Virginia Art and Soul Workshops
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Linda and Opie O'Brien 9-4:30 Thursday	1167 - Gourd & Metal Jewelry: an Alchemical Marriage of Media	[back to quicklinks] $ 135 Plus $10 materials fee
This unique jewelry workshop combines two of our passions: gourds and metal and elevates them to more than the sum of their parts. starting with copper sheet, students will oxidize, drill and further empower the metal with hand-hammered words, then explore options for hanging it from chain/ cord. next, your focal piece, a pre-sanded gourd fragment with a pyro-engraved bezel well, will be transformed through a variety of surface techniques that include dyes, stains, pyrography and a wire wrapped natural embellishment. finally, you'll fill your bezel well with an image, text, or flat object 1/2" diameter, and protect it with a layer of tinted transparent resin. drawn bead ball rivets, which you will create with a torch, will connect both pieces in a true marriage of media. a wire-wrapped dangle made from beads and a charm completes this powerful piece. All Levels. Supply List: * jewelry pliers: round nose, flat and/or chain nose, cutters and a file. * fine tin shears and a thin awl or needle tool. * a photo, or photocopy (not inkjet) and/or text or something to put into your bezel well (needs to be flat and not exceed 1/2"diameter). * a few beads and one special charm to create the dangle (beads should fit over 20 ga. wire). *chain/cord and beads/charm to dangle Bring if you have (we'll have some to share in class): * an inexpensive woodburning tool (but if you are going to go out and buy one anyway, then we highly recommend the Creative Textile Tool by Walnut Hollow) which you can get at jo-anns fabric, using a coupon) it's so versatile, you can burn, transfer images, cut, press, fuse, solder and more. * a set of 1/8" or similar size metal alphabet stamps, a metal block and a hammer.  Material Fee includes: almost everything you will need to create and complete your piece:  copper sheet metal and wire, gourd fragment, aging and oxidizing materials, dyes, stains, resin and everything necessary for torchwork. students will bring an image for their bezel well or use an image provided by us. For pictures/prices of the tools we use please visit our website: www.burntofferings.com or email us with any questions at: gourdart@burntofferings.com

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