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By Jackie Hanson
I'm admiring my new ring. Its flowers and curliques catch the light as I type. Amazingly, t I made it myself! That's because I had the great good fortune to discover Tes Shea and the jewelry classes she teaches for the City of Santee. Last Friday, Tes was teaching how to make "Easy Rings" out of silver Art Clay.
Metal Art Clay is a relatively new material, a combination of precious metal and clay that blends the best properties of each. It's flexible and can be easily worked like clay, yet fires to a durable and beautiful metal. What happens in more technical terms is that the clay binder burns off, leaving behind 99% pure fine silver. Happily, the silver is recycled -- from computers, x-ray film, and such sources- good news for all of us on a quest to be more environmentally correct!
The process was invented in Japan.
I had heard of this new and amazing medium with its many possibilities, but the price for a small amount made me hesitate. There seemed to be no room for trial and error, and I wasn't ready to try it without some guidance. Enter Tes.
Tes asked for my ring size when I called to sign up. I thought I was a size 7, but wasn't sure. I had other doubts as well; I already had more rings than fingers, so did I want another one? Luckily, Tes was well supplied with various sizes, so I was able to choose a small ring base to make a pinkie ring!
My classmates were a combination of veteran Art Clay afficionados (like Jackie K., who wore her charming dragonfly pendant, and Sandy with her stunning star earrings, made at the last class) and newbies like myself and Homer. He planned to make a piece for his wife, who had no idea he was here doing this! We sat around a large table fully equipped with all the tools and materials we would need, and in easy sight of Tes' demonstrations.
After we all selected our ring base, we watched as Tes showed us how to gently squeeze and control the syringe of moist clay that we would use to decorate our ring. "It's just like frosting a cake," Tes assured us. I glanced at Homer to see if he showed any sign of unfamiliarity with frosting (was it 17 years ago that I had made that carrousel cake for my daughter?). He betrayed no fear, so I took heart.
We could apply the clay directly to the ring base or use a small piece of Teflon on which to make and manipulate our designs before applying them. We could also experiment and make mistakes with no worry about wasting any of this precious clay. It turns out to be easily reconstituted for future use, and Tes had a system for collecting all scraps and discarded "bits and pieces."
So we set to work, squeezing our syringes and playing with the possibilities for our very own ring. Tes remarked that students always seemed to arrive at a unique design, even though their tools and materials were the same. "In every class, the variety is always amazing," she noted. Sure enough, we had a spectrum of squiggles, geometric shapes, initials, and flowers. Everyone was having fun,
Our pieces dried quickly, some aided by a candle warmer or hair dryer, and Tes loaded them into a little kiln to fire. This would burn out the clay, leaving just the silver. While we waited and shared a snack, we watched Tes demonstrate an alternative firing method using a small butane torch. "Like you might use for creme brulee," Sandy suggested (and I noted my further culinary shortcomings). It's also possible to fire Art Clay on a gas stove top (at last, we're in my kitchen comfort zone). Within half an hour our rings were fired, quenched in water, burnished, and we were able to wear them. Amazingly, they are just as we made them, only in gleaming silver!
To wrap up, Tes showed examples of techniques for upcoming classes (like fusing layers of colorful dichroic glass and later embellishing it with Art Clay, or using "cork clay" to mold a shape that can be wrapped with silver and then will burn out, leaving a hollow silver form). Tes also displayed several of her recent pieces, all of which are lovely and indistinguishable from traditional, labor-intensive silver jewelry.
Tes Shea is a rising star in the world of Art Clay, and we are fortunate to have her expertise available in East County. She is a member of the Alchemist's Society for metal clay enthusiasts and has had an article published in the August 2008 issue of Fire Craft Magazine. She tells of being smitten with the medium two years ago at the Glass and Bead Show in Las Vegas. Since discovering the technique there, she studied with local mentors and experimented to see how she could translate her creative ideas into this medium. "You have patterns going through your head when you wake up in the morning," she says of her passion for this art form.
Join Tes for a great introduction to this wonderful medium. Metal Clay classes are held at the City of Santee Recreation Department, 10601 N. Magnolia. You can find the complete class schedule at www.GBU-Art.com and contact Tes online at Tes@GBU-Art.com.
Jackie Hanson is an East County artist and former English teacher. She also directs Project Renaissance, helping children create public art for their schools. She paints portraits and landscapes in both oils and acrylics, and recently had a show in Coronado as artist-for-the-month of August 2008 at Earth, Wind and Sea Home Decor and Gallery. Jackie says she is glad to take on some writing tasks again to help give our local artists more exposure.
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