The Art of Mold-making
Fall 2019
Registration deadline September 30th
Course Description
This is a professional-level course of high-technical value for the absolute beginner and for artists and designers alike. Your teacher Frank Bosco has over forty years of professional experience producing molds for artists and designers including the painter Frank Stella. He has taught his skill for over twenty years to art students at the Rhode Islands School of Design. For many of his students, this course was a game changer and the catalyst that launched their creative and lucrative careers. Frank's own creative production utilizes an inventive use of casting large thin slabs, in his version of traditional encaustic-pigment-inlay to produce his narrative constructions dubbed Large-Tile Mosaics.
His training began at RISD as a student under the guidance of the potter and designer Norman Schulman who also founded RISD's glass department that produced Dale Chihuly. Frank's training solidified and ripened during his graduate years at Alfred University's College of Ceramics, working closely with his teacher, the industrial designer Wallace Higgins.
Students will learn the correct way of producing molds using industrial plasters and everything in between, including making casting slip from raw materials. Frank will train the prospective students the logics and details of craftsmanship, plus a clear and concise working practice that could potentially launch your next design idea into the marketplace.
Additionally, students will receive a pdf copy of Frank's popular mold-making book titled "Clean White Space", an invaluable resource guide, with illustrations through the process; the tools and their function; historical notes; technical notes; slip recipes and more.
All you need is a can-do spirit and the patience to follow through with the processes and enjoy the many challenges start to finish. Don’t let the cost scare you, you’ll be getting hands-on personal help at every turn from a most experienced and accomplished artist and academy founder. Think of it as an investment in your future...and what's that worth to you...priceless.
How to Register
For all skill levels
Classes include 10 sessions which meet on the following days
Class Days/Times: TBD Contact for info
$3500 Base Tuition + 100 Materials/Firing Deposit: Deposit also includes up to 1000 cu. in. of kiln space.
$3600 Total tuition charge at the point of registration.
Additional costs beyond those included in the deposit.
Kiln firing fee: 8¢ per cubic inch
Studio clay charges per $25 lbs: $18.50 any stoneware; $34.00 porcelain.
*Conditions apply for reduction firing: Size and kiln space limits all assessed for suitability.
All tools supplied
Instructor: Frank Bosco
Enrollment limited to 2 students
