Metal Clay Artist Wanaree Tanner Coming to Teach at BeadFX

Wanaree Tanner, award winning artist and instructor, is leading two classes in April! She travels to teach her techniques, participates in art shows, is a contributor for Art Jewelry Magazine, Metal Clay Today, Metal Clay Artist Magazine and is currently the video editor for MCAM’s resource library.

Although I'm not a metal clay artist myself (seed beads talk loudly to me), I am amazed at the detail that shows in Wanaree's work. I'm looking forward to meeting her and seeing her work in action!

Wanaree will be teaching two courses at BeadFX, both over multiple days and for several hours each day. Looking for a Spring getaway? Forget the sunny south, come to BeadFX!

A Crash Course in COPPRClay
Wednesday, April 3 and Thursday, April 4
10:00am to 5:00pm each day

Course Outline: Want all the wonder of creating in metal clay without the price tag of silver? In this two day crash course we’ll explore the warmth of copper metal clay without the headache. Wanaree will share all of her tricks for securing consistent results with this historically fickle medium. We’ll cover COPPRclay and Art Clay Copper, dealing with distortion, construction, firing, and finishing. In this two day workshop students will learn how to created a kinetic donut bail “Spinning Wheel” and a “Fabulous Focal Bracelet.” Skills you’ll  take home: making custom copper tube components, toggle clasp, bead caps, and the joy of seamless components.

Technique focus: successful firing, combining copper clay to milled copper, making a kinetic swing bail, toggle assembly, making bead caps, making pendant caps, texturing, making clean and consistent connections in dry base metal clay.

Cost: $425 (+HST) plus a kit fee of $10. Registered students will be e-mailed a materials list of what to bring to the class.

Book Locket in Copper
Friday, April 5 to Sunday, April 7
10:00am to 5:00pm and Friday and Saturday
11:00am to 4:00pm on Sunday

Course outline: Students will  learn the art of the extruded metal clay hinge, swing bail, pin clasp,  and no fuss construction in this three day workshop. COPPRclay’s flexibility makes it the ideal practice medium for this advanced technique, but the construction techniques apply to silver as well. Book cover design and bail is created using a new easy texture medium, no UV lights, no carving involved! Class also covers firing, dealing with distortion, how to fire in your home studio, and beautiful finishes in copper.

Technique Focus: Wet and dry construction, learn the art of extruded hinges, perfect corners, and smooth swing bail construction.

Cost: $530 (+HST). Registered students will be e-mailed a materials list of what to bring to the class.

SPECIAL OFFER: REGISTER FOR BOTH CLASSES FOR ONLY $900 - SAVE $55!

Note: both classes require previous experience; please see the class descriptions on our website at: www.beadfx.com and follow the class links to April.

Beadmaking Classes

Jen showed me how to make the Bird's Nest rings last night - they are way cool and she's right about them being dead easy! It got me thinking about lampwork beads in the rings! We think they'd work better if they were flattened on one side - but we're both pretty stoked about the possibilities! I'm going to try making some especially for rings!

Which brings me (in a roundabout way) to the topic of beadmaking classes - the idea is to melt rods of glass onto a stainless steel rod - to make glass beads! Lampworking is the traditional name - so called because it used to be a little oil-lamp that provided the flame. Nowadays, we have nice clean-burning torches - so you will hear the term "torchworking" or "flameworking" too.

What ever you call it - it is a waaaay cool thing to do - very relaxing and meditative and zen-like in the process - and the product is all these cool beads! We've been offering classes in bead-making for a long time and we're quite well-known for it. We have students come here from Europe, Brasil and India to take classes!

Right now, we offer a 4-hour introduction class, an 8-hour 2-day weekend class, and an 20-hour 8-week class - in addition to private classes.

We've being wondering about mixing these up a bit, adding new classes, offering them in different time-slots - so we thought we'd ask for your opinions.

The 4-hour intro is currently offered on a late Tuesday afternoon/evening - but did you know if you have even only 2 people - you can book it when ever? What do you think about this on a Saturday or Sunday?

The 20 hour 8-week class is currently on Thursday evenings - 7 - 9:30 (to give time to get away from work and make it through traffic.) Anyone interested in doing this on Saturdays, instead of Thursdays?

Other classes we've discussed - that we'd like to know if you are interested in:

• 5 day intensive workshop - for complete beginners
• 5 day intensive intermediate workshop - for those who have a little experience and want to stretch their wings.
• teach the teacher - for those who have some experience and been thinking about teaching lampworking
• guest teachers from the U.S. - "name" instructors with a major reputation - this would be for intermediate and advanced students. Who would you like to see?

Leave us comments or email us directly to let us know what you think!