Arrowmont!

I've been back in Asheville for a few days now and I'm clawing my way through a long to-do list after being away for a month. I do want to touch on my class at Arrowmont one last time before I move on to other news. My second experience teaching at Arrowmont was wonderful. I had a great group of students who were hard-working and a lot of fun, the ideal combination for teaching. I demoed a lot but also gave them lots of time to work. Many of them purposefully chose to make samples instead of focusing on singular pieces, while others made some gorgeous finished chains. Either way, I was very happy with the results.

In addition to technique, I talked a lot about process and lead two exercises, one which involved some thinking and writing and another hands-on exercise in which everyone made a paper chain in an hour. I also spent time with each student individually if they wanted. This is one of my absolute favorite things when I teach. I inevitably learn from each student I talk with and usually feel totally pumped when I am done.

Finally, huge thanks to my fantastic assistant, Samantha Clarke. I couldn't have asked for a better assistant and an all-around lovely person to work so closely with. Thanks, Sam! Here she is working hard:

More on Flickr.

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Arrowmont Class Reminder

Bracelet set by Sarah James

As you may already know, I will be teaching "It's the Little Things" at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts  at the end of the summer. The class will begin with a slide presentation of images of all different kinds of jewelry with great details, both subtle and extravagant. Then during the week we will cover roller printing, texturing with files, hammers, and chasing tools, riveting, tab setting, findings, patination, and keum boo. These longer demos will be complemented by quick ones as time allows and lots of talk about why details are so important. I will encourage students to make lots of samples as they try every technique. I also have project ideas that can be tailored for different skill levels once students are ready to make finished jewelry. We will begin each day by sharing the things we've made. This is a great class for beginning students and for more advanced ones as well. For those beginning students I will demonstrate sawing, filing, and piercing.

The class runs from August 28-September 3, 2011. You can learn how to register here or see the full catalog online. Please feel free to email me (amy@amytavern.com) if you have questions.

 rolling mill samples by Anneta Brady

 

You can look at images from the class I taught last summer at Penland including lots of student work here.

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It's the Little Things at Arrowmont

I will be teaching "It's the Little Things" this summer at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN. I am pleased to have another opportunity to teach this class. I loved teaching it at Penland last summer and I like that I can try it again at a new venue this year. The class will be basically the same, except I have replaced acid etching with a longer, more detailed discussion and demo on findings (clasps, earring wires, bales, chain, etc.). Findings are a great way to add the right finishing touches on any piece of jewelry so I want to delve into the topic even more this time around. In addition, I haven't been to Arrowmont before and I am excited to visit. My class runs from August 28-September 3, 2011. You can learn how to register here or see the full catalog online.

my class description

metals & enamel page from the catalog

love this nighttime image of the school

Thanks for reading.