Wire Chains, Jump Rings & Clasps, Oh my!

a sampling of the work created by students

Well, I'm happy to report that we had a very productive class this past week-end at CCAE! We spent the week-end working with wire, annealed steel wire to be exact. It was messy business, but we all survived!

It's always exciting to have ultra-newbies as well as more experienced students working side by side. We all have something new to learn from one another. I learned a new trick from a student for forming a ball on the end of a wire which totally made my day!

bangles and bracelets for mom and her daughter!

Since it was a smaller class I was able to allow each student to explore the forms and techniques that they found most interesting. Some students chose to work on their forging and forming techniques while others chose to work towards completed pieces.

beautifully forged forms with opposing planes

As you can see in the photo below, there was a lot of activity!

Forged squiggles were the most popular form, but clasps and riveted hoops and bangles were a close second. One student chose to tube rivet wire links together while another created a pair of brass earrings and a unique pendant using a vintage domino whose numbers have a special meaning.

just a sampling of the many things made in class

If you read my earlier post, you'll know that I shared a quote with each of my students. I gave them each a different quote and asked them to read it out loud to their fellow students. It was pretty funny, but I think it helped them to realize that it's expected that we'll make mistakes while we're learning something new. Kudos to my students for doing an amazing job!

I'll leave you with this quote from the wire master himself...

"To an engineer, good enough means perfect. 

With an artist, there's no such thing as perfect."

~ Alexander Calder

© re-maker

All rights reserved.

Words of Wisdom

I'm teaching a new class this week-end at CCAE called

Wire Chains, Clasps & Jump Rings, Oh my!

I love working with wire and have been bending and twisting it since 1994. For most of my students, however, this will be their first foray into the wonderful world of wire.

If there's one thing I've learned from teaching it's that adults do not like to make mistakes. I'm not too crazy about them myself, but have found that they're an essential part of learning. 

I'm a sucker for a good inspirational quote.

I have quite a few "fortunes" taped to my monitor that make me smile when I'm having a bad day. After a quick search on-line I found a few 

quotes to share with my class tomorrow... 

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

~ Albert Einstein

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that don't work."

~ Thomas A. Edison

"We learn from failure, not from success!"

~ Bram Stoker, Dracula

"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it."

~ Salvador Dali

"Forget about it!"

~ Donnie Brasco

"Don't Panic"

~ The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

"Some of the worst mistakes in my life were haircuts."

~ Jim Morrison

Okay, that last one isn't inspirational, but it is funny!

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. 

Sometimes it's the only way to make progress.

Do you have a favorite quote to share?

re-maker

Fall Classes @CCAE

The new catalog is here!

Check out all of the amazing classes available at CCAE!

My jewelry and metals classes start on page 71.
Learn How to Craft A Cookie Cutter
Master the Jewelers Saw
Say It In Metal
or
Simply Riveting

There's lots happening at the Cambridge Center for Adult Ed.
See what's new at 42!

Fold Forming @CCAE

 

Finished pieces crafted by a metals newbie!

I'm just recovering from a whirl wind fold forming week-end at the Cambridge Center for Adult Ed. It was a wonderful class full of creative, productive students and was a joy to teach, 
I am, however, pooped!

I'd like to share some of the beautiful work that was created. 

 

The work shown above and below was created by students that had never worked with metal before. I was simply blown away!

  Pretty impressive, wouldn't you say?
 
I had one younger student who most certainly held her own. 
She really is quite talented. 

And there were a couple of students that are familiar with  metals and took the class to learn a new technique. They had a lot of fun and weren't afraid to play!

 

Take inspiration from these talented folks and look into taking a class via continuing ed and learn something new!

Images & Text © re-maker

All rights reserved

A New Crop: CSArtists Announced by CCAE

Handmade Miniature Copper Notebook Pendant by Pam Farren

 

Community Supported Art (CSArt), the popular program that links local artists to local buyers, returns for a second round with a new crop of nine Boston-area artists at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education.

CSArt is an exciting program that's designed to help local artists position themselves as small businesses, offering an opportunity to create a product line that will help draw attention to their art, build a buyer base, and

raise awareness of their work.

"We are very excited to be continuing Community Supported Art," says Susan Hartnett, CCAE's executive director. "2011 was the first time the Cambridge Center for Adult Education produced CSArt, and we sold out with a long waiting list of eager potential shareholders."

For $350, each shareholder receives one piece of art from each of the nine CSArtists. The CSArtworks will be “harvested” at three parties at various sites around Cambridge and Somerville on Sept. 8, Sept. 22, and Oct. 13.

This year CSArt is off to a strong start with work from

Pam Farren of Newburyport ~ That's me!

Martha Jane Bradford of Brookline

Melissa Chao of Watertown

 Phyllis Ewen of Somerville

John Heymann Cambridge

Abdellah RamRam of Somerville

Sarah Spademan of Cambridge

Will Whelan of Boston

Kristen Belton Willis of Boston

In addition to a dedicated group of 50 buyers, CSArt also offers the nine CSArtists small business support, including budgeting, pricing, and marketing advice from the non-profit Bridges to Business; a gallery show at CCAE, a stipend for their work, and $500 of class credit at CCAE.

To learn more about CSArt -- and maybe even sign up to become a 2012 shareholder, visit the CCAE website, shares are selling fast!

Image © re-maker
Text © Cambridge Center for Adult Education