The Learning Curve: Wax Workshop Journal with Arielle Morris

Earlier this month, Michael Vaynman led a 2 Day Wax To Bronze Workshop at TBSSS, teaching students to explore the flexible and variable properties of wax as a sculptural medium. Below, Arielle Morris reflects on her experience in Michael's workshop…

I recently had the absolute pleasure of taking part in Michael Vaynman’s 2 Day Wax Workshop, and it was honestly just what I needed. As a mum to a little boy, I haven’t had many chances lately to carve out time (pun intended!) for my own creative practice—so this course felt like a very special creative jumpstart.

Michael is a wonderful teacher, so knowledgeable, encouraging, and generous with both his time and skill. He created such a warm, relaxed space that I immediately felt comfortable experimenting and pushing outside my usual sculptural style.

I usually work in a more figurative way, but the change in material opened something new for me—I found myself leaning into abstraction, which felt surprisingly intuitive with wax. It was much more cooperative than I expected—soft where I needed it to be, and firm enough to hold intricate detail. I ended up creating a piece that abstractly represents my little family—a quiet, personal tribute to the four (including our fur-baby) of us—and I’m planning to install it at the front of our house as a kind of sculptural welcome.

It was a beautiful reminder that creativity doesn’t disappear when life gets crazy—sometimes one just needs a different material, a new shape, or a little time and space to be inspired once more. I left the course feeling inspired, reconnected, and proud of what I’d made.

Cheers!

Arielle

Thank you Arielle for your workshop journal!