June workshops
From earth to form: sculpting with Burren clay
This four-day workshop offers a hands-on, grounded introduction to clay sculpture, using clay gathered directly from the Burren landscape. Over the week, participants will move from tactile experiments to creating one small sculptural piece which will be fired and collected after the workshop.
Through guided demonstrations, open studio time and personal support, we’ll explore three foundational hand-building techniques — pinch, coil and slab — as well as methods for integrating texture and surface detail informed by the natural surroundings. The emphasis will be on discovery, touch and building confidence with clay through direct process.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have gained both skill and insight into how form emerges from material and will leave with a fired piece that carries the traces of both hand and place. No prior experience is necessary.
Participants should bring: an apron, small notebook (for sketches and notes) and one or two natural objects (stone, leaf, shell, etc.) for texture. All clay and tools will be provided.
Tutor bio
Francine Marquis is a Brazilian–American sculptor and installation artist based in Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare. Her work explores how memory, care, and emotional residue settle into lived and architectural spaces. Working with materials such as plaster, clay, wax, and textiles, she creates sculptural forms that trace touch, impermanence, and the quiet structures of everyday life.Marquis received her MFA from the Burren College of Art and NUI Galway in 2022 and her BFA from California College of the Arts in 2013.
Her MFA graduate work was selected for the RDS Visual Art Awards in 2022. She has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally. Her exhibition highlights include Manor-Isms (2025) at 126 Gallery (Galway), Notions (2025) at the People's Museum (Limerick), Muddy Furnishings (2024) at KAVA (Kinvara), the Summer Open Exhibition (2024) at the Courthouse Gallery (Ennistymon), Meant To Fade (2023) at the Laneway Gallery (Cork), and Out Within: A Wardian Case (2022) for Sculpture in Context at the National Botanic Gardens (Dublin).
Francine continues her research and studio practice from her home in the Burren.