A Weekend With Terri

I live less than 2 hours from Terri Brush.   Finally I was able to schedule a weekend away to attend a workshop in her home studio. Above you will see the space all dressed up for a party. It was dressed in daytime finery for us; a nicely designed and decorated artist's studio with so many big girl toys...like a drill press, acyletine torches, all sort of hammers, pliers, heat, resin, dapping molds. I could go on. I spent 2 intense days here learning so much.  Terri is a patient and calm teacher.  Here is the link to learn about Terri and her classes. Terri Brush

For me the learning was experience based. I see.  I try to do. Then I see another thing to do. For example, the drill press. I loved it. The other material new to me is torching on enamel. I really liked the results and the tool investment isn't too large, maybe, if you already own a micro-torch?  HA! You need this sort of a tripod in order to apply torch heat from underneath. Plus the sheet copper, and the enamel powder, dapping molds... I'm sure there is a YouTube video out there for a "how to" on the enamel. 

The first thing we did is make bezels; cutting shapes from thin pieces of sheet metal; bending a narrow band of metal to fit inside of the shape, then soldering the 2 pieces of metal together.  Well, it sounds easy, but there is a skill to it. And I didn't have any of the this skill. 

No matter. I ended up making a few bezels that held together. Then we filled the bezels with bits and bobs; ice resined over the opening, and voila.  The ice resin was a new technique for me. Does everyone over pour the first time? The hearts were made by hammering thin copper into a heart shaped dapping mold. Cutting out the heart. Enameling it with the Thompson enamel. Then placing a tiny decal on top. Love them!!!  So, what to do with all of the bezels and enameled shapes?  How about leather cuffs?  Setting those snaps was probably a one-time thing for me so I'm gonna enjoy this bracelet. Oh, that was a lot of fun.