Reflections on the Teche

Slice of Life Day 12. Join the Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

My One Little Word for 2014 is Open. This little word has led me to try many different creative things. I have learned about Gelli Plate printing. I have written with improv actors. I have even begun to meditate. So when an opportunity presented itself (Living Social, to be exact) to take a Precious Metal Clay class with an artist I have wanted to work with, I grabbed it.

I am so proud of the pieces I made. I have worn them every day. The process is a long one. The workshop started at noon and ended at 5 PM. There are many steps. First we started with a small ball of clay. Paula assured me there were particles of silver in the clay. We pressed it onto a rubber stamp to get a texture. Then cut to the shape I wanted. I loved the leaf shapes.

Once I had made the shapes I liked, Paula showed me how to make the twirly holder (I can’t remember the official name for it.) This part looked so complicated, but it was simple. Make a snake with the clay and twirl it around a straw. Who knew?

The clay had to dry. Paula used a vegetable dehydrator. Then the clay is like wood and sharp edges can be filed off. The longest step for the pendant was firing in the kiln. While it fired, we torched the earrings with a Crème brûlée torch. A little frightening but fun. Then the miracle happened. When we polished the piece, voila! Silver jewelry!