Into the kiln

May 18, 2013 1 Comment

At last my pendant is ready for firing. I began this at Anna Mazon’s workshop last weekend although I realised I wouldn’t really be able to do much work on a piece while I was hosting a masterclass in silver clay. It was a wonderful workshop and Anna’s instructions were very clear and easy to follow so I have slowly continued to work on my herbaria pendant inspired by Anna’s work. Now it has finally made it into the kiln, only a week behind the rest of the group!

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I am delighted that, after a bit of practice, I have finally got the hang of those teeny tiny flowers! This one is very much based on Anna’s instructions and the next thing I need to do is practice the technique and make it my own. Thanks again to Anna and everyone who took part.

There are still a couple of places left on Joy Funnell’s workshop making Colourful Carnival Masks 29th and 30th June.

20130518-180135.jpg Here is one of Joy’s latest masks ‘Primavera’. For more information go to my website or leave me a message in the comments section of this blog.

Filed under art clay silver, Art Clay Silver Courses, Guest tutors, Inspiration, Jewellery, jewellery making class, Master classes, Metal clay, Metal clay classes in Yorkshire, North York Moors, North Yorkshire, Silver clay classes, Sterling silver clay, workshops, Workshops in North Yorkshire Tagged with , , , , , , ,

More Mokume Gane

March 8, 2013 Leave a comment

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Here is today’s piece of mokume gane technique in copper and silver clay. It is a little whistle and I have created patina to chemically darken the copper to make a greater contrast with the silver. I am very pleased with the outcome of this and think it will make a great new class project.

Thanks again to Lesley Messam & Katie Baum for sharing so much information on techniques and inspiring me!

Filed under Art clay certification courses, art clay silver, Art Clay Silver Courses, Guest tutors, jewellery making class, Keum boo, Master classes, Metal clay, Metal clay classes in Yorkshire, Mokume Gane, New Mokume Gane in metal clay, North York Moors, North Yorkshire, PMC, Silver clay classes, Uncategorized, workshops, Workshops in North Yorkshire Tagged with , , , , , ,

A little more experimentation and a new Mokume Gane masterclass

March 7, 2013 1 Comment

I have been doing a little more experimentation after a short break staying with my good friend Lesley Messam and with the encouragement and inspiration of Katie Baum.

With Katie we made either perfume pendants or pens and I chose to make the perfume pendant. It is made in art clay silver. Since I returned home I have made an attempt at making a pen using the combination to silver and copper to make new mokume gane. I think I need to do more work on this idea to perfect it but am having fun experimenting.

I am planning to teach the Art Clay New Mokume Gane class later in the year so please email if you would like to learn this technique.

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Filed under Art clay certification courses, art clay silver, Art Clay Silver Courses, Jewellery, jewellery making class, Master classes, Metal clay, Metal clay classes in Yorkshire, North York Moors, North Yorkshire, Silver clay classes, Tools and tips, Uncategorized, workshops, Workshops in North Yorkshire Tagged with , , , , , ,

The Button Project

January 19, 2013 2 Comments

Inspiration can come from all kinds of places. A few days ago I received an email from Macclesfield telling me about the Barnaby Festival Art Trail. It included a call for entries into The Button Project. Artists and makers are invited to put their creative imaginations to work and make a button for a vibrant exhibition, taking place in Macclesfield from 14 June – 8 August 2013. The deadline for submissions is 4 March 2013 and you can download an application form here.

Any buttons entered will be part of a display of highly collectible contemporary buttons presented alongside Macclesfield Museum’s internationally important silk costume collection – that also happens to include a classic display of Macclesfield Silk Buttons. Macclesfield was the heart of UK’s historic silk industry, and handmade silk buttons was where it all began. From a cottage-based enterprise, it grew into a flourishing silk industry and helped to make the town what it is today. The buttons exhibited will be tiny works of art and the festival organisers suggest taking the opportunity to explore the theme for the Barnaby Festival this year, ‘metamorphosis’. This does seem like a fantastic chance to showcase miniature artwork in the UK’s premier silk attraction and celebrate our skills and heritage.

I have decided to attempt to make my button on the suggested theme, partly as it fits in with my love of moths, I have many of them doodled among the pages of sketchbooks over the years.

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In order to be a wearable and durable button I have decided to make it slightly thicker than I would usually work and have begun by making a large number of tiny sketches to work out the layout of my design within this small circle. I did contemplate making an irregular shape – but decided to work within the formality of the circle. Here is my little paper circle into which I have impressed the background lines of my design so that they are raised up when I roll out the silver clay. The two impressions are made using Art Clay Silver; one will become the button and I am thinking of making the other into a pendant (the slightly thinner domed version). Obviously I still have a lot of work to do on these but am happy with the progress so far.

If you are a maker then why not join in this interesting project? If you would like to learn to enamel or to make your own jewellery then I have lots of classes organised for 2013, see details on my website or email me for further information and to book your place.

Filed under art clay silver, Art Clay Silver Courses, workshops, Workshops in North Yorkshire, Enamelling classes, Paper textures, Silver clay classes, jewellery making class, Jewellery, Metal clay classes in Yorkshire, Enamel jewellery, Silver and enamel jewellery, Enamel silver jewellery, Learn to enamel, Inspiration Tagged with , , , , , ,

A work in progress

October 19, 2012 Leave a comment

Here is a little update on one of the pieces I have been working on. This began with silver clay rolled out over a photopolymer texture sheet (see earlier post) and then had an edge constructed before being fired in my electric kiln for 2 hours at 800 degrees centigrade. This gives the maximum sintering so ensures that the piece is as dense as possible, perfect for enamelling onto.
Once fired I give the piece a wire brushing and a preliminary polish. I then attach shaped fine silver wires to the surface and fire the piece again to fix the wires in place.

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The photo shows two pieces that have had the wires fixed into place. I then prepare a number of enamel colours by grinding and washing them and apply a thin layer to the surface using water to control the placement of the grains of enamel. I dry the piece before firing it again at around 800 degrees centigrade until the enamel has melted and fused to the silver surface. I apply more layers of enamel thinly, firing each layer in turn, until the enamel is level with the tops of the wires.

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This photo shows the third layer of wet enamel, prior to drying and firing. Once I have fired the final layer the piece has its surface ground back so that it is level and smooth before being fired again quickly to get the gloss back on the enamel surface. I can then fully polish the piece to finish it. I used to use the tiny heart and spiral motifs in my work all the time and have enjoyed bringing this fun element back into the current pieces.

I did get to the final firing of this one of the pendants but it was a bit late in the day and the light wasn’t really good enough to take a photograph. I hope you enjoy this insight into some of the working process. I am happy to teach enamelling classes either for small groups or on a one to one basis so please contact me if you would like to arrange something or buy a piece of my work.

Filed under art clay silver, Enamel jewellery, Enamel silver jewellery, Enamelling, Enamelling classes, Jewellery, jewellery making class, Learn to enamel, Metal clay, Metal clay classes in Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, photopolymer plates, PMC, Silver and enamel jewellery, Silver clay classes, Tools and tips Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Into the kiln

July 24, 2012 Leave a comment

The kiln is on again!

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I have been working on a few new ideas and here are some of my pieces being fired in my Evenheat kiln. It is running at 800 Centigrade and I love that I can just leave this kiln and it will switch itself off at the end of its firing schedule. To the back right hand side you can see the two little moth pieces that I began a few days ago. There are also a couple of different tops for pairs of cuff links.

The patterns for these were made using ‘Scratchofoam’ ™ a technique suggested by Wanaree Tanner in her blog a few months ago. This is a kind of thin styrofoam sheet, I think mainly used for teaching children print making, but it is easy to create patterns and textures in it using a small ball tool and, because I enjoy creating my own unique textures it provides a quick and easy way of making them. I still like to make photopolymer plates for designs I think I will use repeatedly as they are much more durable.

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These are some of patterns I made for cuff links using the scratchfoam.

I am working on a larger pendant inspired by a segment of plant growing just in front of my studio.

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Here is the scratchfoam texture I made – it does require ‘reverse thinking’ so that printing course I took at the beginning of year is beginning to pay off. I used this to create the basic framework for the stems and outline structure. Having rolled out a slab of clay I then laid it over a former and began to cut into it, to create the gaps between the stems. After I had let it dry thoroughly I then added lots of small balls of clay to create the flower or seed heads. I added a bail and a tiny loop and di lots of pre-finshing and refining. You can see the reverse side of this piece to the back left hand side of the picture of things in the kiln.

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I also remembered to photograph my sanding block. I talked about this in a previous post and thought it would be helpful to show my attempts to contain my sanding a filing dust, at the same time keeping it clean so that I can safely reconstitute it later.

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Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying seeing something of my working process. I am just going back to the studio to empty the kiln as it should have reached the end of its programme now.

There are plenty of places available on classes coming up here in North Yorkshire so why not begin your own metal clay adventure? Email me if you would like to book. I look forward to seeing you….

Filed under art clay silver, Art Clay Silver Courses, workshops, Art clay certification courses, Workshops in North Yorkshire, Tools and tips, Paper textures, North Yorkshire, Silver clay classes, jewellery making class, Jewellery, Metal clay classes in Yorkshire, Sterling silver clay, Metal clay, Silver and enamel jewellery, Enamel silver jewellery, Learn to enamel Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Flying things

July 23, 2012 Leave a comment

As you can see I am still thinking of things with wings!

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This is the rough and freshly cut out stage sitting on my hotplate. I have rolled out my little bats over my texture sheet drawn in scratch foam. This is the same piece of scratch foam I used to make various bat pendants and charms a few months ago – I keep them little scratch foam textures safely in a small plastic box so they don’t get damaged or gain additional unintended textures. Having rolled the shape I quickly cut around with my pin tool. This time I have also cut into the wings. I shaped it slightly and then set to dry. When it is completely dried I then work on refining the edges, usually using a baby wipe. Occasionally I do file and sand pieces but not very much as I like to keep the dust to a minimum.

My tip for sanding and keeping the silver clay dust is to keep my sponge sanding pad in a small plastic lidded box. The box is not much larger than the sanding pad and I generally leave it in the box, just remove the box lid to do my sanding and then clip the lid back on. This way the dust is kept contained and clean. If you do a lot of sanding then you perhaps you should consider wearing a dust mask to avoid breathing in any of the very fine particles of silver clay?

The small textured piece to the left hand side of the above photo is a test piece for enamelling. Sometimes when I get to the end of a pack of silver clay and just have a little left I will roll it out with a texture, fire, finish and then keep it. Then when I need to test new enamel colours I will have a silver bit prepared. At the moment I have a few new colours that need testing so this little piece is waiting for firing ready to use.

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I am still working on moth ideas and here are a couple of sketches on tracing paper ready to transfer onto scratch foam.

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Here are a pair of small moths, drying in their clay state – a lot of work still to do before they become a piece of jewellery!

There are two introductory courses coming up at the Pannett Art Gallery in Whitby and they are great value – the perfect opportunity to try out enamelling! To book either of these phone the Pannett Art Gallery on 01947 600933. They will require a deposit and places are limited so book quickly. If they happen to be full please contact me or leave a comment here as if there is enough interest it may be possible to arrange more dates.

Tuesday 7th August Introduction to cloisonné enamelling at Pannett Art Gallery, Whitby -
£55 per person

Saturday 11th August 2012 Introduction to enamelling on copper at Pannett Art Gallery with Tilly Wilkinson – £55 per person

I have the following classes coming up in my own studio in Glaisdale. There are also a few weekday dates available in August and September if you want to do a particular class such as ring making, hollow silver beads or setting beach glass – just get in touch to arrange something to suit.

Saturday 18th August 2012 Introduction to Art Clay Silver £145

Saturday 22nd September 2012 Introduction to Art Clay Silver £145

Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st October 2012, a two day workshop. Cloisonné enamel on art clay silver with Lynne Glazzard £350. On the first day you will design and make a silver pendant, learning about design for enamel. On the second day you will prepare and apply wire patterns followed by thin layers of enamel, firing each layer in turn. You will then learn methods for finishing the piece to a high standard. The course includes small amounts of enamel, enough to complete the project.

Saturday 27th October 2012 Introduction to Art Clay Silver £145

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Thursday 8th and Friday 9th November 2012 – two day workshop. Glass and art clay silver combination beads with Lynne Glazzard £360. On the first day you will learn to apply a variety of art clay silver products to the surface of glass beads before firing and annealing them in the kiln. On day two you will make some art clay silver beads to complement the glass beads before finishing them all to a high standard. Some glass beads are included in the course fee but not the art clay silver. A detailed materials list will be supplied in advance but you will need approximately 20g Art Clay 650; 10g Syringe type, Art Clay Silver Overlay paste

Terms and conditions 50% deposit required to confirm a place, balance payable by cheque or cash 7 days prior to the first day of the class.

7 days notice of cancellation of a booking is required so that we can resell the workshop place.
In the event of cancellation more than 7 days before the class the deposit can be carried over to another mutually convenient date.
Cancellation by the student less than 7 days prior to a workshop will result in forfeit of your deposit and course fee
Each class has a maximum number of places available and a minimum number before it can run. If we have to cancel a workshop we will give as much notice as possible and a place will be offered for an alternative workshop at a future date. Refunds will be given in the event of tutor illness or insufficient numbers booked for a workshop.
We reserve the rights to vary these terms and conditions at any time.

The studio is based in the beautiful village of Glaisdale approximately 12 miles from Whitby on the North Yorkshire Moors.

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Filed under Art clay certification courses, art clay silver, Art Clay Silver Courses, Enamel jewellery, Enamel silver jewellery, Enamelling, Enamelling classes, jewellery making class, Learn to enamel, Metal clay, Metal clay classes in Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, PMC, Silver and enamel jewellery, Silver clay classes, Sterling silver clay, workshops, Workshops in North Yorkshire Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Moths and butterflies

July 20, 2012 1 Comment

The Guild of Enamellers exhibition is up and running at the Pannett Art Gallery, it continues until 12 August 2012 and in the meantime I have gone back to working on a few ideas. For a while now I have been looking at moths and butterflies and how they are used as inspiration for jewellery. Some of the most striking examples are found in the Art Nouveau jewellery of the early 20th century and I was lucky to visit the museum of decorative arts in Paris recently and look at some beautiful pieces (sadly no photography allowed – and a very poor book available)!

Anyway, I am back working slowly on these ideas.

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The wet weather means there haven’t been many butterflies in evidence in the garden this year but yesterday I was lucky to find a couple of ringlets in the polytunnel.

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I was able to gently catch this one and it stayed quietly on my hand for some time, allowing me to really appreciate it’s beauty and observe how fluffy it’s body was and the fine lines of the structure of its wings. Eventually it flew off into the garden. Although this wasn’t a particularly vivid butterfly it has given me new inspiration and I will continue to work on my attempts to capture the essence of this ephemeral creature.

I have plenty of classes coming up – just get in contact if you would like to learn to make your own beautiful piece of silver or enamelled jewellery.

Filed under art clay silver, workshops, Workshops in North Yorkshire, Enamelling classes, Keum boo, North Yorkshire, Silver clay classes, jewellery making class, Metal clay classes in Yorkshire, PMC, Sterling silver clay, Metal clay, Enamel jewellery, Silver and enamel jewellery, Enamel silver jewellery, Learn to enamel, silver clay rings Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Jewellery making Classes in Yorkshire, dates still available

June 15, 2012 Leave a comment

*Saturday and Sunday 7th and 8th July 2012 Special Two Day Enamelling workshop with Guest Tutor Tilly Wilkinson, teaching Images into Enamel £150 per person for the weekend course – See separate post for more information. This is the first weekend of the Guild of Enamellers Exhibition at the Pannett Art Gallery in Whitby – see website for more information
**Limited places available – advanced booking essential**

Saturday 21st July 2012 Embellish silver beads with enamel £170
Learn how to add wire patterns to the surface of silver beads and then add enamel, firing them in the electric kiln – to make your own special focal beads. (Handmade lamp-work glass beads will be available to purchase on the day to complete your own special necklace).

Plique a jour enamel in art clay silver with Lynne Glazzard £340
Saturday 28th July and Sunday 29th July 2012, a two day workshop. On the first day you will design and make silver earrings, learning the basic principles of design for plique a jour enamel and firing and finishing them ready for the second day. On day two you will learn to prepare the enamel and to apply it, firing and gradually building up the cells until they are filled. You will then give the pieces a final finish and add the findings ready to wear. The course includes small amounts of three enamel colours, enough to complete the project.

These two introductory courses are great value – perfect opportunity to try out enamelling!

Tuesday 7th August Introduction to cloisonné enamelling at Pannett Art Gallery, Whitby -
£55 per person

Saturday 11th August 2012 Introduction to enamelling on copper at Pannett Art Gallery with Tilly Wilkinson – £55 per person

Saturday 18th August 2012 Introduction to Art Clay Silver £145

Saturday 8th September 2012 Introduction to Art Clay Silver £145
Saturday 22nd September 2012 Introduction to Art Clay Silver £145

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Cloisonné enamel on art clay silver with Lynne Glazzard £350
Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st October 2012, a two day workshop. On the first day you will design and make a silver pendant, learning about design for enamel.
On the second day you will prepare and apply wire patterns followed by thin layers of enamel, firing each layer in turn. You will then learn methods for finishing the piece to a high standard. The course includes small amounts of enamel, enough to complete the project.

Glass and art clay silver combination beads with Lynne Glazzard £360
Thursday 8th and Friday 9th November 2012 – two day workshop. On the first day you will learn to apply a variety of art clay silver products to the surface of glass beads before firing and annealing them in the kiln. On day two you will make some art clay silver beads to complement the glass beads before finishing them all to a high standard. Some glass beads are included in the course fee but not the art clay silver. A detailed materials list will be supplied in advance but you will need approximately 20g Art Clay 650; 10g Syringe type, Art Clay Silver Overlay paste

Terms and conditions 50% deposit required to confirm a place, balance payable by cheque or cash 7 days prior to the first day of the class.

7 days notice of cancellation of a booking is required so that we can resell the workshop place.
In the event of cancellation more than 7 days before the class the deposit can be carried over to another mutually convenient date.
Cancellation by the student less than 7 days prior to a workshop will result in forfeit of your deposit and course fee
Each class has a maximum number of places available and a minimum number before it can run. If we have to cancel a workshop we will give as much notice as possible and a place will be offered for an alternative workshop at a future date. Refunds will be given in the event of tutor illness or insufficient numbers booked for a workshop.
We reserve the rights to vary these terms and conditions at any time.

The studio is based in the beautiful village of Glaisdale approximately 12 miles from Whitby on the North Yorkshire Moor

Filed under art clay silver, Art Clay Silver Courses, Art clay certification courses, Workshops in North Yorkshire, Enamelling classes, Tools and tips, North Yorkshire, Silver clay classes, jewellery making class, Metal clay classes in Yorkshire, Hollow beads in metal clay, PMC, Sterling silver clay, Silver and enamel jewellery, Enamel silver jewellery, Learn to enamel, Charm beads, silver clay rings, Making rings in silver Tagged with , , , , , ,

North Yorkshire Open Studios

June 10, 2012 Leave a comment

I am just about to go into the studio and open ready for today’s event. I will also be open on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th June 2012 and open during the week 11th to 14th June by appointment. During Open Studios I will be demonstrating a variety of techniques during the day, starting at 11am – including making unique silver jewellery using art clay silver.

The road from Egton to Glaisdale is going to be closed near Beggars Bridge for three weeks during the period of Open Studios. To get to Glaisdale you will have to approach via Lealholm or Rosedale. This affects anyone intending to visit – but it will be worth the trip to see my wonderful new studio, watch demos and buy something from my new ranges of work.

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Yesterday I did a few demonstrations of lamp work bead making, creating some tiny bumpy beads for a necklace I have planned. Today I will be doing a bit of work on a large pendant using art clay silver. I love working in and teaching metal clay. It is great for creating interesting three dimensional pieces with unique textures. I am currently working on is a little architectural piece, part of my new range of work inspired by some of the many buildings I visited and studied while I taught history of architecture and design (a few years ago now). For the past few years I have created work inspired mainly by my local environment – plants and flowers and the patterns of the landscape and it has taken me a while to come around to the idea of using my architectural studies and love of historical places as a theme for work.

Yesterday was lovely, a nice mix of regular visitors and new faces and I am hoping for more visitors again today.

Filed under art clay silver, Charm beads, Enamel jewellery, Enamel silver jewellery, Enamelling classes, Glass bead jewellery, Hollow beads in metal clay, Jewellery, jewellery making class, Keum boo, Lampwork beads, Learn to enamel, Making rings in silver, Metal clay, Metal clay classes in Yorkshire Tagged with , , , , , ,

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