Its another summer of kids camps here at SilverWorks. Staggered between weeks is the Young Artist camp put on by Glen Echo Park and the Horizons program. I participate in a segment by teaching some smithing skills (yes, putting a torch in the hands of a ten year old!). The great thing about these camps is that the kids get to go from studio to studio and learn a variety of art forms.
The other camp is with Horizons of DC. This wonderful program gives opportunities to kids who might otherwise not get to experience them. SilverWorks is proud to have participated in the program every year since 2010.
Ex Post Facto Metallicus opened July 3rd to a full attended gallery. Guests enjoyed champagne along with edible tidbits to honor the four featured artists.
Ex Post Facto Metallicus a unique collection of works from 4 metal artists from 4 different life stages, Dr. Robert Dane Shaw, Anya Pinchuk, Heather Schramm, and Kai Sia. The four artists are the winning recipients of Exnihilo International Residency Program in partnership with SilverWorks Studios. Show runs until Aug 2. The show also includes works by the faculty and students of SilverWorks.
Get more info about Exnihilo Art Center, or the residency program at SilverWorks.
The body of 150 works spans a broad range of techniques as well as expressions in metal. Vessels, sculpture and jewelry were crafted and collaborated by and between the four artists. Each artist utilized the benefits of the program in different ways, with free studio time and classes being the most common. The most unique residency component was environmental in focus with an immersive experience at a local apiary (O’Brian’s Apiary) to bring to life the “save the bees” message promoted by the collection of silver chrysanthemums created by Kai Sia.
Yesterday was such a fun time exploring one of the Rise Of The Machines tools: The Sand Blaster. A very simple and straightforward tool, the sand blaster yields beautiful results with little effort.
Here is some of what the students made.
Submissions now being accepted for
Ex Post Facto Metallicus
July 3-26
Glen Echo Park Popcorn Gallery Submission Deadline:
June 24
Submission Requirements:
Label each work with the following:
1.Your Name
2.Title
3.Medium
4.Price (Popcorn Gallery takes 30% so price your work accordingly)
Bag your work and drop it off at SilverWorks before June 24.
Ex Post Facto Metallicus is an exhibit featuring 4 metal artists chosen for Exnihilo International Artist Residencies.
Kai Sia
Heather Schramm
Anya Pinchuk
Robert Dane Shaw
and the faculty and students of SilverWorks
A studio does’t run by itself and sometimes requires more than just turning on the lights and pickle pot. Today our studio tech (a.k.a. my husband) had to replace the thermocouple in my lost wax kiln. Not a major repair but the kiln can’t function without it.
It is the kind of part that is very fragile. The sensor lives at the back inside of the kiln, and if it is accidentally touched in loading or onloading, or if you overload the kiln which creates a lot of soot it toasts the sensor.
A little bird told me...
that some of you fantastic students of SilverWorks may be feeling a little hesitant about applying to use the new studio.
Hmmm...
First off, I would like to let you know that the reason Studio 2 was brought into being is because you have gotten so good that I thought you deserved a bigger playground.
As human nature would have it, we tend to be a little insecure about our own accomplishments. And if you know anything about my studio and what it represents, you know I am not about competition, and more about having a good time doing this craft we all love.
Secondly, the application is meant to encourage you to take a close look at how far you have come in a short period of time. The application is meant to be validating not threatening. The main reason for the "screening" process is to see that you know how to properly use the variety of tools in the studio. It also helps us select the next artist to solo show in the SilverWorks Gallery.
If bringing in your work is an issue...send me a picture! Attach it to an email with your application. Three pieces of your most varied work is all you need.
It is always a little awkward cooking in someone else's kitchen. So we are finally hosting a "Love The Tools" party to orient you to all the goodies Studio2 has to offer so that you will be completely comfortable in the new playground.
So don't be bashful about your work. My greatest desire is for you to let both SilverWorks 1 and 2 be places that help you on your creative journey.
Spring and summer gives me the opportunity to teach groups of younger smiths. This week it was students from Blessed Sacrament.
Grand opening of the new space was a packed out studio with champagne and goodies. Open Studio applications were handed out as well as some free mini-polishing cloths. I lost count at some point but we did run out of champagne (sorry for those of you who came a little later)
We also had lots of cool names submitted for the rolling mill naming contest... names like roll-i-nator, rock-n-roller, and Elvis were all very fun, but the hammer goes to Beth Irving for the name Millicent, “Millie” for short. Thanks to all who played along!
Thanks to Helena and Mawadda for being such awesome instructors and Open Studio helpers that made the expansion into this space possible. Also a very special thank you to Kelly Sia and Kaila Hill for helping in the remodeling of the room from painting to putting together Ikea cabinets... these girls were tireless worker bees! Small details that made a visual difference are thanks to Vincent Giannini of Black and White Smithy for his hand wrought torch holders and those wonderful mica lights designed and built by my hubby Bryan.
And a BIG thank you to Riogrande.com for all their help with tool selection. They had great advice and were awesome to work with. Right down to the way a giant pallet was packaged to fit through my door and unload in a logical fashion. Such attention to detail. Thanks to Amy Cliser on the great service and Sessin Durgham for the great technical advice.
Thanks to lots of nails flying and final touch ups over the holidays the new studio is ready for you eager open studio VIPs! Join us for the festivities on Jan 31!
Jan 31, 6-8pm
SilverWorks Studio 2: Hot Metal
North Side, First Floor of the yellow barn
Glen Echo Park
A lucky few got fist chance to break in the new studio this weekend. The Crazy Raising Workshop had students tapping their way to beautiful copper bowls using all new hammers and stakes. Taught by Mawadda, this is the first workshop from SilverWorks that addresses traditional silversmithing techniques for vessel creation.
SilverWorks is now featuring student work in the gallery. No longer are you going to just see my work, now you will get to see what other folks are doing.
I am very excited about this.
So for the month of December I am featuring one very accomplished Elaine Speiser. I could get all wordy but the work speaks for itself.
We opened her show with a great crowd. Lots of her beautiful creations went home with excited owners.
Her work will be available until Jan 3.
You’ve probably heard the word in the studio or a little bird told you... SilverWorks is expanding.
SilverWorks Studio 2: Hot Metal is under construction with the opening very soon;-).
What is studio 2?
An exclusive, unique and inspiring environment with world class smithing tools, SilverWorks Studio 2 is the studio that students who have been practicing the craft and achieved an intermediate or advanced level can further their skills and explore a wider variety of tools.
What will studio 2 offer?
•advanced classes
•classes and workshops with specialized equipment
•open studio for the advanced student to play
•a residency program for emerging adult artists
Opening night of 5 Years of SilverWorks: a Celebration of Techniques! It was a packed night at the Popcorn gallery with hardly elbow room to move, but what a fun night.
This show is such a departure from my previous theme based shows with the focus on the various ways to create the effects we love in jewelry design. Educational as well as interesting, this show brought out some new challenges in my work, Mawadda’s work, and the best in our student’s work. Congrats to all the students for their wonderful pieces.
5 Years of SilverWorks: a Celebration of Techniques, mounted and ready to debut this year’s collection created by myself, Mawadda, and our students.
It takes a small army to set up a show like the 5 Years of SilverWorks: a Celebration of Techniques. Cleaning, painting, positioning, vinyl lettering, tagging, and a final walkthrough. It is exciting to see the transformation of the white walled gallery to an explosion of color and text.
Finally get to go BIG! Something that I have always wanted to add to my skill set is welding. Thanks to Erwin Timmers instruction, I am very excited about this new skill. This is a tool that you will see in my new studio opening this fall.
Today was Silver Passport: Etching. One of my favorite processes to create a relief on metal. Its a simple principle of using a resist and an acid. The resist keeps the acid from etching selected areas of the metal.
This class chose to go all design and no photo. And look at the great results they got!
Glen Echo Park’s Faculty Invitational is a show of works from the instructors from each studio and a selected few of their students. It is a great way to get a glimpse of everything the park has to offer.
It is my honor to design the awards this year that Glen Echo Park gives to individuals and groups that have been a great impact to the park and its mission of arts and culture. The group award is a brass and copper sculpture, called “Captured in Time”. The award that goes to the individual is a pendant with a pierced version of the GEPAC logo on it.
A fabulous time with my Teen Smith class. Five days of learning the basics and they were off and running with a torch in their hands. They always make such great things!
I was asked to give a talk at the Baltimore Bead Society. What do I know about beading? Nada. Fortunately they wanted something that I do know about...
how to set up a studio space.
Most of the talk revolved around some space saving tips and tricks, but I also stressed the importance of aesthetics. Organization is nothing if you don’t have a beautiful room that inspires you. And usually all this takes is a little paint.
You can now register for the 2014 Spring/Summer Classes at SilverWorks!
This exciting line up includes some all day versions of the very popular Silver Passport Series.
Have fun exploring these great techniques!
Thanks to so many for coming out to give the studio a much needed refresh. It wasn’t just a little clean up, it was more a take-apart, strip down, sand and suck kind-of day. Benches were sanded down (no more sharpie signatures) and oiled. Stools repainted, tools sanded and oiled, and the best task of all (not) cleaning and sharpening files! The shears were even taken apart and sharpened (thanks Danny!)
We all took a break with some pizza and Janet’s “to die for” brownies and then got back to making my artful playground a fun place to play again.
Thanks so much everybody!
What a treat to spend a short hour with a troupe of Girl Scouts giving them a glimpse of what I do.
Lots of lovelies going out to all the great folk that contributed to our campaign. We are still accepting contributions at www.exnihiloartcenter.com so if you want to get in on one of these lovely things you can contact me and I will be happy to send one of the donation perks your way.
