POWERTEX WORKSHOP with Marsha DeBroske

On Saturday 08-14-2010, Marsha DeBroske - sculptor, painter, teacher - led a "Powertex Workshop" for ALOC members at the Creative Spirit Art Gallery, in Orlando, FL. Eleven members participated, we learned a lot, and we had a blast!
    
What is Powertex? It is a fabric hardener that will adhere to everything but plastic, is AP approved for non-toxicity, and gives a very professional look to your sculpture when dry. Other extras can enhance the final effect, such as ColorTricks powders, and StoneArt.

Marsha is a great teacher; she gave us an unbelievable amount of attention, answered many questions, and made sure we all went home with a finished piece.

Here are pictures of our trip to Powertex land. These are the 5 steps we followed to complete our sculptures:
Step #1:  For a human shape, cut 3 electrical wires to a certain size, & twist them in order to create a body with 2 legs, 2 arms, a head, and shoulders. For other shapes, just make sure you strenghten the "backbone/spine" with extra wire.

 Step #2:  Build your sculpture with foil. Cover each foil layer with masking tape, and keep building until desired form is achieved.

Step #3:  Cover the entire piece with Masking tape - be patient!

 Step #4:  Dip pre-cut strips of fabric in the gooey Powertex - [Powertex comes in 5 colors: Bronze, Ivory, Transparent, Lead, and Terra Cotta. We played with Bronze.] - and cover the Masking-taped form throughout. Add hair and clothing as desired, also dipped in the Powertex.

In mid-afternoon, the U.S. Powertex representative Regine Dossche and her daughter Valerie  demonstrated more interesting possibilities for Powertex when mixed with StoneArt, and other cool products. Visit http://powertexcreations.com/index.html for more information.

Step #5:  With a brush, paint on iridescent-colored powders [we used Bronsgold and Terragreen ColorTricks] for highlights in your sculpture. Voila!

Marsha - THANKS for a wonderful day of fellowship and art-making. You are an absolute gem, a joy to be around, and we have learned to play a great deal with Powertex. Readers: please take time to visit the website of this very talented artist: http://www.marshadebroske.com/.

Who knows? Maybe we'll do a show with our Powertex creations! With patience and imagination, we all came up with interesting creations: a bird, a horse, a sunbather, a mermaid, an angel and many more ideas! Doris is interested in creating a cat next...

Doris - THANKS so much for pulling this workshop together. We all know it was a lot of work, and you made it happen. You're the best!