This course offers an in-depth immersion in wood carving, emphasizing an experimental, sensitive, and resolutely abstract approach. It is aimed at those interested in exploring the artistic potential of wood using a wide range of hand tools: chisels, gouges, rasps, as well as a wood lathe, which is used occasionally.

At the end of the training, the intern will be able to:

• Discover wood and its properties:
  Understand the main physical and technical characteristics of wood to better adapt their sculpting techniques
• Learn the fundamental techniques of wood carving: Use hand tools and machine tools specific to woodworking
• Learn basic technical techniques related to volume and material (cutting, assembly, roughing, finishing)
• Develop a personal artistic approach to abstract sculpture:
• Experiment, observe, and analyze the forms produced to isolate their visual qualities
• Draw on artistic references to enrich their thinking
• Structure a series sculpture project:
• Develop an artistic intention as a group
• Explore the notion of series in sculpture through common constraints and Formal variations
• Design and create a finished sculpture at full scale:
• Move from a model or miniature to a final creation, integrating the technical stages of construction and finishing
• Consider the spatial arrangement of the works and their arrangement in series

The workshop begins with a phase of free experimentation using the tools in the studio. Each participant explores different ways of working with the material, playing with shapes, textures, and the marks left by the tools. This initial stage allows participants to discover techniques, forms, and approaches that will serve as the foundation for their sculpture project.

From this exploration, each participant will gradually develop their own sculptural language. Work will be done both individually and in groups to encourage exchange and collective creativity. A simple, common form, such as a baluster, can serve as a starting point for freely experimenting with different variations. Participants who wish to do so can also work from a model provided by Samuel Latour, with the aim of transforming, reinterpreting, or distorting it to create a personal and contemporary interpretation.

This workshop is not a traditional woodturning course. The wood lathe will be used as one tool among others to explore volume. Introductory sessions tailored to each individual's level will allow participants to discover basic techniques safely and, for those who wish, to create simple pieces.

Schedule

Day 1

Morning and Afternoon

• Introduction of students and instructor
• Introduction to the course
• Tour of the workshop and explanation of the tools and machines
• Safety instructions
• Explanation of the main physical and technical characteristics of wood
• Experimentation with wood and tools: individualized learning of the gestures and hand tools related to working with volume in wood

Day 2

Morning and Afternoon

• Contextualization with works by artists working in abstract wood sculpture: Constantin Brancusi, Barbara Hepworth, Juana Müller, David Nash, Giuseppe Penone
• Continuation of experimentation with hand tools and the machines
• Time for reflection to extract and isolate the plastic qualities of the experiments produced

Day 3

Morning and afternoon

• Platforming with the work of artists/designers on the notion of series 
  
• In-depth exploration of a gesture or intention, with the aim of producing a model or miniature of a sculpture project 
  
• Drawings and sketches of the sculptures
  
• If needed: cutting, gluing, roughing out the volumes (working with a jointer, planer, panel saw, band saw) 

Day 4

Morning and afternoon

• Creation of 1:1 scale sculptures using the various tools available
• Individualized guidance from the instructor on the techniques of setting up Work

Day 5

Morning and Afternoon

• Finalizing Projects
• Presentation and Spatial Design
• Training Debrief
• Workshop Cleanup

Samuel Latour is a sculptor based in Rabastens, near Toulouse, where he lives and works.
A graduate of the École Boulle in Paris, he specialized in artistic turning, particularly in wood and bronze. He subsequently enriched his practice by collaborating with designers, artisans, and artists in workshops and art foundries.

His work sculpts an intimate relationship with the material. Whether in wood, bronze, steel, or plaster, Samuel Latour combines rigorous technique with sensitive intuition. Through precise gestures—turning, molding, and chiseling—he explores the balance between fluid lines and structured forms, between stability and movement.

His sculptures are conceived as volumes to be written, conveying an abstract language made of lines, suspended gestures, and sketched geometries. Each work reveals the traces of its creation, combining formal rigor and vitality of gesture.

Based in his studio on the banks of the Tarn River, he develops an approach in which sculpture becomes a space for artistic research and an extension of the body in movement.

His work has been supported by the Rémy Cointreau Foundation and is featured in the Michelangelo Foundation's Homo Faber Guide, which promotes excellence in contemporary crafts and expertise.

• Classroom, multipurpose room, workshops with professional equipment
• Materials provided
• Individual and collaborative work
• Workshop work
• Active participation and experimentation of participants are encouraged

• Collective and personalized monitoring of work, regular updates
• Self-assessment of technical skills
• Collective feedback
• Half-day attendance sheet
• Certification of completion issued by Campus MaNa