CREATE workshops

It’s that time of year when I’m starting to gear up for the next round of teaching and workshops across the country. It’s been nice to be home working in my studio since March, but I find myself getting a little itchy as the days tick by and the retreats draw near. In just a few weeks, I will be in Orange County, California for the Cloth, Paper, Scissors CREATE art retreat. I do love this event, as my fellow instructors are so darn inspiring with their class offerings and the students are radiate with positive energy as they are learning and creating. Talk about being in the flow!

I’m teaching 4 workshops — 2 all day ones and then 2 evening classes. Like always, I’ve packed a lot of instruction into them. We always end the day with a completed project, but I structure my workshops so we begin with basic techniques and build on them as the minutes and hours progress. We work up to things logically, but so quickly, that my students will often say halfway through “Wow, I had no idea we’d be doing so much!” I love it when that happens.

So for all you West Coasters with a little bit of time on your hands and who want to make art, check out the CREATE website and all the incredible class offerings. Not just mine, but also my dear friends Kristen Robinson, Ruth Rae, Elena Lai Etcheverry, Pam Carriker, Kari McKnight Holbrook, and Joanne Sharpe. You can see all their bios here. Remember if you are looking for unique art supplies, handmade art from some of your favorite instructors and unique mixed-media jewelry to wear, the Artist Faire is free and open to the public. I’m working on some pieces from my book to sell, specifically metalwork bangles, rings and earrings.

Here are pics of my classes:

Resin clay, painting, texture, hand building, fiber jewelry, cold connection attachment, making clasps and findings

Cold enamels, texturizing, forging, dapping, doming, disc cutter, cold connection – lots of fundamental metalwork.

Heart’s Desire journal. Resin, resin paper, fabric flowers, doodling, stamping, surface texture, forged wirework. Lots of technique packed into one workshop!

Cold-Enameled Heart Necklace class. Learn all new enameling techniques for adding color to metal and also advanced resin techniques as well, plus metalworking of making forged neck collars and handmade findings.

Textured Circles and Creativity

Textured Circles is one of the workshops I’m teaching this year. I designed this workshop as I was writing my book, Making Metal Jewelry, because I’m wanting to teach some beginning metalworking classes that are fun and simple, but absolutely in line with the fundamentals one needs to learn when first starting to work with metal.

I’ve thought a lot about the silversmithing instruction I received at my community college. My instructor – a 4th generation goldsmith – developed his classes using the exact same learning methods that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather employed. Not that there is anything wrong being a purist, in my humble opinion, other than it sucks the life out of creativity. There is definitely something to be said for starting at the beginning and honing one’s skills. However, my overriding problem with this type of traditionalist instruction is that it’s boring. Plain and simple. BORING! The other problem is that traditional silversmithing instruction often has haughty air about it, which can be intimidating to beginners.

Again, it’s my humble belief art shouldn’t be intimidating. Creativity is spontaneous, joyful, free, introspective and unfettered. Even when writing about the visual arts a decade ago, I choose to interview artists whose work had something to say. The expression of art has always been more important to me than technical perfection. This viewpoint would often put me at odds with gallery owners and other art critics who continued to voice acclaim for the same artists; the ones whose technical skills were refined but who, again in my opinion, failed to reinvent, or even push, themselves. What good is a perfectly technical painting when it’s been done over and over? What exactly does it say? How does it inspire? What does anything that tightly controlled make me feel other than reminding me of my grandma’s girdles from the 1940s?

Even though I don’t express these opinions outright in my book, those who know me understand that making art accessible is one of my main missions in my teaching and publishing. I certainly want to create work that is inspiring and joyful, but I also want to be the kind of instructor who stands up in front of the room and sets the tone by saying, “Let’s have fun! You will learn more than you think you will and you will walk out of this room today with some beautiful things to wear.”

A lot of thought and preparation went into my workshops this year. For example, although the sample pics of my Textured Circles class looks rather minimalist, students will learn punching, dapping, doming, texturing with hammers and also a new high pressure rolling press called the Artisan Xplorer, annealing, quenching, pickling, filing, shaping and patinas (including our brand new cold enameling). All of these metalworking fundamentals are tightly packed into this 3 hour workshop. It’s metalworking 101 in a fast-paced and totally fun learning environment.

I’m teaching this workshop three times this year (four actually, as I taught it in Tucson in February); CREATE Orange County, the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee and Art Unraveled in Phoenix. If you happen to live close by any of these retreats, or if you feel like jumping on a plane and coming to meet me in person, it would be an honor to see you and have you in my classes. Also, be sure to check out all the other amazing instructors at these venues. Wowza…talk about creativity being unfettered!

Here’s wishing you a truly Artful weekend. Go have fun! Life is too short to be boring.

A bit of news to share

The current issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine. Be sure to pick up the next issue to see Susan Lenart Kazmer’s cool resin paper lamp.

Just a little bit of news to share on my blog today. As you may know, I’ve had the sincere pleasure of teaching at the Cloth, Paper, Scissors CREATE art retreat in Southern California. In fact, I will be returning next year with some all new classes that I’m really excited about. I’ve also been working with Jenn Mason, the fabulous editor of Cloth, Paper, Scissors on and off for the past couple of years on some feature articles.

Starting with the January 2013 issue, I will have a brand new column with them called The Mixed Media Metalsmith. The column will work in tandem with my new book Making Metal Jewelry, due out this December with North Light Books, in that it will focus on beginning techniques to make your own metal jewelry. I’m really over-the-moon happy about it about both the book and the column.

But wait, that’s not all. I will be doing a DVD with Cloth, Paper, Scissors as well(!!!). While I can’t yet announce the subject, it can tell you I fly to Colorado early November to do the taping and the DVD should be released next year sometime. Whew, I’m feeling a little lightheaded.

I’m also thrilled because I will still be writing my business advice columns for Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine. I truly love love love all the Stampington publications and have ever since I first learned of mixed-media many years ago. So inspirational, always! I also plan to continue writing business advice over at CreateMixedMedia.com, even though I’ve had to take a little break because of my schedule.

I know there are lots of you who love these publications as much as I do, so I wanted to let you know about my exciting news.

Here’s wishing you a truly Artful day!

CREATE blog hop

I was tres busy yesterday pouring a bunch of new resin-filled bezels for the upcoming CREATE mixed-media art retreat in Irvine, California in a few short weeks. These little collages in ultra clear ICE Resin will soon be turned into earrings and necklaces and a few bracelets to show as samples at my Resin, Set, Go workshop and also on sale for vendor night. (Please excuse the bad photos. I took them right after I poured them on the white garbage bags. They look so much more lovely when the resin is cured and glass like).

While my resin class is just about full, there are still some spots left in my other classes. Whimsical Rings, where students will learn how to make their own adjustable ring bands from copper sheet metal and also cold-connection techniques of stacking up these colorful lampwork beads. I’m also really thrilled to be teaching my Mermaid Dreams necklace class for the first time. This workshop is chock full of techniques, from making your own molds from old hardware and replicating them in resin clay then adding all kinds of surface treatments and color. We’ll also be making our own textured clay beads and then wirewrapping it all together.

There are so many amazing instructors at this event that I wish I could attend CREATE with no other purpose than learning so many fabulous techniques. I am thrilled to say I did sneak in one day to myself on Saturday to take Alisa Burke’s Large Than Life Canvas class. I have a huge bare wall in my new studio and I think this workshop is going to fill the bill. I love her style and know her personally. What an incredibly talented lady.

Here’s a little something extra special. If you comment on this post, I’m doing a little giveaway. A signed copy of my book, Explore, Create, Resinate; Mixed Media Techniques Using ICE Resin along with a 1 oz ICE Resin syringe and 2 mixed metal bezels to play with. Since I’m so excited about this event, I will include one of my handmade charms as well.

This weekend is a great time to possibly learn more about some wonderful artists who are part of the CREATE California blog hop. Hopefully, you got here from Jenn Mason’s post about the event, but if you didn’t be sure to check it out first and then work your way down the list.

So go grab a cup of coffee or an iced tea and a snack and settle into your computer for the next hour. It’s going to be fun!

• Dawn Sokol: dblogala.com/
• Dea Fischer: thestarbook.ca
• Helen Shafer Garcia: agavelatte.blogspot.com
• Jacqueline Newbold: djnewbold.blogspot.com
• Jane LaFazio: janeville.blogspot.com
• Jeannie P. Moore: Jeanniemooresblog.blogspot.com
• Jen Cushman: http://jencushman.wordpress.com
• Joanne Sharpe: joannezsharpe.blogspot.com
• Jodi Ohl: sweetrepeats.blogspot.com
• Leighanna Light: Thingmakerstudio.blogspot.com
• Lisa Engelbrecht: lisaletters.blogspot.ca
• Orly Avineri: oneartistjournal.wordpress.com
• Pam Carriker: pamcarriker.com
• Robin Dudley-Howes: robindudleyhowes.blogspot.com
• Sandra Duran Wilson: sandraduranwilson.blogspot.com
• Sherrie Drummond: sherriejd.com
• Sue Pelletier: suepelletierlaughpaint.com
• Tiffany Teske: tiffanyteske.com

And Cloth Paper Scissors Editor Jenn Mason!

A CREATE video

A little video I did about my classes next month at the CREATE mixed-media art retreat in Irvine, California. Yep, these woods are the view from my back deck. Pretty huh?

Visit their website to find out more about the event and all the fabulous instructors.

Found Objects and Mold Making

I have a Workshop in the January issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine on making molds of found objects and then casting the molds with both ICE Resin and resin clay. This was such a fun article to write because I was able to spend the better part of a week in October using up more than 2 big containers of my Art Mechanique molding putty on all kinds of bits and pieces I have lying around my studio and almost as much resin and resin clay.

Oh I do love to make molds and cast objects. It really is addicting once you get into it. The little baby above is a frozen Charlotte doll body and face that I made a mold of and then cast in resin clay. I then painted her up to look exactly like the real thing. Her sculptural skirt is 18-gauge bronze wire that I hand formed into a cage and drew a bead on either end for her feet. The rest is a little bit of resin paper, some paint, vintage lace scraps, ribbon and 7Gypsies tissue paper and bookbinding tape from my stash.

The article shows you very clearly how to do this mixed-media art technique step-by-step. My friend, Carol LaValley did the step-out photos (she’s also the person who did it for my book) so they are nice and close on the hands. I’ll be teaching mold making of found objects and resin clay this summer at the CREATE Art Retreat hosted by Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine.

The issue also features photos of the dresses made for Craft Couture at Summer CHA. Mine and Claudine Hellmuth’s dress is in there, along with the other winners.

I’ve had people ask me why I don’t also show the step out photos in my blog as a free tutorial. The reason is because once you agree to write an article for a magazine, they own the copyright to the work for usually the first 90 days after the publication hits the newsstands. Even though it’s my art work and writing, if I put the information on my blog now, I would technically be competing with the publisher. I can show you sneak peeks and also a scan of one page or so, but not show it in its entirety. I only mention this because there are often a lot of questions regarding publishing and, particularly with the availability of free information on the Internet these days, folks are often surprised to learn there are some definite professional rules.

If you are a fan of Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine, you’ve probably already seen the workshop. If you only purchase it occasionally, head on over to your local bookseller when you get a chance. I’d be most appreciative!

Here’s wishing you a truly Artful day.

Just keep going…

I returned home from teaching last week at the CREATE Art Retreat sponsored and organized by Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine in Costa Mesa, California. I taught two classes and did some filming on techniques using ICE Resin for short 3 to 5-minute how-to videos for the magazine’s website.

The filming was fun and also amusing. I know the editors will edit out the blunders, but I actually think they are hilarious because it just goes to show that no matter how perfect I try to make things, something always happens, like my phone ringing while I’m in the middle of mixing resin and my son asking me if I would come to school to pick him up rather than having to ride the bus home. Or having the mic fall to the floor with a major “thwack” because there was no place for me to clip it onto my shirt. 

The boo-boos I really loved were when I realized I needed to grab something that was just out of reach of the camera, so you will see my hands reaching into goodness knows where and somehow returning with a pair of scissors. The thing is that no matter what happened, I just kept talking my way through it. It’s kind of like when a singer is on stage in front of a huge audience and she trips. The thing to do is just keep going and never let anyone see you sweat.

As I continue to juggle my schedule of finding studio time to make art, keeping up with my publishing schedule and deadlines, teaching at art retreats and also doing my job with Susan Lenart Kazmer ICE Resin and raising a family, I’ve had lots of people ask me, “How do you do it?”

I always smile at the question because the answer is actually very simple. I just do it. I just keep going no matter what. Sure, I get overwhelmed sometimes (like now) when I look at my calendar and there are literally back-to-back deadlines as well as the Bead and Button Show coming up next week in Milwaukee.

The thing is that I’m not alone. All the women I work alongside juggle a busy schedule of art, teaching, family, company responsibilities. The friends I made this past week at CREATE — Pam Carriker and Kari McKnight Holbrook – juggle a crazy schedule too. As a matter of fact, it was a large topic of discussion for us as we talked about trying to find balance. (By the way, Pam’s wonderful new book, Art at the Speed of Life is all about this.)

Each of us get the same question: How do you do it? And we all answer along the same lines. We just keep going. We do it because we love it, because we are so grateful and humble for the art experiences we are having, because we are learning things about ourselves in the process that brings a fullness – no a juiciness – to our lives that would pale by comparison had we not walked down the road we’re on.

It takes stamina and focus to be a working artist. It takes some talent, a good support system of loved ones to help us navigate the path to our dreams and it takes a passion and dedication to the craft. When a student asked me in earnest how she, too, could start this journey, these are the things I told her.

Her eyes lit up as though I let her in on a secret society. I smiled because I used to think there was one too. I decided to write this blog post to let others know there is no secret. Just this: Follow your passion, hone your skills and keep moving forward.