Maria Battista Classical Figure Sculpting
Sunday, May 31st, 5:30 pm Meet & GreetJune 1 - 5, 2026 |$1,295
In this hands-on workshop, students will sculpt an 18” high nude figure from observation of a live model. You will learn to use an idealized canon of proportion to accurately create the life-like gesture of the pose.
We will first do some quick clay sketches to develop a “feel” for these proportions and for the movement of the body in space. We’ll move on to study and use skeletal landmarks and develop understanding about the structure of the rib-cage, pelvis, and spine.
In this sequential approach, students will construct the figure in logical stages, adding more complex anatomical information in chunks as we proceed.
You'll spend 30 hours observing the model during the week. There will also be practice sessions without the model with clay sketching exercises to tackle some of the more difficult aspects of the figure such as the portrait, hands, and feet.
Demos and critique will be on-going and individualized, therefore, students of all levels are invited to participate.
The emphasis will be on how to see and respond to form and volume and to the softness of the human being with pleasure and aliveness in our work!
Learning Objectives
Observe and Reproduce Human Proportions● Practice turning what you see in a live model into a clay sculpture.● Apply an idealized canon of proportion to achieve lifelike representation and gesture in the figure.
Master Foundational Figure Construction Techniques● Use quick clay sketches to build sensitivity to gesture, proportions, and movement in the human body.● Identify and use key skeletal landmarks to inform overall structure.
Understand Anatomy for Sculpture● Analyze and sculpt the relationships between the rib cage, pelvis, and spine as a basis for a convincing figure. ● Gradually add more difficult body parts like hands, feet, and faces, step by step.
Develop Technical Sculpting Skills● Practice drawing a person by building it up logically, making it more anatomically correct and detailed at each step.● Practice working with clay by doing exercises that focus on tricky parts like faces, hands, and feet.
Enhance Artistic Perception and Expression● Cultivate the skill of seeing and responding to subtle nuances of form, volume, and softness in the human figure.● Foster individual artistic expression and “aliveness” in your work, moving beyond mere technical achievement.
Benefit from Individualized Instruction and Peer Interaction● Participate in ongoing demonstrations, individualized feedback, and critique, supporting growth at any skill level.● Learn collaboratively by observing and discussing the development of peers’ work.
Supply List for Maria Battista Retreat
You do not need to construct the armature in advance. Maria will provide you with an armature for an 18” figure and 7 pounds of oil-based clay. This includes a board for the base. Your armature can be boxed and shipped home if necessary without destroying your clay work. It would fit into a box approximately 12” x 12” x 24” (31cm x 31cm x 61cm). If you think you will want to ship your sculpture home, bring a box and some bubble wrap with you. These supplies may not be available in the small town of La Veta.
The basic tools below can be obtained at any hardware or big box store. Find the sculpting tools at art supply stores.
Basic Tools
Sculpting Tools
Purchase the following from Sculpture Depot in Loveland CO, Meininger, Reynolds Advanced Materials or other art/industrial supply store. Maria will make some tools for students to use and keep. Most commercial tools are too sharp for sculpting the softness of the human form. But here are some that it would be helpful to have, which you can purchase from suppliers.
Serrated loop on the left is right for this class. The ribbon loop pictured on right is not right for this class.
About Maria Battista
Maria Battista likes to say that she births figures and portraits engaged in wonderment about the nature of reality. She has been sculpting the figure for 25 years. Her studies began at Rutgers University (B.A.) and Kansas University (M.A.) and later took her to Tuscany and Umbria, Italy where she studied stone-carving. She continued advancing her skills for many years with the Russian master sculptor Valentin Okorokov at the Art Students League of Denver.
She is now the owner-artisan of First Circle Studios in Colorado Springs, executing bronze figures and portraits, stone sculptures, and precious metal works. Maria has installed several public sculptures along the front range of Colorado and has exhibited in the National Sculpture Society’s awards show at Brookgreen Gardens, the annual Loveland Sculpture in the Park Exhibit, and in several fine art galleries.
She has won awards from the Portrait Society of America as well for her bronze portraits. Maria has 35 years of professional teaching experience and is committed to sharing the knowledge she has received from others. Her works pursue the virtuosity of the Renaissance and 19th Century European masters while tackling contemporary themes concerning the
tenderness of the human being and the need for corporeal inter-relatedness in the disembodied technological age.
Maria's website is mariabattista.com. Her Facebook page is Maria Battista, First Circle Studios. Find her on Instagram @mariabattistastudios.
Important InformationRead Before Registering
Cancellation Policy
If the Estelle Center must cancel a retreat, you will receive a full refund.
Your $450 deposit is non-refundable. However, if you cancel your reservation and the Estelle Center is able to fill your space, your deposit of $450 will be refunded less a $100 cancellation fee.
We have limited guest accommodations. If you cancel your room reservation at any time, you will be refunded your payment minus a $150 cancellation fee.
Payments
A deposit of $450 is required to register. The balance of $845 is due by April 1, 2026, which is 60 days before the start of the retreat.
After April 1, 2026, the full retreat cost of $1,295 is required to register.
Meals & Lodging
Classical Figure Sculpting includes meet and greet with appetizers, light breakfast items daily, three lunches, two dinners, and five days of instruction. Other meals and lodging are not included in the registration fee.
Estelle's Upstairs guest rooms are available for retreat participants. There are single, double, and triple occupancy rooms that share a large bathroom down the hall. There is a separate button below where you can see which rooms are available and book a room.
Click here to learn more about our guest rooms.
Click here to find other accommodations in La Veta.
What To Expect Next
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