Nov/Dec 2011

guild

new

sthe SeattleMetals Guild

The Speakers are coming! The Speakers are coming! SMG Lecture Series 2012by Aaron Barr

What? More speakers? Didn’t we already have all those amazing talks at the SNAG confer-ence? And then there were those folks at this year’s Symposium, right? Well, yes, but you and I both know that come January, after months of our grey, dreary weather and without a met-als talk breaking the monotony, we’ll all be eager to get together and get inspired in the new year! And believe you me, I’ve signed up a GREAT slate of speakers to start 2012 off right!

This is my sixth year organizing the speakers for the Lecture Series and I’m still amazed by how many unique, creative and downright fascinating metals artists we have in our lo-cal community. Those of you who’ve been over to BAM in the last eight months or so will be familiar with the work of our first speaker. That’s right, silver sculptor and installation artist Cathy McClure will give the opening talk on January 12th. If you haven’t been over to see her installation, you might want to wait until after you hear her – the show will still be up for a few more weeks after her talk. I first saw Cathy’s work years ago, before she was working in metal. Some really fascinating videos involving moveable plush toys she’d stripped down to the plastic insides – surreal. I can’t wait to hear how she transitioned into the work she’s doing now! If you can’t wait either, you can see her work at www.cathymcclure.com.

February 9th will bring a special treat. Ever wondered who designs all those coins we use? Or those totally exotic styles we find while traveling in other countries? How about the imaginations behind the different medals and awards folks get presented with?

continued on page 3

Cathy McClure, Chicken

Seattle Metals Guild Ornament Exchange PartySaturday, December 3, 6:30

Graciously hosted by SMG board member Lynn Vernon

The annual Ornament Exchange Party is a much anticipated SMG event and has been a highlight on the Guild calendar for many years. One ornament is made by each participant and placed on the tree.

continued on page 2

2 www.seattlemetalsguild.org

SMG EventsDate /Event Page

Dec 3: SMG Ornament Exchange Party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Jan 12: SMG Lecture Series – Lecture #1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Feb 9: SMG Lecture Series – Lecture #2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

March 8: SMG Lecture Series – Lecture #3 . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

April 12: SMG Lecture Series – Lecture #4 . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ContentsSeattle Metals Guild Ornament Exchange Party . . . . . . . 1

The Speakers are coming! SMG Lecture Series 2012. . . . 1

Board News:

President’s Letter Nov 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Volunteer for the Metals Guild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Events and Reviews:

The Seattle Metals Guild Symposium Review . . . . . . . . . 4

Julie Blyfield Workshop Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Columns:

Meet the Metalsmith – Paul DeBlassie IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Thumbnail Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Membership Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Board News

President’s Letter Nov 2011There are three ways you can help close 2011 with a big bang. First, if you haven’t already, renew your membership. Second, complete the survey you will soon receive via email. Lastly, sign up to volunteer in 2012.

The Seattle Metals Guild’s operating budget comes almost exclusively from member dues. The winter lectures series, the newsletter, the website, Passing the Torch, and our biennial exhibitions are all funded by your $45.00 membership. Your membership also inspires us to create the best organization possible. Without you, what’s the point?

Before the end of the year you will receive a survey via email. The SMG Board of Directors sincerely requests that you take the time to thoughtfully complete this survey. A few years ago we conducted one to learn primarily about our membership demographic. Our objective this time is to learn more about our members’ wants and needs. Only you can help us do this! We hope to learn what is working, what needs improvement and what would inspire you to help make it possible. Which leads me to my final point - volunteering.

Member dues are not enough. Every project, workshop and event we produce involves countless volunteer hours. Simply stated, we are a volunteer organization and we need more help to keep the programs we have going up and running. Aside from our programs, we manage a database, a website, our finances, and all the other details required to run a small non-profit. To those who already volunteer their time and talents

– THANK YOU. For those not yet involved, what skills can you offer? What programs are you most supportive of? In what way would you like to be more involved?

I’m hoping this survey, and your volunteer commitments, will put us on the right track for next year. February 17th, 2012 we will host an interactive, “town-hall” style general meeting to further flesh out our direction and intentions for the next generation of SMG leaders. Please put the date on your calendar and plan to roll up your sleeves. It will be fun, I promise.

Okay, enough about all that. Next up, the SMG ornament exchange party is just around the corner! This very popular social event is scheduled Saturday, December 3rd. See cover for details. Get to work on that ornament. Hope to see you there!!

Sincerely, Dana Cassara

Names are dropped in a hat and drawn randomly. Every participant goes home with a unique piece of artwork. This is a great oppor-tunity to experiment with a new technique or design you’ve been thinking about. Testing it on an ornament could be the start of a new direction. This members-only function is a potluck so bring a favorite dish to share and an ornament to exchange! Come join friends and colleagues for another great exchange.

Lynn Vernon’s address is available in the member directory locat-ed on the SMG website. This directory is available to all members with the current security code, which has been emailed to you. The address will also be emailed to all members directly.

continued from page 1

Seattle Metals Guild Ornament Exchange Party

3 www.seattlemetalsguild.org

Board News

Volunteer for the Metals GuildThe Seattle Metals Guild is in need of individuals from within its membership to step up and help keep our programs running. Workshops do not schedule themselves, scholarships do not get miraculously doled out, and events like the Symposium do not come together because everyone just happened to pick that day for a visit to MOHAI.

If you have enjoyed any of the afore-mentioned services or events over the course of the

past year please consider becoming more intimately involved with the Seattle Metals Guild. Truly, being involved is the most satisfying way to be a member.

Right now we are seeking new board members as well as a committee leaders and members to help make Guild programs possible. Please email membership@seattlemetalsguild.org…and volunteer!

And on a personal note…why I volunteer for the Seattle Metals Guild. Hi, I’m Tegan and I’m your newsletter editor and Guild VP. I want to share with you what brought me (back) to SMG.

Several years ago my father and I were taking my terminally ill mother to California for a final family visit. We were scheduled to fly out on the same day air traffic around the world ground to a halt because of the shoe bomber. Stuck at SeaTac for hours, exhausted and panicked, my parents and I were walking around the terminal when we happened across the Seattle Metals Guild Biennial exhibition.

I hadn’t been in my studio since my mother’s diagnosis, and hadn’t been a Guild member for several years before that. As we looked at the amazing pieces, some by people I knew (Jane Martin) and some by people I had yet to meet (Dana Cassara), my mother squeezed my shoulder and said, “You need to get back into this, it’s been too long.” She died two months later.

After some time reeling from the loss, I realized Mom was right – I needed my art back. But more than that, I needed connection to something that supported my passion but was bigger than just me or my studio. So I joined the Guild and was elected to the Board. Since then, I have had the privilege of working with a dedicated group of metal artists whose knowledge, kindness and humor has given me a community and a sense of place. I didn’t know if I would enjoy doing this volunteer work when I first signed on, I didn’t think I was qualified, but it has been one of the brightest parts of both my personal and professional life. What might volunteering for the Guild bring you?

As it turns out, one of those designers is just over on the east-side! Coin artist and bronze sculptor Heidi Wastweet (www.wastweetstudio.com) will give us a little insight into a world I, for one, know very little about! I’ve also asked her to talk a bit about working with clients, various foundries and “personal mints.” Who knew there even were such things as “personal mints”? So much still to learn!

Ever been to any of the islands out in the Pacific? My wife and I were lucky enough to honeymoon in Fiji where we got the chance to go snorkeling at a pearl farm. It was an amazing experience. That’s nothing, though, compared to the experiences of Richard Paille who comes to speak with us on March 8th. Jeweler, teacher, Black Pearl farmer and Australian opal mining expert, Richard has so many areas of interest, we’re still working on narrowing down his topics!!! I know he’ll be doing a demonstration on how to seed and farm oysters to get black pearls, but after that… you’ll just have to wait and see! Well, I guess you could check www.richardpaillejewelry.com first, or explore his teaching site (www.learn2makejewelry.com), but where’s the fun in that?

That brings us to our final talk in the 2012 series. I know you think it’s already been a spectacular lineup of speaking all-stars, but I work hard to make sure no month feels snubbed by a sub-standard speaker. And so, April 12th will find us learning about the amazing House of Wittelsbach from Tomas Wittelsbach! Tomas has an amazing aesthetic unlike almost any jeweler you’ve ever met! He worked on the jewelry used in the Pirates of the Carribean movie. He’s created Sugar Skull and biker jewelry. Day-of-the-Dead-type pieces. Body jewelry. A quick exploration of www.tswittelsbach.com will show you that this is work that makes a statement – no doubt about it! And that doesn’t even show his earlier works in sculpture and larger forms! April… you’re definitely not getting slighted, though you, fine reader, might feel bad if you miss hearing Tomas speak!

What do you think? Was I right? Aren’t you ready for the talks to start already? I know I am! Watch for your promotional post-card in the mail and I’ll see you in our traditional home over at SPU in Otto Miller Hall, room 127 by 7pm on the 2nd Thursday of each month. And don’t forget that each lecture is followed by a great Metals Mixer social gathering at Nickerson Street Saloon (318 Nickerson Street), just down the street from SPU. Have a great winter!

continued from page 1

The Speakers are coming! The Speakers are coming! SMG Lecture Series 2012

Events and Reviews

4 www.seattlemetalsguild.org

Events and Reviews

The Seattle Metals Guild Symposium Reviewby Susan Kunimatsu

“How do you achieve balance? Between your life in and life outside of the studio? Between idea, material and process? Between form and function? Between work and play?” These are big questions that anyone who makes art has asked themselves at one time or another. We may not expect to find the answers, certainly not all in one place. But the 2011 Symposium Com-mittee posed these questions to five speakers and, on October 15 at the Museum of History and Industry, this year’s Symposium audience heard their very personal responses.

Julie Blyfield draws inspiration for her delicate raised and chased silver pieces from plant forms documented during her research on natural history and botanical collections worldwide, or gath-ered on trips across her native Australia. She lives in Adelaide, where a supportive arts community helps her to sustain her craft. For Julie, individual artworks are just benchmarks along the continuum of her creative process and the inspiration for a piece is as important to her as the finished object.

For Kristin Beeler, it is the underlying intellectual work that fuels her art making. An educator and jeweler for the past several years, she has explored beauty as concept, approaching it from psycho-logical, historical, and cultural angles. She shared with us some of the main tenants of her thesis including the ideas that beauty is an emotional response, not a thing; beauty is a biological human need; and that the ugly or grotesque are part of the context that defines beauty, hence our fascination with monsters. Beeler’s own work is beautiful by any standard, delicate line drawings on mother-of-pearl or bone adorned with pearls, which exemplify the beauty and imperfection that coexist in nature. But the work is almost incidental to a creative process based in thought and narrative. Beeler told us that, “If I could, I would make pieces that were so beautiful, they made people uncomfortable.”

“Metal is my first language,” said Helen Carnac. Much of her work employs vitreous enamel in an iterative process of mark making, layering and grinding to reveal the layers underneath. But most important is the thinking that underlies the work. She shares Julie Blyfield’s long-term perspective: “My work is all about process. There are end points, but I like to think of it as a continuum.” Carnac lives in London and consciously engages the City’s geographic, social, and historical currents in her work. She pushes the boundaries of her solitary studio practice by col-laborating with artists in other disciplines. Her exhibition, The Tool at Hand, will come to Portland’s Museum of Contemporary Craft in 2012.

Kristin Beeler, Insect Lifestyles

5 www.seattlemetalsguild.org

In professional terms, Sergey Jivetin is the youngest of the five speakers. Born in Uzbekistan, he came to the U.S. as a teen and graduated from the MFA program at SUNY, and is a metals technician of the highest order. He freely admitted that there is

“…no equilibrium in my practice. It swings from one project to another.” Seemingly any material or project can stoke Jivetin’s creative forge. His fascination with miniatures led to an early series of brooches made from manufactured wristwatch hands, thousands of them. Recent projects, however, are room-size installations. Industrial design commissions broadened Jivetin’s palette of materials to include everything from medical plastics and carbon fiber to eyeglass frames and bones. “You can use any material,” he said. “If you are willing to spend the time and effort to develop the technique.”

Although Charon Kransen’s talk was at the midpoint of the Symposium’s schedule, it offered a context for all the day’s speakers, and a foundation for any creative life. As a gay Jewish boy in post World War II Holland, he was a misfit at home, at school, and in his country. In spite of this, he established himself as a cutting-edge jewelry artist and university professor. But 26 years ago, he sacrificed all of that to move to New York with a man who is still his partner, effectively committing to a life as an outsider. Now, as an artists’ agent and importer of art jewelry books, Kransen advocates for jewelry artists whose work falls outside the mainstream. “Difference is incredibly empowering,” he admonished us. “Be an outsider. Embrace that voice.”

The 2011 Symposium brought us speakers of international stature in an intimate setting where we could recharge our creative batteries and reconnect with our local metals commu-nity. The exhibition of speakers’ work was shown on the eve of the Symposium at the Bellevue Arts Museum and during the Symposium at MOHAI. It was the most extensive exhibition in the Symposium’s history, thanks to the display cases that are the legacy of this year’s Biennial Exhibition. Gratitude is due to the Symposium Committee: Candace Beardslee (chair), Tara Brannigan, Andy Cooperman, Nancy Megan Corwin, Molly Epstein, Abby Frank, Micki Lippe, and Sally von Bargen, who coordinated the silent auction that fuels the Symposium’s budget. Thanks also to Charon Kransen for the visual banquet that is the book sale, and to the many volunteers who publicize, register, organize, staff, and all together make the Symposium an annual event we all look forward to.

Events and Reviews

Julie Blyfield, Green Desert Plant

Helen Carnac

6 www.seattlemetalsguild.org

Events and Reviews

Julie Blyfield Workshop Reviewby Laura Squires

Julie Blyfield is an internationally recognized artist, teacher and mentor whose work is collected at museums in London, Paris, Scotland and Australia. If you heard Julie’s lecture at the 2011 Symposium, you knew that her workshop, The Botanical Land-scape, was going to be a rare opportunity. And the three-day event at North Seattle Community College did not disappoint!

At Julie’s request, we brought dozens of colorful, fragrant pressed plants and dramatically arranged them in the studio. She then led us a through a series of drawing exercises using large draw-ing boards, pens, pastels, and colored pencils. She wanted us to step out of our meticulous, contained jewelry making mode to sketch quickly and freely whatever our eye was attracted to. Using these drawings as reference, we then made paper models, also known as maquettes. Julie encouraged us to play with, cut up and rearrange the components, to think about connections other than soldering, and how the repetition of simple shapes, forms and pattern creates a pleasing design.

Julie often experiments with a variety of materials besides metal. Art history, design, drawing, printmaking, painting, photography, sculpture, and textile techniques are all part of her process. This reminds us of how a broad art education, which is now almost a thing of the past, gives us the vocabulary to do great work.

On the second day, we had plenty of time to work in pitch, learn new techniques and make tools, which is always a delight! Julie demonstrated various techniques, using her pieces as examples. Megan Corwin, the workshop organizer, also let us use her wonderful tools as templates. Need a tool? Just make it! We were so engrossed that we had to be reminded to step away from the pitch pots and eat our sandwiches so as not to keel over.

The group was diverse, consisting of metalsmiths, jewelers, a woodworker, a ceramic artist, students and professionals, local and international. Periodically we would come together to look at images, share work, hear about life in Adelaide and elsewhere, and to refocus for the next round. Julie circulated, giving each person feedback and ideas. Everyone was friendly, generous and enthusiastic. We went out to dinner one night looking for champagne corks (essential for tool making, of course) and learned more about each other. By the third day we had produced an impressive collection of samples. It was a successful and satisfying experience. Thanks to Julie for coming to Seattle to share her work and vibrant personality with us, to Lynne Hull for making the well-equipped NSCC studio avail-able, and to Megan Corwin for ensuring that everything was well organized and running smoothly. Now I want to take a walk, collect more plants, take pictures, draw, learn more about color and design…

7 www.seattlemetalsguild.org

Columns

Meet the Metalsmith – Paul DeBlassie IVby Sylvia Kantor

Occupation/Titles: Metalsmith/Designer

How long have you been working with metal? Since I was 14, so 19 years. I started in high school. I was in a market-ing extracurricular activity in high school. The teacher gave everyone D minus or F and told us we were all stupid. I walked out of the room, went to the principle’s office and said I wanted out. There was an opening

in the jewelry class. I made this cool little copper and nickel silver box and I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.

Where are you from? How long have you lived in Seattle?Albuquerque. Then Brooklyn, New York. I’ve lived in Seattle seven months now.

Where did you go to school and what did you study?I went to Albuquerque High School, then to the University of New Mexico and got my BFA in sculpture. I did a lot of weld-ing and blacksmithing, jewelry and casting there. Then I went to grad school in New York at Hunter College and got my MFA in sculpture in 2003.

What type of work do you do with metals?I do mostly jewelry. Although every I chance I have to get into a blacksmith shop I take. I won the three-hour blacksmith workshop at the [SMG Symposium] silent auction. I love it because it’s that sculptor side of me that likes working on a larger scale. In a weld-ing shop or blacksmith shop I’m quite literally on fire because I’m so excited about what I’m doing. I think that jewelry is a lot more meditative. Whereas, blacksmithing, welding and hammering are meditative but in a much more aggressive way. It’s very physical.

I do a lot of forged titanium. A lot of wax carvings. I’m trained as a sculptor so, even though it’s on a small scale, it came really naturally to me to start carving, [it’s a] subtractive way of working with material.

Some things I carve in brass. I carve each individual component and then solder them together. I take brass stock and roll it in the rolling mill to kind of general shapes, and them hammer them out and anneal them and try to shape and carve them to whatever I need. It’s nice because wax breaks sometimes. That’s something I

learned from my old job. He [Ted Muehling] didn’t treat anything precious. That’s something I learned in school too. I would be struggling with these projects and my professors would say, “This is so precious to you. Break it! Just blow it up.” Once you lose any sense of risking something, you just get to that accomplishment point so much faster.

What attracted you to working in metal and jewelry?I’ve worked in clay, I paint, I draw, I’ve worked in wood, plastics, and nothing has this sort of harmony with me other than metal. Metal is something I just feel. I respond to it, it responds to me. It’s some-thing I feel really connected to. It’s this plasticity of something so structurally sound but also very soft and very elegant, or very rough.

I went to Brooklyn and got a job at Parson’s School of Design as their metals technician, [which took me] from fine art sculpture to product design. I was in the furniture department helping students with their metal furniture - welding, riveting, tap and die, stuff like that.

A friend saw some of my jewelry and said I should meet his boss. I went over and I thought I was just visiting but it was an inter-view, apparently. I started working for Ted Muehling as a produc-tion assistant and moved into a project assistant and a production manager after a couple of years. I continued to work for Parson’s as a technician for three years and then I started teaching metal fabrication and welding there. But all the while I was at Ted Muehling’s. He’s really shaped what I do with jewelry. He looked at a lot of my jewelry and sculptures when I worked for him and basically said “These are really great forms and I think you need to start making earrings/jewelry with [them].” I didn’t look at my sculpture and my jewelry as being connected.

What keeps you interested in metal?I think that’s a relevant question, because a lot of people just keep doing it and don’t question that at all. I’m [at work] eight or nine hours a day and then I come back and go into my studio and I’ve got to do the same thing for another hour or three. I’m exhausted by the time I get home. I have to say that what keeps me interested is, if I keep at it, eventually I’m not going to be coming in after eight hours of working for somebody else. I’m going to be working for me. I’ve been doing that more since I’ve been in Seattle than I ever did in New York. But also, my friends, people I meet here. The Symposium was like plugging myself back in. In New York there wasn’t really a good metals community. It was very much design and fashion, and I can’t stand fashion. I like design.

What inspires you artistically?On the top of my list are people like Alexander Calder, Isamu No-guchi, Louise Bourgeois—people that have a very whimsical sense of form, design and shape and did other things. A lot of these people broadened sculpture or adornment from traditional ar-chitectural sculpture and made it solely its own experience. Those people really inspire me but I also think traditional blacksmithing - early architectural ironwork, scroll work like plaster moldings and medallions in on Victorian and Renaissance architecture, is beautiful. I’ve started to use that as a basis for my inspiration, especially in wax carving.

continued on page 9

8 www.seattlemetalsguild.org

Jewelry internship availableJewelry company is seeking a detail-oriented, curious jeweler who’d like to expand his/her knowledge base. Some jewelry experience and familiarity with tools required. Responsibilities include: work on jewelry parts and assembly, general studio maintenance, display fabrication, etc. Perks: learn more about jewelry fabrication and running a business, receive personalized feedback/insight and one-on-one instruction from an experienced artist/jeweler, spend time in a fun creative environment.

Internship is unpaid, but could lead to paid part-time or full-time work.

If interested contact Catherine at info@cgrisezjewelry.com

For more information visit www.cgrisezjewelry.com or www.catherinegrisez.com

Call for ArtistsThe 3rd annual Rock the Terminal Show & Art Market is opening December 3rd, 2011. On opening night we will have a one night Art Market and we’re looking for artists with unusual handcrafted items who are interested in having a small space to sell their work. Please send a link to your website or Etsy page for consideration to: lizartseattle@gmail.com

Deadline: December 1, 2011

For more information visit: http://www.antgallery.org/

Call for Artists CoCA is seeking work from emerging as well as established artists in a wide variety of visual media for their annual juried exhibition. Deadline: December 4, 2011.

For more information visit: http://www.cocaseattle.org/annual2011_call.html

Call for Artists 1st Annual Juried Online Women’s Art Exhibition

A new Online Fine Art Gallery featuring women artists from around the world, announces a call to artists for an online exhibition opening March 9, 2012 in celebration of International Women’s Day.

Deadline: December 31, 2011.

For more information visit: http://www.renegadefemme.com/Renegadefemme/HOME.html

Call for Artists Bellevue Arts Museum Artsfair

S E E KI NG I N SPI R ED ARTISAN S & DESIGNERS to create and enrich this notable Northwest marketplace. The 66th annual BAM artsfair (July 27, 28 & 29, 2012) is the proven venue to market contemporary crafts and captivating art.

Deadline: January 20, 2012

For more information visit: http://www.bellevuearts.org/fair/index.html

Call for ProposalsSouth Seattle Community College Art Gallery

South Seattle Community College seeks proposals for the exhibition of artwork in all media, with particular emphasis on new and emerging local artists. Receptions are given to afford the opportunity of interacting with the artists.

Deadline: on-going

For more information contact: Tracy Cilona tcilona[at]sccd.ctc.edu

Call for ArtistsFire Mountain Gems and Beads

Be the next grand prize winner and Internationally Published Designer-Artist in the Fire Mountain Gems and Beads Metal Clay, Metal Beads, Wirework or Chain Contest. Push the design envelope with metal creations, including Art Clay®, jump rings, metal beads, wirework and chain.

DEADLINE: January 10, 2012

For more information visit: www.firemountaingems.com

Call for Nominations Artist Trust Twining Humber Award

Deadline: December 15, 2011

The annual award of $10,000 is given to a Washington State female visual artist, age 60 or over, who has dedicated 25 years of her life to creating art. Ramona Solberg and Mary Lee Hu are former recipients.

For more information visit: http://artisttrust.org/index.php/for-artists/money#twining_humber_award_for_lifetime_artistic_achievement

Call for Artists Palazzo Rinaldi, Italy Residencies

Deadline: December 31, 2011

For more information visit: http://www.palazzorinaldi.com

metals events & information

9 www.seattlemetalsguild.org

Today’s Date ❑ New Member ❑ Renewing Member ❑ Check if contact info has changed

Name Organization (If applicable)

Address

City State Zip Country

Home Phone Cell Phone Work Phone

Email Fax

Check if you do NOT want your ❑ address or ❑ phone published in the SMG directory

❑If you would like to receive a paper copy of the newsletter in the mail, in addition to the emailed electronic version, check the box and include an extra $5.00. See membership fees below. Please check one type of membership.

❑Individual: $45 ❑Student*: $20 ❑Household**: $60 ❑Individual w/printed newsletter: $50 ❑Student* w/printed newsletter: $25 ❑Household** w/printed newsletter: $65

* Current student ID required ** For any number of adults living at the same address

Memberships paid on or after September 1, 2011 will be valid through 12/31/12.

I can help with: ❑ Newsletter ❑ Mailings ❑ Bead Necklace ❑ Exhibits ❑ Workshops and Events ❑ Symposium

❑ Educational Outreach ❑ Misc. – Call me for specific tasks as needed

Other skills I can offer to the SMG:

Please make checks payable to: SMG, PO Box 70407, Seattle, WA 98127Please allow up to four weeks for processing of your membership. If you have not received confirmation within four weeks,

please contact membership@seattlemetalsguild.org.

MEMBERSHIP FORM

NEW

If you didn’t work in metal what other medium might you work in?I’d probably get certified as a yoga instructor. I’ve been practicing hot yoga for seven years now. It’s very similar to putting metal in the forge because you heat it up, form it, and then all of a sudden it’s transformed.

Favorite place to visit for inspiration? I love the greenhouse in Volunteer Park. I’ve been there dozens of times. In fact, my wife and I were married right next to it in September. Since the area is so new to me, I walk more than I would take the bus. I like to walk. I like to see the random homes that are around. Even though Seattle is a fairly young city it has an interesting history. Although just being in the woods or near the water is sometimes inspiration enough.

What’s your favorite tool or technique? One of my favorite things is when the metal is really hot in the forge and I can see its temperature coming up and it’s the right time to start hammering and forming it. That’s one of the fun things. Even though I’m being rough with metal, especially with the forging I do, there’s also this delicacy to it. So it’s like this little dance. How hard? How much? Maybe more, maybe a little more, move it this way. That’s [also] what I like about welding.

Tasks you like least? Definitely sanding lots of parts. I do that a lot. Bronze. I definitely do not appreciate it. Other metals, silver or gold, I can work in and it’s fine, but with bronze my hands tend to get a lot oilier. If I

work in bronze and I don’t wear a mask, I have an allergic reaction like hay fever. So I don’t like bronze although I still work with it. There are applications that I love. You get a rich, rich black patina with it. I just always make sure to wear my mask.

Do you make a living from your craft? I’m making more money from my craft now than I was in New York. I’m making a living based on my experience and training, definitely. I’m working at Outcast as their metal finisher, and I’m still doing finishing work for Ted. I’ve always worked some job that’s related to metal or design or sculpture or art. I’m very thankful because I could never sit at a desk. But yeah, I am mak-ing a living with my craft. Hopefully, more so with my own craft. In fact, since I’ve been in Seattle I’ve sold a lot more of my own work.

Why are you a Seattle Metals Guild member? I put out the word before I moved to Seattle and I was led to Micki Lippe. I didn’t really know anybody and Micki was one of the people who said, “Hey, when are you going to be in Seattle? Let’s have lunch.” She gave me names of people to contact and she said I should join the Guild. I support the idea of guilds but I never participated. When I got here and I did a couple of Guild things like Metal Mixers, and saw how hard Dana works. I found the community incredibly open and receptive; it was so different from the East Coast. So I decided to start volunteering. That’s why I joined - because Micki was such a great welcome wagon. The Symposium was awesome. I definitely needed that.

continued from page 7

P O Box 70407Seattle, WA 98127

Nov/Dec 2011

www.seattlemetalsguild.org

The Seattle Metals Guild is a non-profit organization made up of people with vary-ing interests and involvement in traditional and contemporary jewelry and metal arts.The Guild was founded in 1989 to provide for the exchange of ideas and information, as well as to offer affordable educational oppor-tunities to its members and the public.Our activities include: a web site, bimonthly newsletter, exhibitions and a series of aes-thetic, technical and business workshops and lectures.The skills, energy and enthusiasm of the Se-attle Metals Guild members promote and sustain its successful programs.We welcome new members and encourage participation by everyone.

The Seattle Metals Guild Newsletter is published bimonthly. Comments, announcements and ads are welcome from all SMG members.

Please contribute to your NewsletterWe encourage participation and welcome information about upcoming shows and events, articles about safety and bench tips you would like to share. If you have comments or something to contribute, please submit your information, generated in a word processing program, via e-mail.

Include photos or logo artwork in JPEG format, if available. Remember to provide who, what, when, where, why and how.Tegan Wallace: newsletter@seattlemetalsguild.org

Deadline for Jan/Feb issue is Dec 10. Articles received after that date may be published in the following newsletter.

2010-2011 SMG Board of DirectorsAll addresses are suffixed with “@seattlemetalsguild.org”

President . . . . . . . . . . . . Dana Cassara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . president@Past President . . . . . . . . John Caster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pastpresident@Vice President . . . . . . . . Tegan Wallace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vicepresident@Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . Suz O’Dell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . secretary@Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Dingacci . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . treasurer@Membership Chair . . . . Peg Gyldenege . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . membership@Outreach Chair . . . . . . . Reed Schilbach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . outreach@Education Chair . . . . . . . Megan Corwin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . education@General Board . . . . . . . . Lynn Vernon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . board2@General Board . . . . . . . . Barbara Knuth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . board4@General Board . . . . . . . . Kiraya Kestin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . board6@

SMG ServicesNewsletter Editor . . . . . . . . . Tegan Wallace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . newsletter@Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bon Vernarelli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . librarian@Symposium Coordinator . . . . Candace Beardslee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . symposium@Workshop Coordinator . . . . . Megan Corwin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . workshop@Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peg Gyldenege . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . membership@

The Seattle Metals Guild is an Associated Program of Shunpike .