|
|
Metal Clay Academy Newsletter
Summer is here...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Hello!
Hopefully you are enjoying some warmth and long summer nights where you are. Summer holidays for the schools are about to begin, certainly in Scotland, and I am looking forward to spending some time with my little ones.
Spending time on metal clay might have to take a back seat for the next few weeks, but I might have to get my kit out after looking at the artists work featured in the latest newsletter.
We have an all male issue this time - personally I love both of these artists work, each of them have their own style which is instantly recognisable. Read on and take a look at their philosophies, they are inspirational.
If you'd like to be part of the next newsletter, then drop me an email. We'd really like to hear your views, suggestions and opinions.
Enjoy your summer!
Emma Gordon |
|
News
Saul Bell Award
The winner of the Saul Bell award this year was announced last month and it was Wanaree Tanner for her bangle entitled 'The Gate'. If you want to read more on this piece, go to Wanaree's website where she has a video about how it was created. Well done Wanaree - a worthy winner! And congratulations to the other worthy artists that made the final!
If you fancy having a shot at the Saul Bell Award - there is a call for entries for the 2014 competition. Details can be found here. The closing date is the 20th of September.
Holly Gage has decided to replace the Art and Design of Metal Clay calendar format with a book. It will be named The Art and Design of Metal Clay Jewelry and More 2014. She is looking for submissions and you can submit to Holly from now until the 1st of October 2013. The release date of the book will be in January 2014. Have a look at her website for more information and details on how to submit.
|
What's Your Inspiration?
Patrik Kusek
Patrik and his work are probably well known to most of us and he really needs no introduction. He is frequently in publications about metal clay and he is an internationally renowned Rio Grande PMC Certification instructor. He has written his own book Woodland Chic, which is all about being inspired by the beauty of nature. But what you might not know is that Patrik has come from a design focussed background and worked in the visual and creative world for all of his adult life. He graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and The Academy of Art University, after which he worked as a Fashion Stylist at Macy's San Francisco. He then became the owner and Creative Director of Wallop Design Group, a graphic design and branding company. Now, fortunately for us, his creative and visual talents are all about metal clay - teaching it, making jewellery and exploring its possibilities.
 | Fairy Ring Bracelet No. 816
|
When I asked him to participate in this article, I was delighted when he chose this bracelet as it has to be one of my favourite examples of Patrik's work. His Fairy Ring No 816 bracelet is beautifully crafted from PMC Sterling silver and Aura 22. The Sterling he chose for its strength and the Aura 22 specifically because he could apply it and achieve a 'wonderful mottled look'.
Why did he choose this piece? 'I chose this piece because the idea came because of an event, a moment in time, when something unexpected came into view. The theme keeps coming back into my work. I made the piece last year and now a year later I'm working on extending the concept into a production line of jewellery.' When he talks about what inspires him, Patrik tells me that although it may sound corny, he can find inspiration in most things, but that inspiration will come to him and he doesn't believe in trying to force the creative process. He uses the analogy 'A watched pot never boils' to describe that well known feeling of frustration! But he says, you can encourage that creative process through some tried and tested techniques. He uses brainstorming exercises to stimulate the creative flow and he has generously shared his presentation for the 2010 PMC Conference with us which can be downloaded if you are interested in exploring his techniques.
So what exactly inspired this wonderful bracelet?
 | Close up of Patrik's wonderful bracelet
|
Patrik tells us 'Last year I was asked to teach a five day metal clay workshop at Haystack Mountain School on Deer Isle, Maine. It was early fall, and the island, still wet from the recent series of storms, was bracing for another storm and the possibility of a hurricane. As we found our way to the school, I was unprepared for the beauty of its location. Located on the water's edge, the school is surrounded by a gorgeous moss covered forest that looked like a thick shag wall-to-wall carpet. After the rain had subsided I took a walk around the campus. The forest provided a beautiful show of color, most notable was an assortment of wild mushrooms that dotted the forest floor like bright gemstones. Vivid shades of purples, reds and bright yellows in all shapes and sizes from tiny, tiny to huge mushrooms suitable as a bird bath. In one corner of the forest I came upon a "fairy ring" of bright yellow mushrooms. I found myself transfixed by their beauty and the simplicity of their shapes.' Wow! It's like I was there with him!
And when he describes the people that inspire him to push his art further, Patrik is equally as descriptive. 'Artists who I find inspiring are usually people who make a concerted effort to make a dramatic change in their own personal lives, make a difference in someone else's life or overcome an obstacle, either physical or psychological. Usually through those processes they find their art. Examples are Joseph Cornell, an American born sculptor and pioneer of the assemblages, who selflessly took care of this brother who had cerebral palsy. Joseph was also, what we would consider today, slightly agoraphobic and a hoarder. He took this feeling of containment and was able to manifest it into his art. Another would be Chuck Close, an American photorealist painter became paralyzed but continued to paint portraits. He suffers also from Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, in which he is unable to recognise faces. 20 years later it occurred to him that because of this condition it enabled him to continue to paint portraits with the same urgency as when he first started. The human spirit is an amazing and wonderful thing. ' Patrik's website has a wealth of inspiration and knowledge and you can find it here. You can also view more of his fabulous work and buy his book from his website.
|
Did You Know....?
The Metal Clay Academy has lots of information to browse through and this section just highlights an area you may have missed or have not looked at for a while.
With all the calls for submissions for work to various publications and juried exhibitions, do you ever wonder if there is a magic formula to having your work accepted?
In our Promotional Opportunities for Metal Clay Artists section we give you not only the current opportunities out there; see for example the La Cours des Miracles exhibition for contemporary glass, jewels and ceramics, but other resources to find out what's going on.
Plus we have a fantastic blog post from Lora Hart who guides you through the ins and outs of submitting your work.
Good luck with all your submissions! We are sure to be seeing some fantastic examples of metal clay work in the very near future!
|
Featured Artist
Terry Kovalcik Terry comes from an illustration background where he worked as a freelance illustrator for thirty years after obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. He has been working with silver clay since 1999. During his career with silver clay, in particular PMC, Terry has been featured in many metal clay publications and books and he has been a Senior Instructor for the Rio Grande PMC Certification course in the US since 2005. His work is instantly recognisable and quite breath-taking in its detail and skill. If you look at Terry's artwork you can get a sense of his humour and take on life and this is definitely apparent in his jewellery line, too.  | | One of Terry's humourous illustrations |
He says that his style is difficult to explain but likes to think that it's 'detailed, precise and delicate...and, he hopes, well designed.' However you would describe it, it certainly is well designed and beautiful. One of his specialities he has developed is 'Viscosity Painting' which can be used to create 3D objects or a bas-relief effect when painted onto PMC. This technique is demonstrated in a Craftcast tutorial where he shares this unique approach to applying detail to your silver clay pieces.  | | A locket demonstrating the 'Viscosity Painting' technique |
This technique is very much apparent in his most favourite piece 'A Tear For Icarus' which he describes as 'very ambitious and labor-intense-plus, some spiritual part of me came through in this work. During the process of making it, I took many leaps into the unknown..' Terry tells us he uses mainly PMC in his work and he has definitely fallen in love with the new PMC Sterling. But he is now considering taking a new direction and combining some base metal clays with silver in the future. He recently completed a project where he combined Metal Clay Adventures Coppr®clay and PMC Sterling to create a set of skull rings. He loved the way both materials carved and thinks that mixed metal projects might take more of his attention. So where does he work? Is it a peaceful haven? 'It depends what's going on' he tells us. He shares the attic space (studio) in his house with his wife Corrin, who has her work area and photography station in one part of the attic and Terry has 2 benches; one for his metal clay work and one for his silversmithing and post firing work. So it sounds very busy in his studio and I wondered if he is ever stuck for inspiration? 'Quite the opposite' he says. He often has lots of ideas floating around in his head and the trouble he has is sorting through them. Terry says that '..Inspiration is one of these things that can just suddenly smack you in the head or leave you searching for it. I find that drawing, or simple doodles and taking photos are all tools that can help one be inspired.'  | | A Tear for Icarus |
I get the feeling from Terry that he loves projects that test his skills and induce him to learn new things! He enjoys making pieces that push his boundaries and get him thinking of new ways to create. Every piece that he makes brings with it some challenge or other and he says '..these should be welcomed because they promote problem solving and an opportunity to grow.' He pushes forward because '...it makes my soul smile to take a visual from my imagination and create it from nothing so I can hold it in my hands.'  | | Mixed metal ring - a new direction for Terry? |
If you are interested in seeing more of Terry's jewellery or some of his fabulous illustrations, you can visit his website. If you want to own one of his fantastic pieces, then go to his on-line Etsy shop - VisualTwists or connect with him on his Visual Twists Facebook page
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
