WORKSHOPS
Whether you only have a weekend to spare, or are seeking a longer crafting experience, workshops are a time in which you are fully immersed in the medium of your choosing. By learning and creating in your class all day, then working independently in the evening, you are giving yourself the time to pursue the interests you've always held in your heart; but maybe never had a chance to properly nourish. Many arts and crafts institutions offer great accommodations, meals, evening entertainment, and a sense of community that you cannot easily find anywhere else. If finances are tight, not to worry! Most craft schools offer scholarship opportunities, work-study programs, and financial aid to people of all ages, genders, and economic backgrounds. So pack your bags, bring your sketchbook, throw on an apron, and join me in the studio!
UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES:
2025
Dip your toes into the world of jewelry making. Get a hands on introduction to fundamental techniques and tools used in crafting metal jewelry pieces. Learn essential skills such as sawing, filing, soldering and polishing as well as how to form metal into wearable works of art. Leave the class with your own custom creation reflecting your personal style and as a reminder of your creative journey.
Master jewelry making fundamentals such as sawing, filing, soldering, and stone setting. Study design and layout, bezel fabrication, and more as you work with copper, brass, and sterling silver. Build your knowledge and hand skills throughout the week and fabricate your own design and vision. Leave with a great foundation to build upon for future endeavors in the metal arts.
Explore Cloisonné, a process in which thin silver wires are formed, shaped, and filled with colored glass. Try several techniques, including how to apply metallic foil to glass, how to wet pack enamel, and how to polish and grind the surface. Discuss color theory and the ways layering, painting and blending the enamel creates the illusion of depth in your work. For students who wish to be more illustrative with their enameling or are ready to give their artwork new dimension. All levels welcome.
Enameling is the exciting process of fusing glass to precious metals. With enameling, there is no need for setting stones, spray paints, or chemical patinas if you wish to cover the surface of your artwork in sparkling, vibrant color! Enjoy demonstrations on basic sifting and firing techniques, embossing, sgraffito, graphite overlay, and simple foil applications. Leave this workshop with the skills and confidence to continue pursuing this craft when you return home.
Champlevé is a specialized process whereby the artist inlays and fires enamels into recessed areas of a metal surface. Create spaces in the metal by piercing a design with a jeweler's saw, then solder the design onto a flat background. Learn fundamental champlevé processes including depletion gilding, applying metallic foils, wet packing and firing the glass in a kiln. An introduction to color theory along with some finely tuned blending and shading will further boost your enameling abilities.
Your tools and processes of metalsmithing journey begins here! For newcomers and novices; this class will open up a wealth of knowledge for learning the skills behind fabrication and forming of metal into wearable and sculptural artwork. Demonstrations will include how to design, saw, solder, sand, polish, and texture precious metals. Leave the week with a great foundation to build upon for future endeavors in the metal arts.
*Enameling and Metalsmithing workshops for 2025/26 are still in development and will soon be available for registration!*
-Descriptions and further details forthcoming-
