kernology - where laurie and learning meet
 
This is the fourth post about the workshop. To read the prior posts scroll down.
Day 4 - Monday and it was our last day. Megan started with a demo of HOT forging tools and she held up a large diameter piece of tool steel and said she was going to use it to make me a tool.

That's right folks, I was getting a tool, a big - fat - pusher made by Megan in return for giving her the swirl bowl. WOW! To say I was on cloud nine the rest of the day is an understatement. Megan has a BIG fat pusher that everyone was using and lusting after and I was getting a similar but slightly smaller version of it .

While everyone was making hot forged tools, and there were some nice ones being made, I finished my texture wheel. And for texture 8 I ended with a moon scape. This last one was not I had in mind but I ended up cracking the copper and I then turned a mistake into a design element

Once that was done, I worked on making a custom bezel cup for a cab I had cut. This technique was discussed at the last workshop and is used as the starting point of the gypsy setting ring shown in Megan's book. I did not finish this - yet, but hope to this weekend. I spent the rest of the time taking pictures and in some ways relaxing. At the end of the workshop we all shared and displayed what the had worked on for the past few days, discussed where we want to go next, when was Megan going to come back.  We also talked about starting a small group where we would meet maybe a few times a year and work and share and we tossed some names around like Talk & Tap, Bang & Banter and that maybe we would meet at Jay's studio. We hope to get this going in the fall.

And finally -

Lesson Learned: Go look at your "finished" piece a week later and use a critical eye; you will see the things you missed or need  a tweak. THEN FIX THEM.

Lesson Learned: Gelato, every afternoon at 2:00 pm is a great way to take a break from your work.

Lesson Learned: If you really, really, really, really want to keep a piece - DON'T SHOW IT TO OTHERS cause they might make you an offer you can't refuse!

Lesson Learned: Be willing and open to share your work, you never know what you will get in return.

Use this link to view all my pictures under Metals - Classes -2010

My Finished Texture Wheel
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This is the third post about the workshop. To read the prior posts scroll down

Day 3 - Sunday and I was getting tired. I promised myself to NOT go out to dinner that get a good nights sleep.

I did make a brass under cutter tool after Megan demonstrated the process. I still have some work to do on the tool as it needs to have a shallower angle between the tip of the tool and the body but the basic shape is there.

I continued to work on my textures with most of these actually being started from the back. Textures 5, 6, and 7 are: Deep Curves, Waves, Long Lines.

By 4:00 pm I had ALMOST finished my piece and just before I went home, I went into my toolbox and pulled out my little swirl bowl. I had made the decision to give it to Megan. That's right - GIVE IT TO HER. Several factors weighed into this decision:

a) The bowl was small and even though it took me several days of on and off work to make (sinking and the chasing and repousse), it was not a huge piece that I had spent months working on, so I could make myself another one;

b) The bowl is one of my first pieces I made after the first class with Megan. I had emailed her a few times and she really helped me and continues to do so, thus as a show of thanks and appreciation it was the right thing to do!

c) Again the bowl was one of my first pieces and despite its faults as mentioned earlier, Megan said she liked it- she then mentioned that she likes small items.

So I walked over to her workbench and placed it before her and said she could have it - she was actually surprised that I had given it to her.  When I got home, I told my husband and he agreed that it was the nice and right thing to do! [So you never know, you might be in one of Megan's workshops and she will hold up this little swirl bowl and tell you how a student of hers made it!]
And of course use thisUse this link to view all my pictures under Metals - Classes -2010


Texture Wheel Day 3

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This is the second post about the workshop. To read the prior post scroll down.. 

Day 2  - Saturday and we started again at 9:00 am everyone talked about the first day, how tired they were when they got home - there was such a high energy!  We started the day with a demo and a show-N-tell where we all brought in pieces we had previously done. It was great to see other peoples work and even a few piece they had purchased. Then we got to work and I flipped my domed copper over, I scribed a small circle in the middle and then divided the larger circle into 8 segments. Each of the 8 segment and in each one, I would do a different technique.  After doing the lining, I started my textures. The first three segments were all done from the front side: Arts & Crafts planish, Concrete and Fur. The fourth texture started on the front with lining, then I had to flip the copper over so I could do some repousse and then I flipped it over again so I could add the final textures - I called this wood but I think it looks more like sargasso seaweed.

While working on my textures, there was a large amount of sharing between everyone: how did you make that, what tool did you use (Megan brought many of her tools which we could also use on our work, though I did my best to only use my tools when doing a texture); where did you get the inspiration for that; and much more!  Of course in the afternoon there was another trip to the gelato store and after class I stayed again, to go to dinner with Mary, Terri and Elizabeth. I was home and a sleep around 10 pm.

At one point Megan talked about purchasing tools and mentioned the tool set made and sold by Lisa. I spoke up and told how my husband had bought me the set and that I had it with me. There were looks of envy all around the room and Megan who knows Lisa had not even seen them! They were passed around the room and Megan asked if she could try them to which I agreed. That night just before I went home, I put them on Megan's bench for her to use and the next morning she gave her seal of approval. Personally I think there should be one or two other tools included in the set such as an under cutter and a sheep foot planisher for working on side walls as this would make the set more complete as a starter.

Towards the end of the day, a friend of Megan's arrived so they could go to dinner, it was Helen Shirk!
We had done a show-N-Tell earlier in the day and some of my vessels were on the table still because some of the other students wanted to take pictures. Well, Helen arrived and I guess she asked Megan who's vessels they were and I was called over and I was introduced to Helen who then asked about them and where I had learned to do raising. I stated that I was still learning but I was taking private lessons from 'Deb Jemmott'. Helen said: "Oh, she was one of my students". Helen also said that I was doing very good work!For more pictures, go to Kernolgy and you can see all the pictures I posted, which are more than I have shown here. 

Use this link to and you canview all my pictures under Metals - Classes -2010

Texture Wheel Day 2 from the inside
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Over the Memorial Day weekend, Nancy Megan Corwin returned to San Diego for another workshop. I attended the the first workshop given my Megan which was only 2 days and gave me a great start on my skills.  This workshop was FOUR days and I was able to complete the project I had set for myself and then some  but I was a very tired puppy Monday night when I got home.

Each of the four days, Megan gave demonstrations in the morning and the afternoon that lasted from 15 minutes to just under an hour and the remaining time during the day was spent working on the technique presented in the demo or on our personal project/goals. For example, we had demo's on tool making which I watched, but because I am in the tools class at Metals Week with Val Link, I only made a brass undercutting tool but I did not grind a tool nor did I hot forge a tool.

Besides me, two other students in this workshop (there was a total of 10) also attended the first workshop with Megan back in December - Michael from Chicago and Elizabeth from Oberlin. There was another student had previously taken a workshop with Valentin Yotkov, my friend Mary and Terri who were beginners and the remaining students were at other skill levels so there was a wide range experience.

In the last workshop Megan had also brought along many pieces she has made or collected. Some of the items she made were completed or there were multiples of them all at various stages of the process so she could show us this progression. This time Megan also had a new piece - a small vessel by David Huang and we all lusted after it - literally and I think I spoke for everyone when I said that if she turned her back too long, it would be gone!

I brought several of my completed pieces so I could get some feedback from Megan on my technique. This was important because just sending pictures to Megan only allows her to see what I have taken a picture of; by looking at the entire piece she could see and point out where areas were good and others still need work. I have to admit that several of the pieces I had not look at since "I finished them" - and as I handed them to Megan I looked and could see areas where I had missed under cutting, and in places the lining was not even. One of the pieces I asked Megan to look at with her critical eye was my Swirl bowl.  Yes, there were many little fixes to be done but despite these being pointed out, Megan said it was very good and that she liked it - she liked it so much she wanted it. 

Oh -  gosh,  now what do I do? 

Do I give it to her, ask for money - ask what she would like to buy it for; ask for a trade  because having one of her pieces would be great but it would certainly  be worth waaaaayyy more than my piece.  I  had to think and ponder, so I let is stew in my brain for another day or two.

As mentioned in a previous post, I have a set of the Nechamkin tools . On Lisa's website, she has a texture wheel that was made with the tools in this basic set. My goal for the workshop was to work on surface textures using these basic tools - not texturing tools made specifically for texturing.  I thought I would use Lisa's texture wheel as my inspiration and see what I could do.   I spent most of Day 1 making a circular shallow dome, not a hemisphere, on which to do my textures. In the afternoon of the first day, Mary and I took a break and went to the Chocolat shop on the corner. You could stand there and try each and every flavor they had, all 16-20 of them. I settled on combo of the dark chocolate and pistachio - it was wonderful and some of the best I have ever had. YUMMY.  

After 4:00 pm, 8 of us took a side field trip to the Taboo Studio where I saw some amazing work; spoke to one of the owners; and she gave us post cards from prior shows. After visiting the gallery we went out to dinner and I did not get home until 10-ish and my husband wanted to hear all about the day and I was in bed and snoring an hour later.

Here is a picture of my sampler at the end of the day and you can view all my pictures under Metals - Classes -2010


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