Handmade Chain and Pendant Workshop
In this unique weekend workshop, you will have the opportunity to work with two artist/teachers. On Saturday, working with Robert, you will learn how to fold-form a piece of sterling silver, copper or brass and then pierce a design using the raised folds as visual “walls” separating the pierced areas. You will then stack this pierced piece with a reflector, colored Plexiglas, or any image of your choosing. This stack is then backed with a piece of copper or brass and using cold connections, made ready to hang on one of the fabulous chains you’ll be making with Leslie on Sunday.
Chains - Sunday with Leslie
If you make necklaces, one of the biggest challenges is having a chain that is beautiful, functional, and expresses the quality of your work. Cheap, Chinese chains just don’t do that.
In this full-day class, I’ll teach you how to make beautiful chains to raise your work to another level. We will explore different hooks, learn to make a C-clasp, and push the creative envelope to make links consistent with your beautiful work. We will be using Argentium silver because we can FUSE it! If you’ve never used Argentium, this is the time!
About your Teachers
Leslie - Your guide for this class is Leslie Maya-Charles (lesliemayacharles.com), a life-long artist, concentrating on unique metal art pieces for the past 15 years. Though Leslie has had the privilege of working with many wonderful teachers over the decades, each encouraging new ways to approach the challenges of working with metal, she credits her first teacher with her passion for art. “I had the privilege of growing up near my grandmother who was a multi-talented artist. I was free to just play, and was encouraged to try whatever she was doing in her studio. Since like most, I learn by doing, we were a perfect pair. I learned to sew, work with ceramics, do needlework, and in her later years, to make silver jewelry with her. Mostly, I now see myself as one who designs and creates things that have never been done before; in essence, an engineer: How can I put these two pieces of metal together? How would it look if….”
Robert -
Robert Dancik has been an artist/teacher for more than 30 years. He teaches workshops nationally and internationally and has work in numerous museum, public and private collections both here and abroad. HIs artwork has been published in many books including, in the Lark series, “500 Pendants”, “500 handmade Books and “1000 Rings”. Other books his work is featured in are “PMC Decade”, “Fine Art of the Tin Can”, “The Art of Resin Jewelry,” “Zilver Klei” (Denmark), and “Creative Metal Clay Jewelry”, to name just a few. His writings have been published in numerous magazines such as Make Art (in the UK), Jewelry Artist, Perspective (Australia), and Art Jewelry, among others. He is the originator of Faux Bone™ and Solid Creations/ Artisans Concreteä; two wonderful materials for artists involved in jewelry, artist’s books, sculpture, and many other artistic disciplines. He is also the author of the book “Amulets and Talismans: Techniques for Creating Meaningful Jewelry”. He lives in Connecticut, with his lovely wife and two rambunctious cats and teaches around the world, is an avid cook (I didn’t say good) and collector of toys, maps, and compasses.
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