September 26–28 · Dragon's Nest, New Paltz, NY
Cat Tarot — Create Your Own Sculpture
A sculpture retreat with Sveta Yuzhelevsky. Learn a professional outdoor-sculpture technique, invent a tarot cat that belongs only to you, and carry it home at the end of the weekend.
Reserve your placeFrom $499 · All materials and tools included · Beginners welcome
The weekend, in five parts
What you'll take with you
Everything below happens across two full days in the studio. Come curious; the rest is provided.
Reconnect with your creativity
Move from “I’m not really artistic” to the surprising realization: “Wow, I can actually make this!”
Wake up your playful, feminine side
Create a Tarot Cat that can be mysterious, sensual, wild, funny, wise — or a little bit of all of them. You get permission to play and discover a character that may reveal something about you.
Discover sculpture in a hands-on way
Discover how to build a strong outdoor sculpture from a simple foil armature and transform it into a finished piece with Pal Tia. If you are a beginner, this is an easy introduction to sculpture; if you are an experienced artist, it’s a chance to explore a new technique and outdoor sculpting medium.
Feel the joy of making something with your hands
Step away from scrolling and watching other people create, and experience the pride, confidence, and the deeply satisfying feeling of “I made this myself.”
Take home something meaningful
Leave with your own unique Cat sculpture, a little guardian or alter ego that brings personality and magic into your home or garden.
How the studio days run
From wire to creature
The order matters here, so the weekend runs as a sequence. Day one is structure. Day two is character. You're guided through both, whether you've sculpted for twenty years or this is your first time holding the tools.
Concept & frame
Imagine your cat and sketch out who it is — posture, attitude, the tilt of the head. Then learn to build its skeleton: wire, foil, and the construction principles that keep a sculpture strong, balanced and light enough to carry.
Skin, face & personality
Apply Pal Tiya over the frame, build the body, then spend the afternoon on the part everyone loves most: the face. Eyes, ears, whiskers, the exact curve of a tail. Small decisions turn a shape into a character with an expression that is unmistakably yours.
From an earlier workshop
The Followers
Before the cats, there were rats. In an earlier workshop, a group of artists and community members built their characters exactly the way you will: wire and foil first, then Pal Tiya over the top. Simple skeletons became rats with faces, opinions and wardrobes.
Together they formed one collective sculpture — The Followers — about the relationship between modern people and artificial intelligence. Every rat was made by a different pair of hands, and most of those hands were new to sculpture.
Same technique, same rhythm, same look on people's faces at the end of it. This time the characters come from the tarot.
Why this, why now
Made by hand, in a world of instant images
A machine can make an image in four seconds. This takes a weekend, ten fingers, and a decision at four in the afternoon that the left ear should sit a little lower because it makes the whole face funnier.
Every fingerprint, every texture, every expression is yours.
That's the part technology leaves to us — and the reason a weekend spent making something real, alongside other people, has become worth so much more than it used to be.
What's included
What your place includes
- Two full days of hands-on instruction in a small group
- All Pal Tiya, wire, foil and framing materials for one sculpture
- Use of all sculpting tools throughout the weekend
- Step-by-step demonstrations plus one-to-one help at your table
- Your finished sculpture to take home
- Aftercare and repair notes by email
Your teacher, in her own words
Sveta Yuzhelevsky
My inspiration comes from everything around me. I feel that everything is a part of nature. Trees, flowers, and mountains are obvious sources of energy, but I also find inspiration in the stories of people. I was born and raised in the heart of a bustling metropolis. To me, old cities are like living, breathing organisms — an extension of nature itself.
Energy is everywhere, and it's the driving force behind my work.
To keep my connection to the magic of the world open, I practice meditation. It's my way of leaving a door open for transcendence, so that I can continue to bring the light of spirit to the world through my work. I invite you to join me on this journey, to see the magic that surrounds us all.
Before you book
Questions people ask
This would be my first time sculpting. Will I keep up?
Yes. The weekend is designed around first-timers, and most people in the room will be one. Every stage is demonstrated before you try it, and the group stays small enough that help is always at your elbow.
I can't draw. Does that matter?
Sculpture is built up in three dimensions, so drawing sits outside the skill you need here. The opening sketch is a scribble to help you decide who your cat is.
What exactly is Pal Tiya?
A stone-based sculpting medium applied over a wire-and-foil skeleton. It cures hard in the open air and stands up to weather for years, indoors or out, which makes it a favourite for garden sculpture.
How big is the sculpture, and how do I get it home?
It will be between 12–18 inches. Bring a box and a couple of old towels and it travels home safely in an ordinary car.
Will it be finished by the end of the weekend?
Your sculpture is fully formed and ready to take home. It carries on curing over the following days, and you'll leave knowing exactly how to look after it — and how to seal or paint it later if you want to.
What should I wear and bring?
Clothes you can get material on, and short nails if you can bear it. Tools, materials, and aprons are provided.
Do I have to make a cat?
The tarot cat is the shared brief for the weekend, and it's what gives the room its energy. Yours can be as strange, elegant, grumpy or otherworldly as you like.
What if I need to cancel?
The $100 deposit is transferable to a future workshop up to two weeks before the retreat. Within two weeks, we can pass your place to someone on the waiting list.
A year from now
Your cat is home with you. In your garden, by your front door, watching the path. What you'll remember when you walk past it is the weekend you found the artist in yourself — the one who plays, who creates something simply because it delights her.
You made that, with your own hands, in one weekend.
Reserve your placeSeptember 26–28 · Dragon's Nest, New Paltz, NY · From $499