January in the studio

We’re wrapping up our first month of the Winter semester,

and the studio has been busy.

So much learning.

So much experimenting.

So much making.

And honestly,

We were blown away by our students!

showing up week after week,

not letting snow or cold weather stop them

from coming in and creating.

That dedication means everything to us 💛

Here’s a little peek at what we’ve been exploring this month:

Little Explorers (ages 3–5)

Clay Snowmen ⛄️

We kicked off the semester with clay —

and our youngest artists were all in.

Clay is such a favorite at this age.
The squishing.
The molding.
The freedom to play and explore with their hands.

Ages 6+ | Clay Birds

I know how much kids love working with clay,
which is why we leaned into it at the start of this semester.

Students explored exotic birds,

noticing bold colors, long legs, feathers,

and all the little details that make each bird unique.

They began by drawing their chosen bird,

then jumped into creating their birds

as a clay sculpture in the following class.

Watching this project unfold has been such a joy.

Each bird lives in its own little world.

One has sneakers!

Another wears a French barrette!

These sculptures are still in progress —

and I love where they’re going.

Alexander Calder & Kinetic Art ⚖️

I’ve been waiting a long time to introduce

Alexander Calder to our students.

We explored his mobiles and large-scale sculptures,
talking about balance, movement, and change -
how his art isn’t static, but always shifting

depending on motion and perspective.

Students experimented with metal wire,

learning how balance works

(and yes — it was tricky at first!).

Then they created their own FIMO clay beads

to use as weights and elements in their sculptures.

Now they’re in the stage of bringing everything together -
building their own moving, balancing sculptures.

This project is a perfect example of process art —

focusing on the making, rather than the end result.

No two sculptures look alike.

This was one of those classes

where parents arrived for pickup…

and kids pretended not to notice

because they didn’t want to stop working.

These are still in progress,

and we can’t wait to see them finished.

If you’re intrigued by Alexander Calder’s work and find yourself in Philadelphia, Calder Gardens is definitely worth checking out.

it’s on my wishlist too.