Expressions of Interest for additional Creative Arts Courses in Bellingen

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I am expanding creative art courses that are currently being offered in Bellingen, to include visiting artists. At the moment, I'm calling for expressions of interest from folks who are interested in additional Metal Clay, Mixed Media  and Polymer Clay workshops.

The expansion begins with a series of courses by Pam Annesley, an artist from Perth, Western Australia, who specialises in mixed media arts and designer jewellery using the metal and polymer clays.

Pam likes to share her skills with others. She travels to teach and also offers artist retreats and workshops at her home studio near Perth. Her workshops include wearable art, mixed media wall panels, natural bush dyes, felting, bookbinding, polymer clay and metal clay. You will find more information about Pam and her mixed media art on her blog at http://pamannesley.blogspot.com as well as her website on http://www.metalclayartstudio.com.au/.

Pam has taught natural dyeing workshops to indigenous people in the central desert of Australia and polymer clay workshops in the heart of Sydney. She has exhibited in numerous exhibitions in Australia and has been published in US Quilting Arts magazine, Australian Beading and ‘Encyclopaedia of Polymer Clay Techniques’ by Sue Heaser.

This is a great opportunity to learn new skills from an award winning artisan and create fabulous jewellery, for you and loved ones, all at the same time. Instead of travelling all the way to Western Australia to learn this fabulous mixed media art why not take advantage of this opportunity, in the creative community in Bellingen.

Right now I'm simply gathering expressions of interest through this survey link. If there are enough people to fill the classes then I will be happy to set them up.

Click Here to take survey

rebirth

I call this 'rebirth' symbolizing a new life.

A man is evolving whilst in a peaceful state into greater awareness of the worldly surrounds. In a golden cocoon-like shell  he is nourished by nature through the leaves and flowers.

Polymer clay, kato clear medium, gold leaf foil, StazOn Ink, pinata inks, liquid chalk, caning, stamping. Butterfly canes and flower canes purchased from Toni Ransfield of NZ. The leaf canes shared with me by Virginia Y, from South West Rocks, NSW.

Mixed Metal Pendant

This is a pendant that I made with copper sheets, fine silver tube rivets and a base metal focal.  The metal focal is riveted to a sheet of copper (inset) and that was then secured with four fine silver tube rivets at you see on the front.  I struck around the inner cut out with a ball peen hammer to force the metal to move... thus creating the dome and giving the piece more depth and dimension.  Striking the edges with a Riveting Hammer creates texture.

I used metal shears to cut out the frame, leaving a tab at the top that I then used a Wubbers Bail Making Pliers rolled over to create the bail. The Wubbers Medium-Sized Bail Making Pliers are great for making consistent bends.

What's on the White Board right now

Just a few pics of some bits of jewellery currently on the white board getting ready for packaging and then shipping to http://www.australianaonline.com.au/ .

Have you ever "Captured" an Angel?

Well I did, after a fantastic class with MARY HETTSMANSPERGER from America.  I learned how to burn copper with a gel flux, fold, wrap, cut with a screw driver and alter the surface to achieve amazing results and so much more at this class held at the Eclectic Studio in Sydney.

This is a locket that I created by forging copper sheets and wrapping wire.  If you look closely you will see an image behind the textured strips.

Yep, you guessed it.  It's an angel captured between a sheet of mica and copper, all secured with rivets so that he doesn't get away.

Mary Hettsmansperger is the author of - "Wrap, Stitch, Fold & Rivet" and the wonderful "Fabulous Woven Jewelry".  She has a new book out now called "Mixed Metal Jewelry Workshop: Combining Sheet, Clay, Mesh, Wire & More".

Mary Hettmansperger has been a much sought-after crafts teacher for 25 years. A successful author and magazine contributor, she appears regularly on the PBS show Beads, Baubles & Jewels.

The image on the right (pod) with cube beads, I purchased from Mary.  I love her work and just had to take home a piece of Mary H.  I shall wear it proudly.  Thanks, Mary!  I think that the cubes are made from Bronze Clay with a patina finish with liver of sulphur.  It's got an organic feel about it, doesn't it?

Please click on any image(s) to see larger view.

Bangle Bracelet

Tonight I did a little playing around with wirework and some polymer clay after finding a downloaded project by Connie Fox on the Beading Daily website from a while ago.

It's all about wire wrapping and creating links.

In the project Connie says "What do tangelos, werewolves, and bangles have in common?  All three are combinations of 2 elements: tangerine-grapefruit, man-wolf, and bangle-bracelet."

So there you go.  The definition of a Brangle Bracelet. 

I actually made more polymer clay beads than I needed.  I liked them all so much that it was so difficult to decide which ones to use in the bangle bracelet.  Had to edit it a few times to get it to the right size.  There are so many wire working techniques that I wanted to use here.  But not to worry... they'll turn up on other ones.


Description: wirewrapping,  wire wrapped jewelry, wire bracelets, wire jewelry.
Materials:  Handcrafted polymer clay beads, fine silver balls, fine silver toggle and clasp, non-tarnish artisan wire, black agate stones, and sterling silver jump rings.
Techniques:  Wirewrapping. twisted wire formed with a power drill and coiling, simple eye pins.

A New Ring: "Baby's Pacifier"

I'm playing around with making rings at the moment.  I had a bit of scrap clay left over from a cane that included some translucent clay. 

So I wadded up a bit of it and really liked the look.  I formed it into a little bowl and began to get some really good ideas on what to do with it.  I could have filled the bowl with resin, perhaps even wired in some seed beads and other stuff.  But instead had a look into my shoe box of treasures and found this perfectly sized black agate stone.

Then I had to find a way to connect the stone to the polymer clay bowl and to the ring frame.  That was easy... inserted a head pin into the black stone and wired through the ring base and covered it all up (the machanicals) with another bit of left over clay.  And there you go.

Ronna Sarvas Weltman's book "Ancient Modern" off my personal library shelf was a good reference for what I had in mind.  This book contains a fantastic gallery on polymer clay and wire.