Renee Foosaner Education Center Offers Clay Monoprinting Workshop Feb. 9

MELBOURNE, FLA. – The Florida Institute of Technology Renee Foosaner Education Center will present The Art of Clay Printing With Mitch Lyons Feb. 9-10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In this two-day workshop, students will learn how to make clay monoprints by adding colored clay slips, colored clays, handmade pastels, textures, stencils and slip trailing to a wet slab of clay.

On Saturday, Feb. 9, Lyons will demonstrate his unique printing process and show two, seven-minute DVDs for further emphasis. On Sunday, Feb. 10, students will put to use what they’ve learned about the printing process to make clay prints.

Lyons earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in printmaking from the University of the Arts and a master of fine arts in ceramics from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, Pa. He began to explore the idea of printing with clay in 1968. In 1980, he successfully rolled out a 6-foot by 6-foot wet clay slab to pull all of his clay monoprints. Over the past 10 years he has taught over 100 workshops all over the world.

In addition to having exhibitions in Sweden, Germany, France, England and Greece, Lyons is also in collections in several museums throughout the United States including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Noyse Museum, West Bend Museum and many private and cooperative collections. In September 2011 the Printmaking Center in Somerville, N.J., invited Lyons to exhibit 35 of his clay prints.

The workshop is limited to 10 students. The cost for both days is $225 for non-members and $200 for members. Participants should bring a bag lunch for a 30-minute lunch break. Those interested may register online at foosanerartmuseum.org, or call Sara Petrosky, curator of education, Foosaner Art Museum, at (321) 674-8915.

The Renee Foosaner Education Center is located at 1520 Highland Ave. in the Eau Gallie Arts District of Melbourne.