ArtUnraveled Day 2

Day 2 was with Susan Lenart Kazmer (actually it was the evening of Day 1 plus Day 2)

Resin and Everything you Wanted to Know About it!

Learn to cast charms, objects and figurative pieces using flexible rubber molding compound that allows for many undercuts. Pulling your resin charm from your mold is just the first step. Now turn them into dimensional, interesting elements. Learn clean up and finishing secrets such as Patinas for making the details stand out, sanding without creating a cloudy surface and drilling tips. Work with a superior non- toxic jeweler’s grade resin that will never yellow in time.

Learn proper application and safety tips for resin. This hands on workshop offered in a 2 day format offers many ground breaking techniques from creating hand made hollow bezel forms from wire, sheet metal and filling pierced recesses. Ideas for images, text, layering, and creating colorful stone like textures from organic material such as sand, pepper and crushed powders.

Create layers of extraordinary translucent papers in jewelry using a collection of new ideas and techniques in freestanding paper and resins. Learn rubs, burnings, oil pastel and colored pencil techniques. Make charms for jewelry, journal or home embellishments. Students will take home a few molds, complete a handful of finished charms, handmade bezels, and jewelry pieces.

Playing in this class was so fun! I could have done this all week. I was just starting to get into the jewelry making then it was over! I'm buying a dapping block for sure.

We started with pouring resin into bezels and adding stuff. I've done this before.

Then we made silicone molds of different things. I chose a shell, a porcelein doll and a hand that I had. This is the resin drying. Your first pour is a "throwaway" due to offgassing of the silicone mold, and I didn't have time to do a second pour. I'll play with these at home. .

Someone in my class cast some sea urchins -- aren't they fabulous????

She made one into a ring:

Then we finished our pieces -- I dapped this piece of copper, heated it and made some nice patina, then attached my resined piece -- I'm not sure if it will be a ring or a pendant -- it's about an inch and a half across.

Someone made this fabulous bracelet from a glass votive mounted on metal. She resined the label on to make it permanent. The votive was found in the desert. She is part of a group of people who go into the desert and help people coming from Mexico by giving them food and water and other supplies....

No classes Friday and Saturday.... time for a break. I am tired, sick and have a giant cold sore. Travelling doesn't really agree with my body....