New classes and my schedule for 2019

Some exciting news today :-). A little bit about my new classes for 2019 and some information about where and when I'll be teaching next year. Hopefully you will find something for yourself in this post :-). While I am still talking with a few studios about details (so new places might be added to the list), what you find below is already confirmed.

So - first the new classes. For 2019 I prepared three new classes - 3 days, 2 days and 1 day.

1) The three days class - "Fantasy eyes" is packed with lots of different techniques, featuring an eye motif (hollow from the back), various, sculptural ornaments which create a narrative context for the eye and a bezel set stone (the shape of the stone is your choice).

The eye can be made into a dragon eye, as pictured, but also an eye of the ocean etc. - depending on your preference when comes to additional ornaments. Wonderful textures, interesting shapes, lots of tricks for creating secure openwork constructions in metal clay, semi hollow forms and working with wet coils - this is what this workshop is about.

Every student will leave the workshop with their own, different „Fantasy eye”, so this workshop is not only an opportunity to learn new, technical skills, but also a treat for your creative self.



2) The "Climbing rose" is a 2 days workshop featuring really ususual, elongated beadcap construction, adorned with beautiful, fully handmade, climbing flowers, interlacing coils and other small ornaments.


Interesting construction techniques, making long hollow tubes without using extruder, working with coils wet and dry (various approaches) – this is what this workshop is about.

Pieces created during this class may look in many different ways – you don't have to make climbing roses (though we will be focusing on this). For those interested I will show you for example how to make beautiful morning glories. We will also be making a matching, flowery, articulated bail for your pendant.
As usually in case of my classes - using the same set of techniques everyone can create something slightly different.




3) "Treasured trees" is a one day class for those who love Nature, (obviously :-) ) trees and playing with textures.

It features a three dimensional tree pendant, hollow from the back (very lightweight), covered with beautiful, organic bark texture. In a tree hole there is a cubic zirconia – little hidden treasure. This class is about playing with hand created textures, creating a believable, yet stylized tree form and making a strong openwork construction. This class can be done both in bronze or silver.
Originally I designed this class for the amazing You Can Make It conference in United Kingdom, and after that I decided to add it to my portfolio of classes.




In 2019, on request of different studios I will also be teaching a few classes from the previous years - so, so far -  the "Twig ring", "Herbarium pendant", "Mushroom dreams" and "Heart Deco", known also as "Pillow effects" :-).

The schedule

As I said - I am still talking about a few other dates and locations, but I wanted to give you what I already know for sure. The classes are filling quickly, some are already full, so I didn't want to wait longer with announcing the dates (I know that quite a few of you don't know the studios I am working with, aren't on any studios' mailing lists, so the only way you can learn about the classes is from me).

1) January - I am starting my teaching trips from my usual visit to Inge Verbruggen's studio in Belgium. I'll be teaching there three classes.
- "Fantasy eyes" - 11-13th of January, which is already full (you can sign for the waiting list if you want)
- "Herbarium pendant" - 14-15th of January - last time I talked to Inge there was one last place available (!)
- "Twig rings" - places still available, and probably this is the last opportunity to take this class in Belgium - I already taught it there 6 or 7 times.
You can contact Inge via her website or her Facebook page.

2) February - At the beginning of the month I'll be teaching two classes in United Kingdom, at Leigh Armstrong's invitation.
- "Mushroom dreams" 1-3rd of February - this class is sold out
- "Twig rings" 4th of February - sold out too, but bear with me for a few more captions ;-) I am teaching a few more times in UK in 2019.

3) April - I'll be teaching again in USA - McKinney, Texas. For the third time I'll visit the amazing Three Frog Alley run by Judy Darrow and Dana Brock.
- "Mushroom dreams" - 1-3rd of April
- "Climbing roses" -  4-5th of April
- "Twig ring" - 6th of April
- "Fantasy eyes" - 8-10th of April
- "Heart Deco" - 11-12th of April
You can find the information about availability and everything else there is to know on the Three Frog Alley website. You can sign up online there, or you can contact Judy and Dana if you have any questions.

4) May - I'll be teaching in UK twice. First at Debbie France's studio in Kent, and then at Julia Rai's Cornwall School of Art, Craft and Jewellery (CSACJ).

At Debbie's I will teach two classes:
- "Fantasy eyes" - 2-4th of May
- "Climbing rose" - 5-6th of May
You can contact Debbie via her website to ask for details and sign up.

At CSACJ I will teach also those two workshops:
- "Fantasy eyes" - 26-28th of May
- "Climbing rose" - 30-31st of May
You can sign up for these classes via CSACJ's website.

5) July is United Kingdom again. I will visit wonderful Tracey Spurgin of Craftworx in East Yorkshire and Helen Drye in North Yorkshire.

At Craftworx I will teach two workshops:
- "Fantasy eyes" - 4-6th of July (this workshop is already sold out)
- "Twig rings" - 7th of July
You can contact Tracey via her website to sign up. You will find there all the details you need.

At Helen's studio I will also teach two classes:
- "Herbarium pendant" - 9-10th of July (only two places left!)
- "Mushroom dreams" -  11-13th of July
You will find here all the information about Herbarium class, and for the Mushroom class here.

6) August 2019 I'll be in USA again. I will visit Connecticut (Metal Clay Mojo 2019 conference - the info for 2019 will be published soon - I wil teach there one class - the "Climbing rose" - and do some presentations) and  Pennsylvania (Lara Ginzburg) and maybe one more place- time will show. Hopefully I'll be able to edit this part of my post really soon and provide all the details :-).

At Lara's, Philadelphia area, I'll be teaching two classes:
- "Climbing rose" - 21-22 of August
- "Fantasy eyes" - 23-25 of August
You can contact Lara to sign up for these classes via her website or on Facebook.

Ok, so that's it for now :-). After August I really need to come back to my home studio to make some jewellery ;-).

New tutorial - 3-dimensional fun with base metal clays!

New tutorial for the New Year! I am so happy I finally finished it. This is my fifth tutorial, but actually the first one I wrote since 2013. Those three years were so busy, I couldn't find time to write anything.
This is also my first tutorial describing a project made of bronze clay (other four were written with silver clay in mind). I am pretty excited about it :-). Ok, so what is it about and what you can find inside?
"Wings of Summer" shows how to make a bronze, flower-shaped bead cap, adorned with a 3-dimensional butterly. It is available in my Etsy shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/drakonaria








 It has 39 pages (!) and  includes 99 nice quality photos. The instructions are super detailed and easy to follow.
This time I chose a project perfect for advanced metal clay users and those, who are looking for a good introduction to working with base metal clays. In this tutorial I work with bronze clay – Goldie Bronze – but it can be easily adapted for other metal clays, including all varieties of fine silver .







 

"Wings of Summer" tutorial is a great proposal for those who like truly 3-dimensional, romantic jewellery.
Being quite advanced, this tutorial doesn't present basics of working with metal clay (for example checking clay consistency, maintaining clay moisture, drying etc.). This information may be found in "Fingerprint of Love" which I highly recommend for total beginners.

The tutorial shows you how to make a 3-dimensional butterly sitting on a flower, but you can use all the elements in a lot of different ways. Make two butterflies and you'll get a pair of amazing, feminine earrings. Add a bail behind a flower and use a butterfly as a dangle. Use those elements in your rings... Possibilities are endless :-).













ADDITIONALLY with "Wings of Summer" tutorial you'll also get a separate file with my updated test of Goldie Bronze clay (its original version may be found on this blog), showing how to run a proper test of a new clay and what you can learn from it :-).
It also gives you a lot of additonal, valuable information about working with base metal clays.
At the end of the tutorial you'll also find exhaustive answer to a few, frequently asked questions, concerning most common problems you can encounter while working with bronze metal clays.




Ok :-) So "Wings of Summer" tutorial may be found in my Etsy shop. I hope you'll enjoy it :-). I had a lot of fun writing it. It couldn't be done without my amazing partner, Sebastian, who patiently took all the photos :-).
Aaaand, if you prefer to learn face to face - check my previous post, about my classes abroad in the first half of 2017.

Classes in the first half of 2017

In this post you''ll find some information about my teaching trips this year, specifically in the first half of 2017. I'll be pretty busy till May, visiting really exciting places and events :-). Can't wait!

1. First, like every year, I will visit my friend Inge Verbruggen in her studio, Temse, Belgium. After so many times of doing classes together we already work like a good team :-). Inge is a wonderful hostess.
I'll be teaching there three classes - "Mushroom dreams"  (January 23-25) , "Heart Deco" (January 28-29) and "Twig rings" (January 30). Both "Heart Deco" and "Twig rings" are already sold out. There is only one place left in "Mushroom dreams" class (you can contact Inge about this class via her website)
You can see little posters for each class at the end of this post.

2. My next trip will be to USA - two states - Pennsylvania and Florida - just like last year.
-> First I'll teach in Sarasota, Florida "Mushroom dreams" (February 24-26) and "Heart Deco" (February 27-28). Contact person is Silvie Waals ( http://www.silsartstudio.com ). I totally fell in love with Sarasota - really fantastic place to visit - so - if you are thinking about taking a class with me, it might be a great idea to come to Florida :-).
-> Then I'll travel to Pennsylvania, specifically Chadds Ford (Philadelphia area) to teach in Christy Miller's studio, "Mushroom dreams" (March 3-5) and "Night Scene pendant" (March 6). Contact person is Lara Ginzburg at lkeginz@netscape.net
I taught at Christy's and Lara's already twice and can't wait to see them again :-).

3. Later in March you'll be able to meet me in United Kingdom. I'll teach my "Night Scene pendant" class during a fantastic event - You Can Make It conference in beautiful Wareham, Dorset. My class is already full, but there are other classes from really great tutors still available. I am really excited about this event - about meeting metal clay people from all around Europe (and not only!) and attending interesting presentations and demos (I am also preparing a demo and a presentation for this conference). 

4. After that, at the beginning of April I'll be teaching some private classes in Romania.

5. At the end of April I will visit USA again - this time McKinney, Texas. The hostesses are fantastic Judy Padgett Darrow and Dana Brock ( you can contact them via Art On The Veranda dba Three Frog Alley ). I'll be teaching there three classes. First "Night Scene" pendant in a little bit more complex, two days version (April 21-22), "Miniature Teddy Bear" (April 24) and "Mushroom Dreams" (April 25-27).

Below you can see some photos advertising the classes :-).

New versions of older designs and fun of learning :-)

Recently I am playing a little bit more with wonderful possibilities of hand creating prototypes of jewellery in metal clay and then translating them into pieces made with lost wax technique. I am pretty happy with the results and I definitely think this is a fantastic way of using properties of metal clay. I already posted here a few of my flowery designs, but recently I also made a few symbols, which I always loved. All the pieces in this post are made of traditional sterling silver.




This is only the beginning of a whole collection of symbols, but I wanted to start with motif of trees, Sun ("Solar mandala") and tiny, crescent Moon. All these designs were totally hand formed and carved (no ready moulds etc.), then made into sterling silver, and adorned with natural stones. I really enjoy the whole process.

On example of my first metal clay designs meant for lost wax casting technique I learned really a lot about dos and don'ts of the whole process. Avoiding undercuts, paying attention to thickness of all elements, thinking about how wax will flow when filling the mould etc.
And, yeah - this was a hard lesson - I also learned that if I don't say a loud STOP to myself, I can work on a design FOREVER. It's never good enough. But the funny thing is that it seems these imperfections are what make my pieces natural, and interesting to the eye. At least this is what I keep hearing from my clients. My inner perfectionst is crying ;-).

I am also super happy that I designed my own bails - they work nicely and correspond really well with the designs they are meant for (at least I think so ;-) ). They will probably be suitable for some other pieces I want to make and some of my one of a kind work. So, definitely no more generic, ready bought bails in my jewellery and I have some more ideas for this type of articulated bails coming.

As for other interesting things - I finally visited Wytwórnia Antidotum - jewellery making school based in Warsaw, to "collect" my prize for a contest I won last year with my pendant "Natura abhorret a vacuo". The prize were private classes in the school and I used it all to learn a little bit more about traditional techniques of stone setting. We focused on faceted stones. Here you can see some of my trials with different types of settings (yeah... A drunken hedgehog would probably do it better then I did, and I definitely need to practice, practice and maybe practice a little bit more ;-) , but hey - learning on your own mistakes also works :-) ). I generally knew how all these settings work, but it's a completely different story, to actually try it yourself under a guidance of someone experienced (big thanks to Remigiusz Grodzicki :-) ). I also did a few tube settings, but they are not in the photo. I had a lot of fun, but my hands really hurt :-))). After all - I am a delicate metal clay girl ;->.

Just one more nice photo for the end of this post ;-). One of my sterling silver "Twig rings", which also started their life as metal clay pieces, photographed in a pretty surroundings :-).

...

This will be a very personal post, so if you don't feel comfortable with this kind of things, you can stop reading right now.
My dad died on 17th February, after three wonderful (yes!) years of fighting with cancer. The most kind, wise, patient and loving man I've ever known. The best dad I could ever imagine. During his life he fought so many life-threatening health conditions  and still lived a full, beautiful and meaningful life to the very end. I will be always thankful for him to all forces of the Universe.
He was also my greatest fan - always curious about new things I made, new tools I bought, starting his day from checking my website and Facebook page. Of course I know, that at the beginning, when I decided to start my own business he was worried about me. Still, he always was my greatest supporter. This is one of my favourite photos of him. I took it during one of our "sunrise" trips we had last year. Me, my dad (on the right) and my brother.

One of the last pieces I made that my dad saw, was that teddy bear with a heart I designed for the new one day class. He showed it immediately to my mom, and because she loved it too, he asked me to make similar one as a gift from him to her, for Valentine's day. I managed to finish it, just 2 days before he died. I will always remember him, so weak, in a hospital bed, giving it to my mom, with all his love. Now she wears it every day. This tiny, silver bear probably will remain the most important piece I've made in all my life.

The same day I also managed to show him the cover of the newest issue of Handmade Business with me on it, wearing one of my pieces. I was so happy I could make him proud once again. He was only able to smile, but it meant the world to me - I will always treasure this moment. He collected all the publications with my pieces, showing them to his friends. I miss him so much. So much. And I am so thankful for all these years. For all the books he read to me when I was a child (and recorded some of them! So I can still listen to them...), for all the conversations about science and philosophy, for unconditional love and all his wisdom. Also for showing, not only to me, but to everyone around, that being terminally ill doesn't mean dying. It means LIVING and appreciating every single day.

Thank you dad. I will always love you.

Three new workshops for 2016

Hello in 2016! 2015 was a really great year, full of smaller and bigger successes, lots of changes, travelling and meeting new people. One thing remains the same though - I am still  really great at writing regular posts on my blog ;-). Maybe this year, maybe this year... :-)
Today I want to tell you a little bit about my new classes for 2016. I will still teach my old ones ("Herbarium pendants" and "Twig rings") in a few places, but I felt need of something fresh and new. So here they are :-).

"Mushroom dreams"
I am particularly excited about this one.  It's a 3 days workshop packed with lots of different techniques, featuring a branch (empty inside, so it's perfect for a bead-strung necklace), various, 3 dimensional mushrooms, and a small, bezel set stone. Wonderful textures, interesting shapes, lots of tricks for creating secure openwork constructions in metal clay - this is what this workshop is about.



















"Heart Deco"
It's a 2 days workshop featuring really cool "pillow" effects, interesting filing techniques for creating lovely ornamentation, various ways of working with coils, clean setting of fireable stones, articulated bail or a little "dangle" and much more.  Pieces created during this class can look in many different ways - not necessarily like stylized hearts. As usually in case of my classes - using the same set of techniques everyone can create something different.

"Miniature Teddy Bear"
This one is a one day class for those who love tiny, cute creatures. Creating a tiny teddy bear, which is mainly empty inside (to save on clay) is not as difficult as it might seem. It's just about following certain steps and using your imagination. Your teddy bear can hold a tiny heart or have a miniature tie or maybe a necklace... This class is about playing with miniature shapes and having a lot of fun! You will learn working in a small scale, building tiny, hollow elements and creating details in both wet and dry clay.

I already arranged classes in a few countries for 2016 - in some places everything is set, in some places we are still talking about some details.
Sooo...

In the first half of the year I'll be teaching in United Kingdom, then Belgium, and finally Austria.

-> In UK you can meet me in Metal Clay Ltd. (Wareham, Dorset). I'll be teaching two classes. First "Heart Deco" - 30th April- 1st May
"Twig rings" - 2nd May

-> In Belgium I will teach yet again in Inge Verbruggen's studio. Two classes.
"Mushroom dreams" - 14th -16th May
"Miniature teddy bear" - 17th May

-> In Austria, I will teach in Vienna, at Sulie Girardi's studio.

The plan is...
"Mushroom dreams" - 27th - 29 th May
"Miniature teddy bear" - 4th June
"Twig rings" - 5th June

Later you'll be able to take my classes in several places in USA, we are still working on some details though.

For sure you'll meet me in

-> Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area (10th-12th September) ( I will teach there "Heart Deco" class and "Twig rings" - contact Lara Ginzburg and Christy Anne Miller for more info)

-> Florida, Sarasota (I'll be there 15th-20th September). The hostess of my classes is Silvie Waals. I'll be teaching two classes there - "Herbarium pendant" and "Twig rings".

-> Texas, in July, 18-22. "Herbarium pendant", "Heart Deco" and "Twig rings". The hostess is Judy Padgett Darrow ( Art On The Veranda dba Three Frog Alley ).

I also have already some plans for 2017, but it's far too soon to talk about this :-).
That's all for now :-).

Ah, and in case you forgot what are "Herbarium" and "Twig rings" classes, here are the photos :-).

Visit in Aida Chemical Industries

This time I will start my post by saying "Hello from USA" :-), specifically from New York. I got here yesterday, after the most fantastic metal clay conference - Metal Clay Mojo Retreat, which took place in Chester CT (photo by courtesy of Paddy Marcotte). I was teaching there two classes and making a few presentations (I will write about the whole conference experience later). But to make things even more interesting ;-) today I want to "come back" to my recent trip to Japan and write a little bit about my visit in Aida Chemical Industries - the producer of Art Clay Silver, Gold and Copper.




I went to Japan mostly for vacation, but at the end of our stay in this beautiful country I had an amazing opportunity to actually visit Art Clay Studio in Fuchū, Tokyo. I was invited to show my jewellery and talk about my work during a meeting with Japanese artists and instructors (you can find a blogpost in Japanese on Art Clay blog here - lots of nice photos :-) ). I also did a little demo showing my technique of working with coils.





I was so greateful for such a warm, wonderful welcome, interesting conversations, smiles and good energy. It was also very exciting to meet all the artists whose pieces I saw so many times, published in various publications, to learn about cultural differences and  how they influence our designs. I wanted to say THANK YOU once again also for all these fantastic, unexpected gifts. They will be a beautiful reminder of that day.


After "Meet the artist" part of the day I went to see Aida Chemical Industries' refinery. Such an interesting place! I learnt about the process of reclaiming silver and gold from x-ray images, electronic circuit boards and dental gold&silver scrap.

I also played a little bit with 20 kg silver ingot (which basically I couldn't lift in any way, so my great guides found a smaller one for me to pose with ;-) ). In the photo you can see yet another ingot - gold one (oh, that shine! :-) ). Then, if you are able to take your eyes away from the shiny stuff, you might notice that in this photo there are also two people ;-). Me and fantastic Daisuke Minagawa.

I would like to thank him once more for taking care of me during my visit in Aida and Art Clay studio, organising everything, and being such a warm, welcoming person. I also want to say thank you to Mark Atkinson for all his help during our stay in Japan!

And this is one of my favourite photos I took during our trip to Japan. Hopefully, when I come back to Poland, to my own little studio, I will have time to work on some new pieces inspired by our trip. We saw so many different, amazing things. I already know that I want to come back there one day. Those 2-3 weeks was definitely not enough time to see and appreciate everything...