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Polymer Jewelry Enhanced with Metal Design
Bring two big beautiful mediums together with a bit of engineering and a bit of soldering and a bit of baking. The possibilities are endless for form and surface design when you combine polymer clay and sheet metal and wire. Create armatures for polymer through forming and soldering wire and sawing, stamping and forming sheet metal.
Students can create a pin or pendant of completely original design. Methods for progressively covering wire and embedding armatures with polymer as well as making simple bales and pin backs in metal will be explored. Finishing of polymer and metal combinations will be addressed including patinas, polishing, and paint.
Beginning metals experience including soldering is needed and beginning polymer skills are required.
Meet the instructor
Bonnie Bishoff has worked collaboratively with her artistic partner and husband J. M. Syron since 1987. Starting as furniture makers, they made work that incorporated large panels of polymer veneers for 28 years. Gradually they shifted their focus to explore jewelry and mixed media pieces.They tend to work in series and on several fronts at once. The focus of their jewelry has been creating metal armatures, textured and oxidized metal surfaces, and polymer marquetry surface designs. In addition they have been exploring a series of wall panels or "paintings" in polymer veneers and wire armatured sculptures.
They have exhibited widely in galleries and fine craft shows including the Smithsonian and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Museum exhibitions include the Peabody Essex, The Museum of Art and Design, NY and the permanent collection of the Racine Art Museum. Their materials include veneers of polymer clay, silver, bronze, copper, and wood. They aim to create work that projects an expansive notion of art and creative pursuit to be shared by the wearer with the world.
Materials & Tools
There is a $60 materials fee for this class that is payable upon registration. The materials kit includes the materials listed below. If you are particularly prolific, you may want to buy more polymer clay (and any of the materials listed below) and bring them with you.
- Nickle Silver wire
- 4ft 18ga
- Sterling silver wire
- 2ft 20ga
- 3ft 18ga
- Sterling silver sheet
- 2"x 3" sheet sterling
- 2"x 3" copper to practice with
- Silver solder (hard, medium, and soft)
- A length of stainless steel wire to make broach-backs with
- A rotary tool for sharpening the stainless steel broach wire
- Sandpaper to mount on said tool
- All the polymer clay you will need for class
- Closed-toe shoes - required in the Metalwerx studio
- Pasta machine
- Cutting surface
- Your favorite polymer tools
- Polymer clay canes and extra clay and scrap clay*
- # 11 exacto blade
- Small shape cutters
- Wax paper
- Masking tape
- Drawing pad and pencils
- Pictures for inspiration