Arborg’s Creative Cocoon teamed up with local artist Jerry Maryniuk to offer a hand-sculpted pottery class that featured owls.
Maryniuk said he’s taught art classes in the past, including caricatures, but this was the first clay sculpture class he’s taught. He had his participants make a variety of owls, including snowy, great horned and grey.
“Owls are a good introduction to teaching clay because they don’t have a lot of appendages to deal with,” said Maryniuk, who has made a number of life-like owls and sold them at craft shows.
Maryniuk is a retired police forensic artist who turned his skills to sculpting, painting, cartooning and writing after retirement. As a member of the Interlake Wave artists group, Maryniuk has exhibited his work at a number of shows.
He opened his sculpting class to people with or without experience. It drew a couple of students from Arborg and Arnes, adults and even a few other Interlake artists. Maryniuk even made them custom tools so that they could create the feathers.
“Everything was provided for the students, from the clay to the kiln to the paint,” said Maryniuk. “The students made sculptures about 4-5 inches high.”
The Creative Cocoon is a non-profit organization that promotes the arts and wellbeing in Arborg and surrounding communities. Formed in 2016, it partners with artists, schools and organizations to offer affordable workshops for people of all ages in the community. In addition to pottery, programs include dance, food, music and a theatre program for youth and adults, seniors and people with disabilities.
With a final class to go this week — the Cocoon generously provided an extra class to a number of students who were temporarily taken out by seasonal flu — Maryniuk said his students are putting the finishing touches on their artwork and mounting them for display on walls or tables.
With the success of this class, Maryniuk said there are tentative plans to offer another sculpting class next year, likely in late winter or early spring. That one might involve the tricky art of making appendages.
Lisa Klym, who sits on the Creative Cocoon board as co-chair, said the three-day workshop attracted nine participants.
“They hand-sculpted a unique owl from potter’s clay and learned techniques to create their very own sculpture, which then was kiln-fired and transformed into a stunning piece of art, and mounted on wood or rock,” said Klym.
Visit the Creative Cocoon online: thecreativecocoon.ca for details about upcoming workshops and other programs.
