Suzann Cromer holds sculpting demonstration and lecture

Techniques for drying the finished piece were discussed at length.

MARSHALL — This past Sunday I drove to Marshall to take in a couple of art happenings the Visual Art Center. One of these was a sculpting demonstration and lecture by Gilmer artist Suzann Cromer, hosted by the Marshall Art League.

When I entered the studio I found the event already in progress and Cromer engaged in a lively give and take with her students.

While Cromer worked, her hands deftly moving bits of clay about, she was peppered by questions: sources of materials, types of clay, measurement and proportion, mounting and handling the workpiece, firing, and drying were all discussed in rapid succession during the time I was present.

Suzann Cromer Sculpture Lecture

Gilmer artist Suzann Cromer conducts a sculpting demonstration and lecture at the Marshall Visual Art Center, Sunday October 14, 2012.

Techniques for drying the finished clay piece prior to firing were discussed at length. More than one student expressed frustration with their ability to master the task. "It is heartbreaking for me to spend hours and hours working on a piece, only to have it fall into pieces because I did not know how to properly dry it," commented one student.

Cromer has served as artist in residence for the Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, Texas, had a drawing workshop for children at the Michelson Museum, Marshall, Texas, taught LeTourneau University students a ceramics class, gives workshops for sculpting the adult head, judges art shows and gives demos for various organizations.