3 Day bird sculpture workshop in beautiful Bensville NSW

A$1,200.00

5th, 6th and 7th January 2026

Hosted by Carol McGilvery of 2251 Studio, 21 Yarram Road Bensville, New South Wales

The aim of the three day workshop will be to make either a 3D sculptural piece or a relief wall piece based on inspiration from the local native flora and fauna, especially birdlife which is my special interest. By the end of the three days we will have pieces ready to dry for firing.

Day 1 - (will start early to enable a walk in the bush) 8am-4pm

 Early Morning:

We will go for a bush walk together in Bouddi National Park to look at birds and plants native to the region, taking our sketch book and cameras / phones to record what we see. This will be a slow walk, where we can sit and sketch and take our time to look carefully at our environment.

Late morning and afternoon:

In the workshop space we will look at everyones images and start to work on designs for the pieces we will make, looking at possible textures, shapes and patterns that we have found in nature, and learning how we can translate these into our work. I will show some possible formats and ways that you can use your inspiration to make a finished piece.

We will make a start on our sculptural forms.

DAY 2 - 10am -4pm

We will start the day with some demos from me, I will demonstrate making some birds both in 3D and in relief, as well as the native flora that will accompany the birds. I will demonstrate some techniques that I use in my work. You will start to work on your pieces

DAY 3 - 10am - 4pm (with additional optional studio time 4pm - 7pm)

I will demonstrate on some bisque pieces that I will bring with me how I use underglaze, stains, oxides and glazes on the pieces that I make. We will look at colour ways and how you can glaze, underglaze or stain your sculptures once they are fired.

The rest of the day will be spent finishing off everyones pieces ready for their drying and firing. On this last day, as an optional extra, you will be welcome to stay in the studio until 7pm if you wish to do final finishing of your work.

5th, 6th and 7th January 2026

Hosted by Carol McGilvery of 2251 Studio, 21 Yarram Road Bensville, New South Wales

The aim of the three day workshop will be to make either a 3D sculptural piece or a relief wall piece based on inspiration from the local native flora and fauna, especially birdlife which is my special interest. By the end of the three days we will have pieces ready to dry for firing.

Day 1 - (will start early to enable a walk in the bush) 8am-4pm

 Early Morning:

We will go for a bush walk together in Bouddi National Park to look at birds and plants native to the region, taking our sketch book and cameras / phones to record what we see. This will be a slow walk, where we can sit and sketch and take our time to look carefully at our environment.

Late morning and afternoon:

In the workshop space we will look at everyones images and start to work on designs for the pieces we will make, looking at possible textures, shapes and patterns that we have found in nature, and learning how we can translate these into our work. I will show some possible formats and ways that you can use your inspiration to make a finished piece.

We will make a start on our sculptural forms.

DAY 2 - 10am -4pm

We will start the day with some demos from me, I will demonstrate making some birds both in 3D and in relief, as well as the native flora that will accompany the birds. I will demonstrate some techniques that I use in my work. You will start to work on your pieces

DAY 3 - 10am - 4pm (with additional optional studio time 4pm - 7pm)

I will demonstrate on some bisque pieces that I will bring with me how I use underglaze, stains, oxides and glazes on the pieces that I make. We will look at colour ways and how you can glaze, underglaze or stain your sculptures once they are fired.

The rest of the day will be spent finishing off everyones pieces ready for their drying and firing. On this last day, as an optional extra, you will be welcome to stay in the studio until 7pm if you wish to do final finishing of your work.