Studies At The Studiolo

This year, 2018, I'm offering two spring workshops for new and emerging metal clay artisans, and one summer/fall workshop for more experienced students. "Crafting Your Artistic Voice" welcomes all levels and makers of all materials.

Classroom at The Studiolo

Please scroll to the bottom for information about Registration and Cancellations.

Spring Studies - 2018

Metal Clay Immersion:

All The Tips You Need To Know*

*To begin your metal clay career

March 16, 17, 18

3-day workshop

Skill Level:  Novices and Absolute Beginners

Class limited to 7 students 
Clay Body Used: Base and .960 Silver Clay

Class Fee: $375.00

Materials Fee: $75.00

If you’re brand new to the world of metal clay, or if you’ve already dipped a toe in the waters and want to learn more or refresh your memory, this workshop will teach you all the essential techniques you’ll need to confidently work with metal clay.

Spend the first day mastering the basics using base metal clay, then break out the silver to make a ring, set stones, and form a bead. The techniques we’ll cover are: reduction rolling, two sided texturing, re-hydrating, making slip, constructing bails, joining parts, rolling calibrated coils, forming tiny granulation balls, sanding, piercing, making a custom texture sheet, altering commercial textures to create a unique surface, cutting simple shape-templates, making molds and more. Gain a thorough understanding of other metal clay products such as paper/sheet, syringe, slip and oil paste.

You’ll be able to venture into any advanced workshop with the skills acquired in this workshop.

Discover the secrets to project planning, layout, and how to use available objects as construction forms and tools.

Bring your own collection of tiny treasures to use for micro molds (decorative head pins, shells, buttons, etc.) and learn how to produce a collection of small elements that you can use to embellish any design.

Materials Fee covers sanding and finishing supplies, two sheets of Teflon, slip container, polishing pads, molding material, rolling devices, other disposables/consumables, and handouts. Tool kits, commercial textures, cutters and templates, spacers, and other necessary working tools will be available to borrow.

I suggest you plan on bringing one 50g package of bronze base clay and one 45g PMC One Fire Sterling. A detailed materials list will be emailed after registration.

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Make Your Mark:

Developing a textural vocabulary

May 18, 19, 20, 21

4-day workshop

Skill Level: All Levels are welcome, some experience with metal clay will be a plus

Class Limited to 7 students
Clay Body Used: PMC+ Fine Silver Clay

Class Fee: $460.00

Materials Fee: $50.00

"I'll never use commercial textures again" Stephany Pishko

Begin to develop a signature style as you create a little library of original texture sheets, molds, and stamps.

Start the workshop with two days of arts and crafts as you make texture sheets by utilizing motifs and designs that are especially meaningful to you to manufacture a variety of textures that are re-producable and long lasting.

• Carve rubber and linoleum stamps
• Burn Photopolymer Plates
• Etch Tear-Aways

During the following two days, we'll make three more plaques and decorate them with the 'direct to clay' techniques

• Water Etch surfaces
• Slip Print through stencils
• Carve directly into metal clay
• Design two complementary templates

You'll have the option of using your new texturing materials to fabricate a series of nesting plaques that can be linked into a Victorian inspired bracelet.

Participants will be requested to bring a variety of black and white print-ready art to the workshop. In addition to altering copyright free images, students may also use their own drawings, doodles, and sketches. The instructor will also have a selection of art to share.

The materials fee covers PPP's, polymer clay, carving tool, rubber block, linoleum block, glossy paper, transparency 'paper', copy services, sanding and finishing materials, and other consumables. Tool kits, cutters, spacers, bead formers, and other necessary working tools will be available to borrow.

I suggest you plan on bringing at least 45 grams of PMC+ fine silver clay. A detailed materials list will be emailed after registration.

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Summer/Fall Studies - 2018

Custom Cab Settings for Metal Clay

June 22, 23, 24

3-day workshop

Skill Level: All Levels are welcome, experience with metal clay will be a plus

Class Limited to 7 students
Clay Body Used: .960 Silver Clay

Class Fee: $375.00

Materials Fee: $45.00

A beautiful cabochon can transform a metal clay design into something extraordinary!  First we’ll use nothing but metal clay and a ‘stand in’ replica of the stone to control shrinkage. The second method combines traditional stone setting techniques with metal clay fabrication to create perfectly proportioned bezel settings for non-fireable stones. First you’ll make a metal clay base and later attach the bezel using a double firing method.  Go home with new skills and the confidence to bezel set any stone.

• Account for metal clay shrinkage

• Design a custom shape template

• Use jeweler's investment material to duplicate the stone you plan to set

• Roll calibrated coils to use as prongs

• Fuse fine silver wire to form a bezel shaped to mirror your cabochon perfectly

• Add fresh clay details and decorations to the pre-fired base

• Finish the bezel to a professional polish.

Crafting Your Artistic Voice

September 14, 15, 16, 17

4 Day Workshop

Skill Level: All levels and mediums are welcome

Class limited to 7 students

Class Fee: $450.00

Whether you’re producing jewelry for yourself; friends and family; as a creative outlet; as a side business; or as a full time job – unique designs are good for your soul, your identity, your confidence and your business.  The joy, freedom and personal success you feel when you’re making work you’re proud to call your own is priceless.

This 4 day workshop will be a combination of discussion, creative art play,  collage, written exercises and self exploration that will help students on their path towards developing a personal artistic style and brainstorm ways to translate information and techniques taught in classes into new and unique designs.

• Visit the world class Virginia Museum of Fine Art for inspiration
• Create an accordion book filled with images to draw from, inspirational words and phrases, and your own detailed marginalia
 • Develop your own personal visual vocabulary
• Design with Object Sketches

• Brainstorm specific considerations with your colleagues in the class

Participants will leave class with the beginning of an artistic/creative vision journal, an artist statement, and a concrete understanding of their unique aesthetic.

To register for Studies at the Studiolo, please email Lora directly to reserve a space. The workshop and the materials fee will be due 2 months in advance of the class (exact date listed in class details). The fee may be split into two payments upon request. Cancellations up to a month in advance of the class will be refundable in part. Full refund (minus a $50.00 registration fee) will be offered if your space can be filled by another student. Detailed information about your chosen workshop will be sent after payment.

LoraHartClasses@Gmail.com