A Day In The Silver Room.....

I know, buses, you wait for ever for one then they all..... It seems to be the same with my posts, though I'm not trying to give the impression anybody is particularly waiting for one... I just have lots to tell at the moment and have scheduled a time to do it (actually achieving ambition to set a time to catch up with social media networking, website work, paperwork..)
Sooo, I taught my first workshop on Friday in my new studio, I had the pleasure of teaching fabulous glass artist and teacher Helen Grierson http://www.helengrierson.co.uk/ husband Joe and their two daughters (I almost typed 'lovely' but pictured them all rolling their eyes...)  how to make wrap around silver rings, the day was so much fun and they were an absolute pleasure to teach, I always find it amazing how people show up not really knowing what exactly they want to make then after some metal bashing 'play time' a cunning plan emerges... and this family certainly had great ideas, ones I may steal, inspirational students!

 

Helen kindly blogged her silver room experience, have a peek http://www.helengrierson.co.uk/blog/

New Studio in Corbridge!!!

After much deliberation I have finally opened another studio in the lovely bustling town of Corbridge! I share lovely large airy rooms (beautiful fire places !) with talented interior designer and installation artist Heidi Ranson http://www.heidiransondesigns.co.uk/ there is also (conveniently) a wonderful Italian restaurant Il Piccolo  http://www.ilpiccolo.co.uk/ and wine bar nearby!
My main reason for opening another studio is predominantly - space, I need more space for workshops, my workshops are still very small so lots of personal attention, but I can now accommodate four students comfortably. Secondary reason, public accessibility, I need to be able to open to the public more frequently, and for the public to be able to pop in to see me. Heidi and myself plan to hold open studio's on the first Saturday of every month.

 

 

So much space!! Its a really lovely place to work, light and bright, and within easy access of cosy cafe's for lunch or afternoon tea, if later then restaurants and pubs for great food, lots of independent shops to browse and walks for the energetic, I'm really looking forward to experiencing all of these!

If you would like to take part in a workshop just contact me, I'll post my new Autumn schedule soon.

 

 

Handmade Silver Spinner/Meditation Rings

It has not been THAT long surely since I last posted!!?? Nay..  Anyway hopefully this post will make up for some of my neglect..
I just love to make spinner or meditation rings! There are sooo many variations on this theme, different textures, different satellites/spinners, different metals, wavy tops, flat tops - any top you want, wide ones thin ones... I'll stop there and show you this fun ring making process.

I will be teaching a Spinner/Meditation Ring Making Workshop on Sunday September 20th in my studio in Corbridge, in The Upper Storehouse (above Il Piccolo) . 10am until 4pm, the cost is £70.00, this includes all materials.

 

 

 

 

In the beginning there was lovely shiny sheet silver, covered in plastic to protect it from all... cut to size for the perfect fit.

 

 

Now for the fun part! Texturing the silver, there are so many possibilities, I chose a random O pattern for this ring, the silver was annealed and the pattern was stamped on with a heavy duty hammer, I find that simple designs work well, interesting  images can be stamped with the most mundane objects, nails, old beaten up hammers, letter stamps.

Students practise on copper first, they gain confidence in working with metal, gauge how hard to hit it,  have fun experimenting with the many ways to texture.

 

 

The ring is soldered, it is raised up on a cotter pin, to allow the heat to travel underneath, it is not round yet, when soldering a ring it is important for both ends to meet and the join to be tight, solder does not fill a gap, the sides to be soldered must be flat for a good fit, hence the D shape. After the solder has flowed and ring has been pickled the excess solder is filed from the inside and the ring hammered around a steel mandrel to produce your lovely round silver ring..

 

 

 

Now for the satellite or spinner rings that will rotate freely around the main ring, above you can see two silver rings, just soldered and ready to be pickled and cleaned up, these rings can be silver, copper, brass or gold, thin or thick and textured, stones can be set onto them, the choices are huge - its what makes these rings so much fun!

 

 

The spinner/meditation ring set, all ready to be put together....

 

 

 

The finished rings, they are incredibly comfortable to wear, come along to a workshop, if two or more people would like to make one I can run a workshop when its works for you!





 









Happy New Year!!! Winter/Spring 2015 Workshop Dates.

Happy New Year!!! I hope 2015 will be a happy one for you all! I had my busiest lead up to Christmas ever, which was great, it is so satisfying when starting up a new business and all the hard work that entails to feel it grow, so busy is good! I intended to spend January, usually my quietest month, designing new collections and updating my website and blog but I have hit the cold January ground running...... and so on with a new, very different and exciting commission, I'll tell you all about it later....
My new Winter/Spring workshop schedule is online, please visit my New Workshop Dates page for details.
I'm posting a few photos of previous students wonderful work for your perusal!! To be invited to 'peruse' seems to be back in fashion at the moment, I'm frequently coming across it, I like it, how civilized...
So, please, at your leisure....

 

Denise's chalcedony ring.

 

 

Kerry's cornelian and agate pendant.

 

 

Sue and Rachel's personalised bangles.

 

 

Kate's bangle

 

Suzie's bangle

 

Jessica's cocktail ring

 

Jessica's leaf earrings

 

Rachel's chalcedony ring

 

 

Mark and Danielle's wedding rings

 

 

Paul's amber ring

 

 

 

Mark and Danielle's Big ol' White Gold Day...!!

I had a great couple visit my studio to make their own white gold wedding bands, they had had absolutely no experience of jewellery making but their wedding rings turned out fabulous!

All soldered but far from round..... we have a little way to go yet! Getting them round takes some welly, and lots of tea and tasty biscuits.....

 

 

 

After the rings are perfectly round all imperfections, usually scratches from the forming process,  have to be removed, this involves a lot of sanding and polishing, its always surprising to people that finishing jewellery takes as long as the construction.

 

 

The finished rings!! Mark and Danielle did a really wonderful job on their wedding rings, they wanted them to be absolutely perfect and they most certainly were.

 

 

A bangle for Claire

I was asked recently by my sister in law Lesley to make a very special bangle for a very special person Claire who has had an extremely tough time lately suffering the loss of her daughter Charlie. Lesley had the lovely idea of both their names encircling a solid silver bangle.

The bangle starts with the name hoops that will encircle and move freely around the bangle, as always with jewellery creation, it starts off with a flat piece of silver.....

 

But not for long, they don't look too pretty - or round at the moment but give a girl a hammer, attitude and a big ol' file........

 

 

So do you think a bangle starts off round?? Again - attitude and big hammer....

 

 

Nice round hoops and bangle, but they need to be together.....

 

 

Its magic...... if I told you then.....

 

 

All polished up. For Claire and Charlie.

 

 

 

 

 

Ancient Inspiration..

Its been a loooong time since I felt really stunned and inspired by works of art, perhaps I just don't get out enough... I watched a dvd about the decorated cave of Pont d'Arc in Southern France. I found myself literally holding my breath as the camera moved around this cave, the drawings are 32,000 years old but had a contemporary and fresh feel. The artists really understood their animals, cave bears, cave lions (they now know they did not have manes!), horses and bison are painted at the darkest point of the cave where no light can reach, the undulating cave walls were used to indicate movement, lit by firelight the experience must have been so effective, as humans never actually lived in the cave maybe spiritual.