This short course offers an in-depth immersion into wood carving, favoring an experimental, intuitive approach that is resolutely oriented towards abstraction. It is designed for individuals wishing to explore the sculptural potential of wood using a wide range of hand tools—such as chisels, gouges, and rasps—as well as the wood lathe, which is used occasionally.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Discover wood and its properties:
  Understand the key physical and technical characteristics of wood in order to adapt carving and turning techniques accordingly
• Learn fundamental wood carving techniques:
  Handle specific woodworking hand tools and power tools
• Learn basic technical processes related to form and material (stock preparation, joinery, roughing out, finishing)
• Develop a personal artistic approach to abstract sculpture:
  Experiment, observe, and analyze the forms created to identify specific sculptural qualities
• Draw inspiration from artistic references to enrich their creative thinking
• Develop an artistic concept within a group setting
• Explore the concept of sculptural series through shared constraints and formal variations
• Design and create a finished, full-scale sculpture:
  Progress from a model or miniature to the final piece, incorporating technical construction and finishing stages
• Consider the spatial presentation of the artworks

The workshop begins with a phase of open experimentation using the studio’s tools. Participants explore various ways of working the material by playing with shapes, textures, and the marks left by the tools. This initial stage allows for the discovery of techniques, forms, and creative avenues that will serve as the foundation for the sculpture and woodturning project.

Building on these explorations, each participant will gradually develop their own sculptural language. Work will take place both individually and in groups to foster dialogue and collective creativity. A simple, shared form—such as a baluster—may serve as a starting point for freely experimenting with different variations. Participants may also choose to work from a model proposed by Samuel Latour, with the aim of transforming, subverting, or distorting it to create a personal, contemporary interpretation.

This workshop is not a traditional woodturning class; the lathe is used as one of several tools for exploring form. Introductory sessions tailored to each participant's skill level will allow them to learn basic techniques safely and, if they wish, create simple pieces.

Course Outline

Day 1

Morning and afternoon

• Introductions: students and instructor
• Course introduction
• Workshop tour and explanation of tools and machinery
• Safety guidelines
• Overview of key physical and technical properties of wood
• Hands-on experimentation with wood and tools: individualized learning of techniques and hand tools for working with wood in three dimensions

Day 2

Morning and afternoon

• Contextualization through the work of artists specializing in abstract wood sculpture: Constantin Brancusi, Barbara Hepworth, Juana Müller, David Nash, Giuseppe Penone
• Continued experimentation with hand tools and machinery
• Reflection session to identify and isolate the aesthetic qualities of the work produced

Day 3

Morning and afternoon

• Contextualization through the work of artists and designers exploring the concept of series
• ...

Further exploration of a specific movement or artistic intent, with the aim of producing a scale model or miniature of a sculpture project and/or turned piece.
Drawings and rough sketches of the sculptures.
If required: cutting to size, gluing, and rough shaping of forms (using a jointer, planer, sliding table saw, and bandsaw).

Day 4

Morning and afternoon

• Creating full-scale sculptures using the various tools available
• Individual guidance from the instructor on execution techniques

Day 5

Morning and afternoon

• Finalizing projects
• Presentation and spatial arrangement
• Training debrief
• Tidying up the workshop

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