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My new wire art class!

December 14, 2018 Leave a Comment

A new wire art class

For the first time in six years, I’m offering a new advanced wire art class! It will feature creative skills for working with wire including bending, embellishing, shaping, adding hanging elements, and balancing a piece. I’m very excited! Here’s the first of two samples, this one is in silver:

Designing a class is an art

Not surprisingly, the process of designing a class requires creativity too.

The name of the class is Meander. Being a lover of words, the first thing I did was look up the definition and make notes about the descriptive words. This set the tone as I wrote the class description and made a list of materials.

Artists who teach likely have two general strategies for preparing a class–a chicken and egg approach, if you will. The first way is to create a piece with a specific class in mind, taking careful notes along the way, step by step. The other approach is to create a finished piece and then think, “Hey! This would make a great class!” This is more challenging because you must reverse-engineer the creation process from memory so that students have clear instructions.

When I create art pieces, my primary focus is always to ask “is this sturdy and stable?” I hardly ever think about the order I did it in. Fortunately, for the Meander class, I did it the first way and have good notes.

New wire art skills and techniques

In the past, I’ve taught classes that feature a specific project that participants walk away with. I’m excited that this advanced class focuses exclusively on students pushing the limits of wire, embellishments, and balance. Instead of a carbon-copy, students develop their confidence in creating an original piece using the techniques discussed in the class.

Since I last taught a class, I have learned new skills from the art I’ve been making. Sometimes wire does unexpected things in the course of producing new work. I am eager to share these discoveries with students. One of the other departures in this class is the option of rhinestones – something sparkly – instead of my more usual pearls or beads (I’m more of a monochrome designer, but hey sparkles, what’s not to like?). We’ll be playing with curves where you can choose to add rhinestone chain (among other things!).

One of the signs of artistry is being able to develop your own design aesthetic and learn to trust your own sensibilities. This class will be an aesthetic challenge for participants to discover what’s pleasing to them. To answer that age-old question: “How do I know when I’m done?” For all these reasons, I can’t wait to teach the class in January!

Learn more about my newest wire art class! 

Want to see a second sample piece in copper and read about the class? Visit Creative Castle’s website.

Filed Under: wire class Tagged With: classes, Creative Castle, jewelry, Melanie Schow, wire art class, wire wrapping

A moment in the spotlight at Creative Bug .com

May 15, 2016 Leave a Comment

Charmed bracelet by Melanie Schow on CreativeBug.com

Some of my favorite shows feature people making creative stuff happen. From baking competitions and Project Runway, to high-end Hollywood makeup, these shows are exciting because when creative people are under pressure, their talent shines.

For the first time, I got to be involved in the creation of a project like this!

I’ve got the creative bug

A few years ago, I heard about CreativeBug.com through my brother and was immediately intrigued. The company’s creator, Jeanne Lewis, wanted to create a gorgeous online resource for videos about hand-made crafting and making. Her vision was of a company that creates archival-quality videos to preserve art and craft forms that are slipping away. In the process, she also wanted to provide a living wage to artists who teach for the company to help get new generations interested in a wide variety of art forms.

It sounded exciting! They were still early in their launch when they asked for a sample video of my teaching. I did a short demo and—even after viewing my brother’s wacky video shots—they wanted me!

Lights, camera, action!

A filming crew came out to my house and did a day-long shoot to create a bio about me. Megan Read, a production assistant from Creative Bug, and the whole team made it fun. It’s amazing to realize what you see on a show isn’t what’s happening behind the scenes. There’s so much detail and so many little things to arrange. They’re top notch at what they do. I’m proud to be affiliated and represented there.

Not long after, I went to their studio to shoot four of my most popular classes. They wanted to focus on basics and techniques that give the viewer a finished project at the end of the video. Pulling from the things I’ve taught before and that sold well in bead stores, we chose the knot bead, caged class, charms, and wire linking—a great basic techniques class.

Charmed bracelet by Melanie Schow on CreativeBug.com

Charmed bracelet by Melanie Schow

 

Wire cage pendants by Melanie Schow

Wire cage pendants by Melanie Schow

Making knot beads with wire

Of the four tutorials I did for Creative Bug, the knot bead is the most evocative. When I’m at shows, people will look at my handmade metal beads and ask me, “Were you angry when you made that?” (I wasn’t) or “How did you do that?” They’re really curious about all that coiled-up wire.

Wire knot bead by Melanie Schow

My knot bead idea came out of a class with Lynn Merchant when I was learning to make a whole series of different wire beads. One was called “Spider on LSD”—and we had to just make up the design. The knot bead came out of that experience.

In the video, I have a formula that shows students how to make it. Even with a step-by-step instructions, knot beads come out different every time. It tends to be very popular, and people love to wear them.

Creative Bug lives on

While I haven’t been back yet to do more than the first four segments, in the last few years Creative Bug has added more high-profile folks and expanded into many more diverse crafting projects. All of the videos are high quality, super creative, and fun to watch.

If you’re part of their online community, you can participate in the challenges they send out. If you’re like me, you can just watch the tutorials for fun without any plans to actually make the project. It’s amazing eye candy for (and by) creative people.

Filed Under: wire class Tagged With: class, Creative Bug, CreativeBug.com, knot bead, pendant, tutorials, videos

Capturing Found Objects – Caged Wire Wrap

May 18, 2012 Leave a Comment

Walking along the beach you find a beautiful shell or rock, it would make the perfect pendant or focal bead.  How do you put it on a chain when there is no hole?  Rummaging through your stash you come accross a big bead with a poorly drilled hole, you cannot get it oriented to suit your design.  The last time you went to an art sale you bought the most beautiful artist marble, you would like to display it, but nothing is working. 

To solve your challenges with three dimensional pieces that do not have a hole, I teach a class called Caged.  This is a wire wrap technique that enables you to capture the piece in a cage of wire, then create a bail and embellish with wire coils and springs. For an elegant pendant you simply slide it on a chain; for a more complicated design, you can use it as a focal element.

I am teaching this on June 16 at one of my favorite bead stores, Creative Castle  If you have not taken a class there yet, let me recommend one.  Carole, the stores owner, is a gracious hostess and her store is stocked with a good variety of wire.  You can use silver for this project or while you are learning, try the less expensive copper, or art wire. 

In this class you will create a finished pendant, or have only a few embellishments left to complete.  Instant gratification!

Filed Under: wire art, wire class, wire jewelry

Adorn Me! Art Jewelry Retreat

September 11, 2009 Leave a Comment

There’s something new on my calendar for 2010, a retreat just for Art Jewelry. Since my design preference falls somewhere between more is more and just plain over the top, I am really excited to be participating in a retreat where those qualities are valued. Check out Adorn Me! – classes, events, instructor line up and venue – wow! There is so much exciting on the schedule and it will be held at a brand new hotel with off season rates (read more money for jewelry supplies).

I am teaching four classes: Berry Leafy Bracelet; Knot Bead Pendant; Capture the Dragon: Engineering Sculptural Lampwork; and Fantasy Flower Pendant (or pin). The kits are optional, so if you have a burgeoning closet of wire, beads, and findings, you can bring your own. For classes with specialized beads or findings, the unique items will be available for purchase; in other words, you bring the basics and you can buy the hard-to-find items at class. A retreat should be just that, a place to relax, be inspired, add skills to your repetoire and enjoy. With a broad selection of classes both day and evening, an expo for shopping and time to visit and show off your creations, Adorn Me! is something to look forward to.

Filed Under: instructions for wirework, wire art jewelry, wire class

Berry Leafy Bracelet

May 3, 2009 Leave a Comment

I have a new class coming to Creative Castle in May. A substantial bracelet of hand forged links that twine gracefully around your wrist; each embellished with your choice of berry (“cherry” or even flower) beads. You will learn to create a toggle closure with the same wire. The links are made with 16 gauge wire, good practice for working in a bigger gauge. Creative Castle is offering this class in a very unique format. First we’ll make the bracelet; then we’ll spend some time talking about how to take something you learned in a class, develop variations and work it into your creative repetoire. In short, the answer to, “I’ve made the project so what else can I do with these skills?”


Not in southern California? The class will be offered at BeadFest Portland in September. There we will be doing the basic project version, but I will be sure to show samples of how to use these links in other designs. You can see this bracelet and many of the other great projects that will be offered in the 2 page ad for Bead Fest Portland in the May-June issue Step by Step Beads.

Filed Under: wire class, wire jewelry