I am amazed to see it’s been nearly 9 months since I posted …2017 flew by in a blur. The first snowflake brought a bit of calm to my real estate world so recently I had an afternoon to dust off my work bench and just play. I had some new tools to try out, and a plethora of ideas that have been simmering on the back burner—Now to focus on a few new classes. Love this beautiful craft and process of creation!
What an amazing weekend with these very special ladies..laughed so much! It was made so much more exciting by Lynne Mizera who shared her expertise in creating background papers for the bezels-and her love for brilliant colours was contagious.
Things got really exciting from there- after some torching, pickling, pounding and riveting–and a few prayers to the bezel gods, this magic happened:
OK- not all of these pieces had a bezel, ladies got a little side-tracked. Sometimes it just happens – magic is like that. Most these folks had never touched a torch, let alone knew what a bezel was or come within a 100 miles of a metalsmith shop…. Proud teacher!!!! ♥♥♥
Just finished the final touches for my next workshop, and it’s all about bezels–metal cups filled with special treasures, and then sealed in resin. The inspiration for these little time capsules came from an old photo of my great grandmother (Barbara Ether Waddy Smith) . She passed in 1908 and this photo must have been taken in the late 1800’s, in Wexford, Ireland. This is what I did with a copy of that photo back in late 2012…
Today my work has evolved into less ornate designs and these are a few of the pieces the current session will focus on:
Both copper and brass will be used to design around the bezels, and I’m excited to see how these suggestions will be used by the class for new and innovative pieces!
It didn’t take much of a demonstration to get this crew well on their way! Happily pounding on sheet metal and firing up torches like they’d done it forever, these ladies were on a mission. They amazed me with their creativity, and enthusiasm for trying out nearly every shop tool I own.
After just a short few hours, these are some of the creations that appeared-wow.
They learned how to solder, set a bezel for a stone, how to anneal, pickle and patina, shape, make a set of silver ear wires, draw a bead with silver, stamp, come cold connection techniques, and mostly how to problem solve. They knew what they wanted, just had to figure out how to get their with each piece. The results make this teacher proud ! Did I mention how much fun we had- and to be able to spend my day in the pleasure of their company was terrific! Thank you ladies-
Maybe we’re rushing the Fall season a bit but these ladies were on a roll. We spent the day refining (bashing, beating and bending) sheet copper to make some amazing pieces to hold many of the semi precious stones and gems I ordered in especially for this workshop. Lapis Lazuli, Hematite, Blue Lace Agate, a few blue Sapphires, and some really cool purple Turquoise…
With a few waves of their magic wands, these appeared:
And just like that, ♥♥♥, our day was over…way too soon! Thank you ladies, what an awesome day! Your creations, energy and wonderful spirit inspire me-more than you know ♥
The weather has finally cooled off a bit here in the Creston Valley and the shop has followed suit…thankfully! Excited about the first class for Fall 2016-it’s going to be just wicked! Will be playing with copper and creating some awesome pieces-a time to treat yourself to some “just me” time before the hectic holiday seasons begin….mark Sunday September 25th, 2016 on your calendar!
Did I mention the soldering that will be happening? And the stones we’ll be using–carnelian, soapstone, black onyx, aventurine, jasper and blue lapis…yum. Only 15 more sleeps….If you are local or plan on being the area, contact me for course details at carolgeurts@gmail.com.
Of course I had to pick one of the hottest days of the summer to do this, but we survived. A wonderful (smoking hot) day spent with some amazingly talented friends, and artists in their own right, just sharing ideas, lots of laughs, and enjoying each other’s special gifts. None of these folks have ever worked with metal etching, let alone turning it into wearable art…their pieces left me “amazed”–♥♥♥ and feeling so grateful to be able to call them my friends..
Thanks to Anne Fetterly , Bart Bjorkman , Janet Holder and sister Linda and Danica Sullivan ! You guys rock.
Left to my own devices, within 5 minutes of going into a perfectly clean and organized studio-I will have every tool, bead and roll of wire I own, piled high and stacked like cord wood next to me….I think I am not alone in this phenomena…
Tonight I got to play with hearts-all kinds of ’em. I made these ones a few weeks ago, layers of antiqued phrases, textured clay resin, tiny glass beads-all encased in resin. These are attached to neck pieces made from bent and twisted copper or brass, leather cording, and finished off with hand formed closures….am having separation anxiety knowing these will soon be going to new homes…wish I could keep them all. I think I may have a hoarding gene or two… These pieces and more will be available next week at Creative Fix here in Creston-check out Brandy’s amazing shop then stop by for a coffee and have a look at the amazing array of Valentine gift choices she has to temp you!
Hoping you love these–:)
The last three pieces are going home today-they turned out just delicious! Spent a sleepless night wondering if the resin was going to setup-but it did and all went well-many thanks to the resin Gods…
Snow brought just a bit more winter to our corner of the world this weekend-just a perfect excuse to spend 2 days in the workshop! These ladies had no idea what a “bezel” was, let alone what to do with one should they stumble across it…. sure didn’t take long for that to change.
They already knew how to cut the back plates but adding copper tube rings with solder and flooding with solder was new to them. Only a few minor casualties, including a dime as an unintended adornment, and they were well on their way to creating their first bezels!
A bit of annealing, some hammering on the anvil, weaving some gorgeous sari silks, and the challenge of putting it all together was well under way.
While the majority of the bezels were curing after being filled with resin, these finished projects were ready for a photo opportunity–just love the wonderful ways these talented folks can take a basic concept and create such distinct, uniquely beautiful works of art.
Meantime, back in the house, the rest of the bezels were curing and just chillin’.
That was enough for one weekend-more to come on the completed projects! Here’s a sneak peak on one of them…courtesy of Ms. Amy-this bezel contains snippets of a very personal family letter, and turned out just spectacular!
