Expressive Figure in Clay with Jean O'Neal
Saturdays: April 11 and April 18, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Fee: $375 includes supplies
Class Size: Minimum: 6 Maximum: 10
Non-Refundable fee after February 28, 2026
If the class is full you can email:
lindamarymasten@gmail.com to be put on the waiting list
Join Jean as you delve into the magic of the figure with fiber clay in this two day workshop. Improvisation of emotions and expressions through the figure will be the focus. Bring your voice and vision to this rich exploration of this innovative technique. Unlike traditional clay, fiber clay does not require the hollowing out of the figure which you will experience through this remarkable process discovered during an artist residency in Sedona. Immerse yourself in the world of the contemporary figure in fiber clay in this two day workshop. All participants will leave with a completed sculpture. All supplies provided.
You will explore:
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Innovative methods to capture movement and gesture and vitality.
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Techniques to push past the common stumbling blocks of proportion, movement and balance.
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Learn to break the figure down into basic components and use them to explore their potential for various poses.
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Special attention focusing on challenging areas and weight distribution that will strengthen and unify the form.
Key workshop components:
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Live sculpting demonstrations
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presentations on the versatility of fiber clay figures.
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Individual mentoring
Elevate your figurative sculpture skills and discover new pathways to creative expression in clay!
BIOGRAPHY:
As a child, Jean found her independence on the winding dirt roads of her small Upstate New York town bordering southern Vermont, running wild within this farming community where her connection to nature and curiosity took root. In college, she studied under renowned sculptor, Jack Marshal, forging a love of form and ceramic sculpture and earning a B.S. degree in Education and later an M.Ed. in Creative Arts Curriculum & Instruction. Jean went onto a successful career as an art educator and arts administrator. She served as the Director of the Joline Arts Center and Chair of the Art Department at the Darrow School in New Lebanon, New York; as an international art educator at the Dalian American International School in China; and as the Arts Department Chair for Verde Valley International School in Sedona, Arizona. Jean has attended artist residencies in Ireland--two in West Cork at the Working Artists Gallery and Artist Residency in 2023 and 2024 where she experimented with found objects, contemporary sculptures and expressive figures in fiber clay. In 2025, she was awarded a ceramic residency at the Taller Gingell Design Studio in Barcelona, Spain focusing on sculptural functional forms relating to our quantum connections as a species. Her work is in several international collections and has been represented by galleries on both coasts.
In 2021, Jean built a studio on her Upstate New York property where she is working on a new series of work while teaching workshops locally and abroad. Travel is an essential component in her life, seeing travel as a muse to her process. In her words, “the experience of other cultures expands our perception and broadens and brightens our lens on the world, where new ideas and techniques take form.” Jean lives with her partner, writer Sean Fagan, and her dog, Wilma, surrounded by the trees of her childhood.
Website: joneil.crevado.com
