Today was, as the title says, my last workshop of 2011. It's hard to believe how fast the year has gone. Today's class was beginning soldering and my students were awesome! I could tell immediately that this group of folks was just gonna "get it!" So I demonstrated a more difficult beginning project and they all did a fantastic job. Here's what we made.... there are matching earrings which we made first! In this class students learn to cut and sand the metal components, pattern and texture them, solder the metals together using a micro torch, remove fire scale with pickle, set stones in bezel cups, and then final add depth and color with patina.
This piece is copper, nickel, brass, and bronze with a red garnet set in fine silver.
I always love teaching this workshop because it is the gateway to making beautiful jewelry. Once the students have soldering skills, they can do so many things. They are only limited by their imaginations and skill level. Some of the students have real potential! I hope they'll come back and take it to the next level. I love to see what they create.
After class I went to Mitch and Judy's house for some homemade tamales and a wonderful holiday get together. Mitch made the yummy tamales and Judy created the wonderful atmosphere and poured lots of wine. We sat around a fire in their yard with kids and dogs running around and adults laughing, all under a clear starry sky. It was a lovely evening to cap off a great year of teaching!
I am indeed a lucky girl!
