From the Classroom

This past weekend I taught a Level Two Certification class. My students worked very hard for two days to design beautiful pieces that would incorporate all the techniques and design elements in the required projects. As sad as my photography is, their talent shines through.

Leslie Esterrich made a credit card sized pendant for the Three Texture Pendant project. Her mirror finishing was flawless, but as soon as I evaluated it, she dropped it back down to a brushed surface. In fact, this is the correct way to produce an even, soft, untextured finish. First, sand out all flaws, divots, and scratches and then use a brush or fine finishing/sand paper to apply the finish. This is the way jewelers have been doing it for eons. When you simply wire brush a piece of metal, whether it's kiln fired metal clay or milled sheet, you're just putting a shine on flawed metal. Taking the time to remove anomalies means the final look will be professional and long lasting.

Leslie also opted to curl a corner of her piece, which added to it's visual interest.

All of the ladies created beautiful enameled pendants. Two with a scratch foam texture, and one with a Photopolymer Plate that she had made in a separate class.

Leslie Esterrich, Jane Stark, Kathy Kennedy

The other projects were equally successful. The photos less so. Looks like I need to take some classes to improve my skill set too.