Subject: December 2025 eNews: Seasons Greetings, Last Places for Marble Carving Workshops, Bookings Open for Term 1 2026 + more

Newsletter December 2025

Hi Friend

This month's features are:

Seasons Greetings from TBSSS
Last chance to book in to upcoming Marble Workshops in January
Bookings open for Term Workshops in Term 1 2026
Opportunity to work from the Life Model in Term 1 2026
Stone Carving Exhibition at Clara Street Gallery

Read on to learn more...

On behalf of all the teachers, board, and staff of TBSSS we'd like to take this opportunity to wish everybody a safe and happy festive season and all the best for the New Year!

Some highlights for 2025 include an array of inspiring exhibitions in Clara Street Gallery, our 50th Annual Studio Exhibition, all the amazing work created by students across plaster, clay, alabaster, soapstone, limestone, and wax.

A huge thanks to TBSSS teachers and guest teachers for their continued enthusiasm, excellent tutelage, and support of their students. We wish everybody a safe holiday season and look forward to seeing you all back in 2026.

Please note that the TBSSS Office closes on Monday 22 December, and will reopen on Friday 2 January 2026. Online enrolments are still available during this time.

Upcoming Workshops

Intensive Marble Carving Workshops 2026 with Usama Alnassar – 6 & 8 Day Workshops

January 2026 | 6 & 8 Day Intensives | 9:30am - 4:30pm

Italy returns to Erskineville in January 2026! Limited places left!

Workshop 1: 6 Days: 5—10 Jan, $1,360

Workshop 2: 6 Days: 13—18 Jan, $1,360

Workshop 3: 8 Days: 21—29 Jan (rest day on Sun 26th), $1,760

Learn to use traditional hand-tools and techniques for carving, including methods of transferring ideas onto a piece of marble and finding form within the stone. Participants will work directly on the famous White Statuario Marble from Carrara to acquire basic skills and to understand the nature of the material. Fees include one piece of marble, tuition, use of tools and GST.

Special Guest teacher Alnassar lives and works in Carrara, Italy among the white Michelangelo marble quarries, where he teaches sculpture courses and works on small and monumental sculptures.

ENROL NOW - LIMITED PLACES

Bookings open now for Term 1 Workshops in 2026

3 hour workshops | 9 weeks

Why not start the new year creatively! Join us for a Term Workshop in 2026. We have a range of day, evening and Saturday workshops available. Be sure to book by 13 Jan to catch the early bird and save!

Class info and term dates:

Tuesday EVE: 3 February—31 March

Wednesday AM: 4 February—1 April

Wednesday PM: 4 February—1 April

Wednesday EVE: 4 February—1 April

Thursday AM: 5 February—2 April

Thursday PM: 5 February—2 April

Thursday EVE: 5 February—2 April

Saturday AM: 7 February—28 March*

Our sculpture courses run over nine weeks, with students attending a three-hour class each week at their chosen time. You can join at the start of any term throughout the year. These workshops are for all skill levels and aim to develop your knowledge and understanding of all aspects of creating sculpture in a range of media.

Everyone is invited to explore sculpture in a welcoming, purpose-built studio—a unique artistic experience in the heart of the community.

*Saturday AM class will be 8 weeks, fees prorated accordingly

ENROL NOW

Term 1 'Working from Life' with Jenny Pollak

Sundays, 8 Feb - 29 Mar | 8 Weeks | 10:30am - 3:30pm

This intensive life study class offers students the unique opportunity to make a study of the nude in a single extended pose over 6 weeks.

The human body is one of the most challenging, eloquent and time honoured subjects for the exploration of artistic expression. Jenny will be inviting students to think about how they might push their work towards a deeper expression of the human spirit, encouraging them to create work that goes beyond the anatomical representation of the body, and encouraging students who have previously worked with the figure not to fall back into old habits, but to engage with the life sculpture study with intention and courage.

ENROL NOW

Save the dates for Special Workshops in 2026

5 Week Stone Carving with Elena Murgia | Monday EVE or Tuesday AM | 2 Feb - 3 Mar

This brief course will help students undertake the basic techniques of carving. Learn how to remove step by step the material that is surrounding a sculpture, starting from unveiling the basic volumes connected together in harmonious composition and the beginnings of the finishing process where time permits.

From Wax to Bronze: 2 Day Wax Workshop with Michael Vaynman | 11 - 12 April 2026 | 10am - 4pm

Explore the variable states of wax as a sculptural medium, construct a wax armature, learn modelling techniques and the use of tools for smoothing and texturing in this 2 Day Wax Workshop with Michael Vaynman.

Alabaster Carving with Carol Crawford | 18 - 19 July 2026 | 10am - 4pm

A unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of alabaster carving and learn from popular guest teacher Carol Crawford.

Bookings for these workshops will open in 2026—reply to this email to be notified.

Stone Carving Student Exhibition at Clara Street Gallery

8 Dec—12 Feb | Clara Street Gallery | Closing Event 7 Feb

On now at Clara Street Gallery is a special exhibition of stone sculptures curated by Elena Murgia and carved by students at TBSSS, including marble, alabaster, and soapstone. Carving is a magical process that pursues the soothing of the soul and detaches ourselves from the modern chaotic life. It’s a way to connect to nature and it informs a sense of space, training the eye and the mind to see in depth.

Save the date for the closing drinks event on Saturday 7 February, 3–5pm. We encourage you to invite your friends and family!

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Subject: December 2025 eNews: Seasons Greetings, Last Places for Marble Carving Workshops, Bookings Open for Term 1 2026 + more

Newsletter December 2025

Upcoming Workshops

Stone Carving Student Exhibition at Clara Street Gallery