days from Monday lunch through Saturday breakfast. Coffee/tea and water is included with all meals and throughout the day as needed, plus wine with the evening meals.
Course price: 550 euros
Accommodation + Food: per person: (2 in room): 450 euros
Single supplement 75 euros; Discount sharing 3 or 4 to a room: 75 euros pp
Full price for participants in room with 2 people: 1000 euros
10% deposit required by 21 March 2009 to confirm your place. Full payment required by 24 April 2009.BUT PLEASE NOTE: This class already has reservations and expected to fill quickly, so please contact us as soon as posible if you are interested, to avoid disappointment. We would like to confirm mnumbers before 1 March if possible.
Click here to email us for further information or to make a reservation.
4-10 July 2009 - Book-binding - Barbara Brear
Barbara will be coming from South Africa and will show you all the tricks of real book-binding in miniature. Barbara has taught courses in England and America and in this, her first class in France, you will make an autograph book with leather cover, a stamp album with 'quarter binding', a journal with faux French binding, an open book, and a fully printed book with illustrations. Click here for a picture of the books you will make in this class. For further information about Barbara Brear's books, see http://www.bbminiatures.homestead.com
Extra materials will always be available to allow you to make more books each day if time allows. The course will be taught from Sunday morning through Thursday but you will have the Wednesday afternoon off for an outing, either as a group or you can go somewhere on your own if you prefer. You will need to arrive on Saturday and leave on Friday morning. Coffee/tea and water is included with all meals and throughout the day as needed, plus wine with the evening meal.
In addition, kits will be available for sale with the paper, marbled end-papers, board and leather needed for your own creations after the course. Barbara will also have a selection of her miniature books for sale at a special price.
Course language: English 5 days, 6-12 participants, 280€.
Accommodation + Food: per person: (2 in room): 540 euros
Single supplement: 90 euros; Discount sharing 3 or 4 to a room: 90 euros pp
Full price for participants in room with 2 people: 820 euros
10% deposit required by 31 March 2009 to confirm your place. Full payment required by 30 April 2009.
Click here to email us for further information or to make a reservation.
9-16 August 2009 - Christmas shop window - Dominique Autin
In this 5-day class you will make and decorate a delightful French shop windowbox, the "Boutique de Noël". You will also create lots of typical old-fashioned Christmas items for it from paper, including crackers and decorative boxes. The roombox is a few inches deep with two windows and a central door. It is already assembled but you will paint and age it, add the wintry icicles and Dominique's signs. Click here for a photo of the prototype, which was also displayed at the Kensington Dollshouse Festival in London in May 2008 and the Paris SIMP show June 2008.
After the class, you can stay on through Saturday to attend our local village fete, which takes place all day on Saturday 15 August in the historic hamlet St Pierre sur Erve. You can watch local painters creating original artworks of the village and throughout the day crepes, sandwiches and drinks are available in the square by the old Roman church. During the day you could also stroll down to visit the famous nearby caverns (we can arrange tickets). In the evening, there will be musical entertainment in the village and a 3 course communal BBQ held in the courtyard of the village school, after which as dark falls, the village is illuminated by 5000 candles. This is available as an optional extra and makes a truly magical end to your stay.
Dominique Autin exhibits in France and her exquisite work is distributed in the USA by Swan House Miniatures. She has recently been awarded IGMA Artisan status. The display windows of the completed box will be well, but not fully, filled with goods for sale, leaving scope to personalise your shop with additional items of your own choosing, after the event. Dominique will have a range of other items for sale during the class including kits for other shops (Easter, costume, bakery, etc.) and other items in kit form.
Skills required: prior experience of making miniature room boxes would be helpful but is not essential. This is an intermediate level class and will be taught all day.
6-8 participants, full board all days from Sunday night dinner through Saturday breakfast. Coffee/tea and water is included with all meals and throughout the day as needed, plus wine with the evening meal.
Optional extra B&B day for the fete (BBQ dinner at the fete at the fete can be reserved - about 15 euros without wine; snack lunch food is also available)
Course price: 415 euros
Accommodation + Food: per person: (sharing with one other person): 535 euros; optional extra day 45 euros
Single supplement 90 euros; Discount sharing 3 or 4 to a room: 90 euros pp
Full price for participants in shared room: 950 euros; 995 with extra day
10% deposit required by 30 April 2008 to confirm your place. Full payment required by 31 May.
Click here to email us for further information or to make a reservation.
8-14 November 2009 - 'The key to the fields' - Michelle Lebouteiller and Chantal Siguret - Exclusive!
Chic shops abound in France for decorating your home with stylish furniture, pottery, linens, etc. In this fairly intensive 5-day class you will make, decorate (outside and inside) and furnish a beautiful shop of this type. This little house specialises in 'linge de lit' and other decorative items including furniture, pottery and embroidered cushions. YOu will mae or receive ALL the items seen in the photos, making this project excellent value for money. Click here to see a photo of the prototype and here for a picture of one outside wall.
Michelle LeBouteiller trades as Petits Bonheurs. She will help you to contruct and decorate the box, inside and outside, make and paint several furniture items from kits and show you how to sand properly for that perfect finish! Her friend Chantal Siguret specialises in embroidery and will demonstrate her technique and have a range of exquisite pre-embroidered items for sale to complement the room. This is the first time this class has been held and it is exclusive to our programme, so don't miss this opportunity.
Michelle and Chantal exhibit at shows in France and have made other roomboxes that are on display at the Puppenhaus museum in Basle and the miniatures museum in Lyon. Both can speak English, so the course will be bi-lingual as needed. Michelle has created this class especially for our masterclass programme based on a larger project she originally made for herself. You will receive many accessories to include (including a specially commisioned Les Hallais pillow!)and an opportunity to buy more from Michelle and Chantal during the class.
Skills required: prior experience of making miniature furniture would be helpful but is not essential. This is an intermediate level class and will be taught all day.
6-12 participants, full board all days from Friday night dinner through Thursday breakfast. Coffee/tea and water is included with all meals and throughout the day as needed, plus wine with the evening meal.
Course price: 550 euros
Accommodation + Food: per person: (sharing with one other person): 525 euros
Single supplement 90 euros; Discount sharing 3 or 4 to a room: 90 euros pp
Full price for participants in shared room: 1075 euros
10% deposit required by 31 August 2009 to confirm your place. Full payment required by 30 September.
Click here to email us for further information or to make a reservation.