Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Silversmithing in Estes Park Halloween weekend 2010
John & I drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park last Friday & hiked up Beaver Meadows Trail up to the Ute Trail - was great to be back in RMNP. It's a perfect brain / stress dump! The next two days I spent attending a class in Estes Park learning new tips and tricks for my craft. Thanks to Greg Norris (Don Norris' son) for an enlightening Saturday & Sunday class. I haven't used cast pieces in my work up till this point and what fun it is NOT to have to make EVERYTHING from scratch! I've tried to keep my pieces "stock" per say - Not incorporating anything made by anyone else, but sometimes ya gotta just go in a totally different direction.... So maybe I'll find someone who does some beautiful castings, or someone who does great engraving (Like Oleg at Handengraver.com).
All my adult life I have tried to be open to new ideas from various people. Whether it be in the IT field or Silversmithing it can't hurt anyone to listen and learn from various people/instructors. There is not ONE WAY to do things, there are always multiple ways to do things... they may not all be perfect, but sooner or later you're bound to stumble upon a new way of doing things more efficiently. I get so frustrated when people can't think outside the box. I know the term is so cliche, but it's true! When resolving a server issue, it's not always the same fix, well the same thing holds true for smithing.
It all boils down to this - Not one person has ALL the knowledge - so I glean what I can from various instructors... Some may not agree with me, but cest la vie!
So as I further develop my craft I want to extend a thank you to those who have influenced me and continue to mold me into who I am as an artisan...
From my first instructor at Central Piedmont Community College Saturday workshops~ thank you for getting me hooked and showing me that the torch is nothing to be scared of!
To Harry at Red Rocks Community College~ thanks for your sound advise through two semesters and your continued support as I brainstorm new ideas :)
To Travis at Denver School of Metal Arts~ thanks for the amazing 4 Days 4 bracelets class - my skill set just grew exponentially!
To Bill Fretz~ amazing what those little stakes can do! Thanks for a great Forming with Stakes and Hammers class at DSMA!
To Greg Norris~ Giving the term thinking outside the box a whole new meaning.
So now I have some new techniques to add to my repertoire. I love working in 3D with metal, from copper to brass to silver... I am thrilled when a piece comes to life! Even though I am going back to work full time in IT, I now have a passion to keep me sane on those days I am not tied to a desk and am looking forward to continued work in the shop!
All my adult life I have tried to be open to new ideas from various people. Whether it be in the IT field or Silversmithing it can't hurt anyone to listen and learn from various people/instructors. There is not ONE WAY to do things, there are always multiple ways to do things... they may not all be perfect, but sooner or later you're bound to stumble upon a new way of doing things more efficiently. I get so frustrated when people can't think outside the box. I know the term is so cliche, but it's true! When resolving a server issue, it's not always the same fix, well the same thing holds true for smithing.
It all boils down to this - Not one person has ALL the knowledge - so I glean what I can from various instructors... Some may not agree with me, but cest la vie!
So as I further develop my craft I want to extend a thank you to those who have influenced me and continue to mold me into who I am as an artisan...
From my first instructor at Central Piedmont Community College Saturday workshops~ thank you for getting me hooked and showing me that the torch is nothing to be scared of!
To Harry at Red Rocks Community College~ thanks for your sound advise through two semesters and your continued support as I brainstorm new ideas :)
To Travis at Denver School of Metal Arts~ thanks for the amazing 4 Days 4 bracelets class - my skill set just grew exponentially!
To Bill Fretz~ amazing what those little stakes can do! Thanks for a great Forming with Stakes and Hammers class at DSMA!
To Greg Norris~ Giving the term thinking outside the box a whole new meaning.
So now I have some new techniques to add to my repertoire. I love working in 3D with metal, from copper to brass to silver... I am thrilled when a piece comes to life! Even though I am going back to work full time in IT, I now have a passion to keep me sane on those days I am not tied to a desk and am looking forward to continued work in the shop!
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