THE COUDARI METHOD ©

I participated in Philippe Coudari’s workshop focused on sculpting a head.
His method is very technical and for this reason students learn to build a solid foundation. This approach respects proportions and will carry over into the student’s future projects.
The studio is very large, clean and bright, this is important to me. Philippe is also a very sympathetic, patient person who transmits his knowledge well.
So I highly recommend this great class! I am looking forward to doing another workshop in the near future!

J’ai apprécié l’environnement lumineux dans lequel le cours est donné, entouré des oeuvres de Philippe Coudari. Le cours est bien structuré et bien expliqué. Le week-end a passé très vite et j’ai décroché de mon quotidien. Je suis très satisfaite de ma sculpture que j’admire tous les jours, posée au-dessus de mon foyer! Depuis ce cours je suis davantage consciente de ce que représente la sculpture. Ma façon d’en voir une dans un musée ou dans un paysage s’est enrichie, j’apprécie mieux la technique et les qualités artistiques. Je recommande ce cours à quiconque est prêt à y consacrer le temps et l’énergie nécessaires. Enfin le rapport qualité/prix est très intéressant.

It was an intensive weekend for a first experience in sculpting clay. I am pleasantly surprised by the head I made. I especially thank you Philippe for your patience and sharing your passion. Yes, I would do the whole experience again with pleasure!

Nous avons vécu une expérience hors du commun. La démarche de M. Coudari nous entraine dans un monde où la technique, lorsque bien exécutée, devient l’outil au service de l’oeuvre. Il nous offre une approche qui nous permettra de mettre en sculpture nos futures idées et images. Coudari, très généreux dans ses explications, nous aide à concevoir l’objet sculpté dans son ensemble. Je ne puis que recommander cette expérience intense à tous ceux qui cherchent à comprendre comment se bâtit une belle sculpture. À ceux qui désirent voir ce que leurs mains peuvent réaliser, cet atelier est pour vous.

Mr. Coudari is a “master” in the manner he uses to explain this course. Knowing the art of visual form and color is not given to everyone. But the way he explains it, a simple form becomes a sculpture. Thank you for everything you taught me, it was very interesting and rewarding.

I recently discover my passion for sculpting but I was intimidated by the perceived complexity of this art form. M. Coudari’s method to simplify lines and planes gave me a solid base and the confidence to start experimenting with more complex pieces.

He spoke, on his site, of a course off the beaten track. As a couple intrigued by this we began our adventure from Geneva to Montreal.
Everything started with a visit to the studio of the artist Philippe Coudari. We were immediately engaged in the process. There followed three days of dizzying battle, physical and mental, the nose and face sometimes covered with dust from this raw material to be harnessed under the tutelage of a master. He remained riveted on the purpose of the exercise keeping the students on track, always attentive to the progression of one and all, ready to support our unskilled hands. All the necessary explanations were given throughout the process.  It was a marathon of involvement and concentration.  One could ask where it all would end.  The answer is a new horizon opening toward all the prospects of creation, supported by a strong methodological approach. The icing on the cake? At the end of the course the master, based on the participants’ sketches made at the beginning, showed us in a few strokes how to apply the thinking behind the course.  In doing so he demonstrated the potential of the practical application of what we learned, reinforcing our understanding of the course and reminding us that the foundation is and remains the creative act, even when it is awkward.
So, quite simply, many thanks, Philippe, for this adventure and this great class.  Your approach is truly out of the ordinary and a fundamental key to the understanding of sculpture.

At first I was reluctant to take this intensive course – anticipating that it would demand energy, concentration and would test my ability to follow instructions. It soon became apparent that Philippe has an innate understanding of each student’s character and how best to work with them. He knows how to put us at ease by providing precise instructions supported by insightful explanations and peppered with a great sense of humour.  He raises our power of observation. His patience knows no limits. Be prepared for multiple corrections of your work if needed. This is a necessary part of the learning process.

As others have testified the experience of transforming a block of clay into a sculpture of a human head is thrilling. He transports us from a 2D world to one filled with volume, structure, light and planes. His style of teaching encourages us to truly see what exists around us as opposed to what we want to see. A trip on the metro or a walk down the street observing our fellow citizens will never be the same.

I thank you Philippe for giving us the tools to enter a new dimension on our journey through life.  

J’arrivais sur la pointe des pieds. Je suis repartie la tête haute. Coudari : tout un sculpteur, tout un professeur, talentueux et généreux. Merci Philippe!

While searching on the net, I came across an art course which was perfect for me.  Being 72 years old and without any training but with a great interest for art in general, I was seduced by the description of a sculpture workshop proposed by the artist-sculptor Philippe Coudari established in Verdun.

I was informed up front that this event took place over 3 consecutive days, on weekends, and, that it was not a creative workshop per se, but a theoretical and practical course aimed at transmitting his method for developing a bust from a block of clay.

But what seduced me and attracted me in an irresistible way, and that decided me to take his workshop, was the work he presented in his website. And how much more moving was the discovery of his actual sculptures whether in bronze, acrylic, or plaster, completed or in development. What wonders, among them are his sculptures: the “Crucified” and the “Genocide.” All these creations are scattered in a vast luminous space in the middle of an orgy of plants, each more exotic than the other, and where there are also spaces used by other artists, painters or sculptors.

Mr. Coudari is an exceptional teacher. First of all, he defines what a sculpture is, then, with the help of screen projected images or with the examples of  his work distributed in the workshop, he explains how the different components of a bust are articulated and how a superb face with classical characteristics will emerge from a block of inert clay.

Then begins the project during which, gradually, according to his instructions and thanks to different instruments whose use he explains to us, we cut piece by piece, him on his block of clay and us on ours, until first a skull appears and then slowly the different parts of the face.                                                                                  

Don’t worry if you are having difficulty, he has extraordinary patience and empathy, repeating when necessary, forgotten or misunderstood information or instructions and sometimes refining an unsuccessful action.

In spite of all the difficulties I experienced, and sometimes a certain discouragement, he was attentive, calm and proved to be an exceptional teacher.

One does not become an artist with this workshop. However, one will understand not only all the work that it requires, but also and especially, the moments of doubt and those of great happiness that a true artist, such as Mr. Coudari, can experience in his creative process.

Thank you

Ça fait déjà plusieurs années que je fais de la sculpture sur argile; je travaillais surtout par modelage. Le cours de Philippe Coudari m’a permis de changer la perspective et de travailler par extraction comme si l’on taillait la pierre ou le bois. Je comprends mieux la forme et le volume. Le cours, qui est très conviviale, m’a fait vivre une expérience unique dans le monde merveilleux de la sculpture. Je le recommande fortement!

Any beginner and even amateur sculptors should attend this class. The course is very intensive, very demanding and requires a lot of attention, but you learn a lot.
It shows you not only how to properly use the tools but also how to position your body so as not to tire quickly. It teaches you how to look at your work and that of others. The course does not show just technical elements, it also teaches a way of thinking and understanding sculpture.
After the course you will not see a sculpture in the same way.
I highly recommend it.

It was a pleasure to meet you and learn your techniques for sculpting.
As a potter of functional ware, I have a need to touch and play with clay.  Sculpting is something fun to try and I found that looking at this medium using your techniques of carving and then modelling were instructional and informative. I also enjoyed your sense of humour and fun!! Coffee and lunch in your beautiful and tropical garden were wonderful!
Many thanks for the great weekend course!

Après avoir suivi le cours de sculpture de Coudari, je ne vois plus ce qui m’entoure de la même façon. J’avais bien touché à l’argile dans le passé … par le biais de la technique du modelage mais jamais à la sculpture. Quelle belle découverte ! J’ai adoré vivre cette expérience ! Peu importe le parcours de chacun, Coudari partage sa passion pour la sculpture et son savoir-faire en guidant chacun de ses élèves tout au long du projet. Tous à vos règles et à vos compas, concentration et écoute, notions anatomiques et mesures, tracés et coupes franches … partir d’un gros bloc et finir avec une tête … que c’est fascinant ! J’aurais aimé avoir la possibilité de suivre un tel cours à l’Université. Non, je ne vois plus les choses de la même façon depuis que j’ai suivi le cours de Coudari et cela va certainement influencer mon travail en peinture.

The sculpture course we did last week was five stars. I definitely learned more in three days in your course, Philippe, than in both my sculpting sessions in college!

This course has been very rewarding and I recommend it to those who want to learn about sculpture. It allows not only to understand the essential notions of structure and plans but also to refine its sense of observation. You will not look at  sculptures the same way after this course!

Mr. Coudari showed me that the head, however complex it may be, can be carved in clay by anyone using the method he created. With him I discovered that every structure is composed on planes.    I learned how to find them, and how to transpose them onto a mass of clay, thus giving form, volume and light to a work. Philippe has never (believe me!) missed an opportunity to show me how to handle the tools and perfect my technical movements. Having now learned the basics of sculpture with Philippe Coudari, I feel able to move forward and have fun in this creative universe.

Je suis très contente de mon week-end de sculpture intensif. Je n’avais aucune attente en particulier, si ce n’est de me faire plaisir et de passer du bon temps avec mes deux amis avec qui j’ai pris le cours. Je suis doublement satisfaite, car en plus de m’initier à la sculpture avec un professeur talentueux, patient et intéressant, j’ai eu bien du plaisir. Une expérience à revivre, c’est certain!

J’ai toujours voulu m’essayer à la sculpture mais j’ai toujours hésité à le faire parce que je n’ai jamais fait d’art. Je me suis sentie bien supportée. L’ambiance est détendue, il n’y a pas de compétitivité, et je ne me sentais pas intimidée par les autres participants plus expérimentés. Le professeur est patient et pédagogue. Je ne m’attendais pas à être capable de faire ce que j’ai fait en une fin de semaine. Ce cours m’a donné confiance dans ma capacité à réussir dans quelque chose de nouveau. Même ma façon de regarder les choses a changé. J’ai tellement aimé l’expérience que j’ai suivi le cours deux fois!

This note is a warm thank you for the sculpting course I took with you and in which I had the privilege of participating. The course allowed me to better establish my understanding of the structure of a head and to now be able to sculpt using the plane approach.
I greatly appreciated your structured teaching method, which I found quite ingenious. I hope to one day see it in book format!
The passage of time has allowed me to better appreciate and understand at least some of the ideas you wanted to convey to us. I thank you for your kindness and patience which made the course more enjoyable and it is certain that I will recommend this course with great enthusiasm to anyone interested in sculpture.