Open Studio At the Lander Art Center

This fall I will be offering an open studio class at the Lander Art Center Wednesdays beginning September 18th through October 23rd from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.  This will be an open studio with a short demo.  The idea is that we will have 3 different projects to work on or folks can work of their own projects.  I will effectively be the studio monitor but will also function as instructor if needed.  The price is an unreasonably inexpensive $10 plus materials or consumables.

Here are the projects/demos that I am tentatively planning on presenting...

WEEK 1 & 2--EARRING EXTRAVAGANZA


With this class I will show how to create various types of earwires including balled end and open hooks, hoops, posts, hoops with a little latch, those cool spirals and kidney wires.  These projects will feature forging, beading wire, wire work, light soldering and finishing.


WEEK 3 & 4--ROLLING ALONG WITH THE ROLLING MILL AND ROLLING MILL OVAL BRACELET OR NECKLACE

This class will feature use of the rolling mill and various different textures.  I have new leaf skeletons, new brass plates and I am excited to work with new laser cut templates from Rolling Mill Resource, a site on Etsy with some interesting new textures.  I will have a few but if you really want to get involved in it order a few sheets from them before the class starts.

Once we get rolling, pun intended, I want to cut disks and run them through the rolling mill to make ovals that we can use as parts of a bracelet or necklace.  This will entail stacking and beading a wire for a rivet or simply putting them together with a jump ring.


WEEK 5 & 6--SETTING STONES.

In this class we will set stones in bezels, in tubes and with prongs.  We will probably set on simple rings  to facilitate getting something tangible done.

My First Gold Rings

Making My First Gold Rings

I have been making jewelry for a while now and have not gotten into gold.  It's pretty obvious that making something in gold for the last few years has been no minor matter with gold reaching $1800 per ounce in 2011.

I was approached about a year ago by my client to create two special wedding rings in white and yellow gold with a landscape of the location in the Wind River Mountains where they got engaged to be married.  Her ring would also have a small diamond flush set into the ring.

It has been fun working with Anna and Evan (mostly Anna) and seeing her idea come to fruition.  I started out with a silver and brass prototype and eventually made the leap, bought the materials (I ordered more than I should have on accident!) and started the project.  After a few false starts I have to admit that working with gold is a joy.  I have always heard that and now I know it is true.  One of the problems that I encountered was my own fault...I only ordered white gold hard solder and then had to layer and re-solder, upsetting old joins or weakening them.  I bit the bullet and ordered some easy and medium and everything came together, literally, beautifully!

Making Big Metal Flowers

Making Big Metal Flowers

Well, I have been on a flower binge lately, making big showy ones.  The inspiration to make flowers is always with me as plants are some of my favorite things.  I am endlessly fascinated by the shape, color and texture of flowers and leaves and my own attempts to create metal versions are pretty pale in comparison to what Mother Nature comes up with.  Nonetheless... My original inspiration was from a Craftcast class by Barbara Becker Simon.  It is called "Creating a BIG toggle in Metal Clay with Barbara Becker Simon" and is really wonderful--large, well-done with attention to detail and very stylized.  I took some of her concepts, such as thickening the edges of the form and adding carving and came ip with this copper clay poppy.  I really love it and the addition of the coral, green pearl and sparkly Swarovski crystal makes it really dramatic.  I had to go out and find some clothing to go with it and I wore it to the Governor's Arts Awards dinner in February.


This one wasn't a toggle, I wanted to create an inset toggle but it went to wonky so it is just hooked on the back.  So...I made another with the toggle design...

Then I wanted to make something with Hadar's Pearl Gray Steel pieces so I made a Moth Orchid...I also made a wonderful orchid with Fast Fire Bronze that came out with a fantastic patina, as well as several other larger imaginative flowers, but more on those at a later time.