Friday 29 July 2011

Natalia's Silver Clay Secrets Tour...1st Stop Dorset!


Having been fired up by my trip to the World Metal Clay Conference in Chicago and learning so many brand new techniques, I've decided to put a new workshop together and go on tour!

Silver Clay Secrets is my brand new one-day workshop where I'll be giving you 20 grams of Art Clay Silver and showing you how to turn it into some beautiful, fine silver jewellery.

People often tell me how much they want to learn about making silver clay jewellery, but that it's too far for them to travel to me in Huddersfield. So, I've decided to bring my silver clay secrets to you.

My first stop will be the beautiful village of Poundsbury in Dorchester, Dorset on Saturday 17th September. Due to popular demand, I have also added a second date here on the following Saturday 24th September.
Our venue will be the fabulous village hall, Brownsword Hall (see picture above...isn't it stunning!)

For further information about this workshop and other workshop dates around the country to be announced soon, please e-mail me at info@silverclaycreations.co.uk

I look forward to meeting you all very soon!

World Metal Clay Conference


Hello again everyone! Well I'm back from a whirlwind visit to the windy city of Chicago and my first World Metal Clay Conference.

It was a wonderful event during which I learnt so much, I made so many new friends from all over the world and had great fun which was the best part of all! It reminded me how we all have so much advice and information to share, yet jewellery making, or indeed anything creative tends to be so solitary. It was very important to me to have this opportunity to spend time with other people, learning, making things and generally chatting about what we all love most.

Here are some beautiful images of pieces made by some of the amazing presenters who gave workshops and seminars. I learned about Keum Boo, the ancient art of adding gold leaf to metal clay with a new twist from Lorren Baum-Davis (see photo of her work above).

I was thrilled to find out all about enamelling onto silver clay from the inspirational Joy Funnell. (See her beautiful and very detailed designs below. She made it all look very easy which is the mark of a truly talented artist! To find out more about Joy visit her website at www.joyfunnell.co.uk)











I also had a lot of problems solved by hearing the genius that is Lisa Barth talking about how to set large stones after firing. That has been one of the things that I'd love to do but have found most tricky so I'm now going to attempt it with renewed confidence and enthusiasm, I'm hoping to post my results up here very soon! (See Lisa's beautiful flower pendant and her expert stone setting...one day mine will be so perfect too!)