November 2016 Weekend Workshop

Whoo hoo...this is exciting!!!

 

I'll be teaching Enamelled Textures with Silver Clay at a weekend workshop in Folkestone, Kent, UK at the start of November this year.

The workshop runs from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon and the fantastic price of £399 includes your accommodation, meals, 25g of Art Clay Silver and 14 hours of teaching!!! The only extra is a kit fee of £16 which will include enamels etc, and any drinks you want while we are all there you'll buy as we go along! ;)

 

This will be a small group and it's going to be a fun weekend !! The workshop takes place in the Best Western Clifton Hotel in an excellent position on the cliff top. We will have all our meals together and work into the evenings too!!

 

This is already booking up and places are limited so don't miss out!

 

Folkestone is on a direct train route from London and right beside the Channel Tunnel, so perfect if you want to pop over to the UK to join us!!!!

 

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and a great weekend of fun and creativity!!!

 

Meanwhile...

have fun!!

 

Joy x

39/52 Flower Chain

I really enjoyed making this necklace!

When I made my necklace 'Precious' (below) I added some small enamelled links into the chain. It was the first time I had made enamelled links like that and I really liked the result. I realised they would make a lovely necklace on their own.

So I decided to make some flower links. Here they are made and being enamelled. First I enamelled the black and green on each link. Black and green are both nice safe enamel colours that will not overfire so that is why they go on first. Then I enamelled the other colours.

You can see from the photos that I started off with six links. Now an even number of pieces is not generally considered very good in design so why did I make six? Not sure really, but in the back of my mind I think there was a vague idea of enamelling the flowers one of each colour...red, orange, yellow, green,blue and purple. Of course that changed!

I had already tried the links together as six and I sort of knew I should only really use five, but as I'd made six that was what the necklace was going to be.

Then serendipity stepped in!!! While I was enamelling the blue flowers I managed to forget to set the timer for one link! It ended up in the kiln for FAR too long!!! The end result was the turquoise enamel started to slightly overfire in the centre.

The link wasn't ruined...but no longer matched the others - so that was that. The necklace was obviously only ever meant to have five links!! A happy accident! :D 

Don't you just love fate!!! 

The little link above will make it's way into a delicate small necklace some time.

I finished the chain with some handmade twisted silver links and a silver toggle and clasp. I'm pleased with the outcome and I'll be making more necklaces like this in due time.

I'll also be teaching how to make your very enamelled link chain in a workshop next year! Watch out for more details soon :)

Meanwhile...

Have fun!

Joy x

WCC 6/52 - Under the Moon

 

Now this weeks critter is an interesting one!

 

Here we have (I thought!!) a cute little owl sitting under the moon. He is fine silver made using Art Clay Silver and has 2mm orange cubic zirconium eyes.

 

BUT - I posted him onto Facebook and everyone was seeing a green man/ grumpy man with a moustache!! Do you see him? I really struggled till someone told me exactly how he was, and now I see him!!

 

It just goes to show - we should always have our eyes open to all interpretations in life :)

 

Anyway on the basis of this being an owl...

here is his poem...

 

In the dark of the night
Under the moon
He sits on his branch a hooting

 

But when the sun rises
He will be gone
Back to his nest a roosting

 

I would love to know what you see when you look at this!!

 

Have fun!

 

Joy x

Teaching Mask Making!!

 

Here she is! The second of the two masks I have been working on. She is called Japanese Mystery and is another fine silver and enamel pendant, made using Art Clay Silver. She measures approx 42mm x 42mm.

 

I am delighted that I will be teaching my new workshop - Colourful Carnival Masks - next year in the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors at Glaisdale.

 

It will be at my friend's Lynne Glazzard's wonderful newly refurbished studio on 29th & 30th June 2013. You can read the details here. Spaces are limited so book early!!

 

 

 

After I finished this mask I thought it would be fun to put a small collage of some of my masks to add to my Facebook page so I thought I would post it here as well. It is interesting to see how the masks are developing as time goes on :)

 

Joy x

Arcobaleno alla Moda

 

Here she is... finished!! What a difference a bit of colour makes :) I do hope that you like her. She is called Arcobaleno alla Moda because she is a fashionable rainbow!

 

 

The reverse is simply decorated with a few little sparklies.

 

You can see from the photo below she is quite small.

 

This is the first of two workshop examples I am making - now it is back to finishing the second mask.

 

Watch this space for more photos in the next day or two;-)

 

Joy x 

An Inspiring Time

Last week I was in Yorkshire to attend a workshop taught by Terry Kovalcik who came over from the USA especially. I was fortunate to be able to stay with my good friend Lynne Glazzard who lives on the edge of the stunning North Yorkshire Moors. This is the view from the window of their house. Beautiful isn't it.

The workshop ran for 3 days. Terry was a great teacher and made us all work really hard!

Just look at that concentration. Above is Lynne Glazzard and Lesley Messam.

The workshop was at Craftworx in Yorkshire which is run by Tracey Spurgin. As well as being host she dived right into making as well though!

Jane James, Chu-Mei Ho and Anna Campbell were also there. I already knew everyone on the workshop so that was lovely. It was amazing how much mess we all managed to make in a very short time! (especially me!!)

Here is my box at the end of day one. Still a long way to go.

Ooh look, a bird, fancy me making one of those ;-)

It might of been hard work but we all laughed an awful lot as well. Terry has a great sense of humour. Just as well with us lot!

Finally, by lunchtime on day three the first batch of boxes were ready for firing.

The one below is mine (and the bird, of course).

Fresh out the kiln and cooling down. Boxes!! It was very exciting. We did some work on the boxes before we all waved goodbye and made our tired but happy way home.

I finished my box back at home. The final polishing and patinating.

I added a simple wire as the closure.

Inside the box is textured and there he is... my little birdie!

There is a little groove in the back of the box so the bird can hang outside below the box when being worn as an option.

Finally, the reverse of the box. I was going to add more detail and do some enamelling, but decided in the end to just leave it as it was from the workshop. The finish is not as perfect as I would like, but hey, this was about learning techniques.

I feel my batteries are recharged and I can't wait to start creating more pieces putting into practise all the things I learnt from Terry. If you get a chance to take a workshop with him, I highly recommend it. Pop over to his website to see more of his stunning work.