The Harris Burdick Project exhibit at McHenry County College Artspace 144 was a big success! Nine artists, members of the Illinois Metal and Jewelry Artists as well as students at McHenry County College created pieces inspired by the book "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick" by Chris Van Allsburg. Images from the exhibit are included in the Image Gallery under Exhibits. Watch for information about this exhibit showing in other venues in the near future.
The Making Tools Work workshop was inspirational! We made two different hammers - a riveting hammer, and a forming hammer - as well as a custom dapping block and punch and other handy tools for the studio. Everyone had a good time, and came away with some great tools. If you have ideas or a request for a workshop, please email me with your suggestions!
Summer 2011
Summer is in full swing, and school will start in a few weeks. In the meantime one of the things I'm working on is an exhibit that is scheduled for September. A group of six to seven metal artists had an idea and decided to work on a concept for an exhibit. Using the book "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick" as inspiration we are all independently creating works of art that will be exhibited at McHenry County College from September 19-30. I'm excited to see what each of us creates using this unique set of prints as the foundation. Watch for pictures of the exhibit later in September.
The bronze casting adventure scheduled for late spring with Tom Christiansen did not (unfortunately) materialize. Instead I spent the early part of the summer working on a large commission project. It was a lot of fun, a lot of work, and the results were exciting! (Check back soon for a look at the project!) Hopefully the opportunity to work with Tom will come around again. In the meantime, don't forget to check out his video for a glimpse of what is involved in large scale bronze casting.
www.youtube.com/watch (www.tcsculpture.com/tcsculpture_index/Home.html)
The iron forging workshop was held in June. Neil Anderson, former Visiting Professor for the Metals Program at Northern Illinois University was our host and teacher. Neil, who received his MFA in forging from NIU, had us to his studio for a day of hammering and hot forging. We all had a very hot, very fun time. Check out the link to the video:
A link to the video of the event can also be found on my Facebook page - VorelArt.
This September I will be hosting a Tool Making Workshop. We will learn how to use readily available materials to make custom tools for use in your studio, and ways to modify old and used tools for new purpose. A few of the projects included in the workshop include making two different types of hammers, some forming tools, custom stamps, and other simple but incredibly helpful tools. Tips and tricks for metal working will be sprinkled throught the two days. See the Workshops page for details.
Spring is here! Well, almost. There is still snow on the ground and the sun has been MIA for a while. But preparations are underway! I am looking forward to working with Tom Christiansen (www.tcsculpture.com/tcsculpture_index/Home.html) this May. Ideas are cooking, and work is beginning! I can hardly wait to do larger scale metal casting! Click on the link below to see the kind of work that Tom does, and that I will be experiencing this spring!
Plans are also underway for a few summer workshops. An iron forging workshop is tentatively schedule for mid-June, and a two day tool making workshop (to be held in September) is being developed. Check back for details!
It's almost time for Real People 2010 to start. Over 300 images were submitted by 115 artists from across North America, including Alaska and British Columbia, Canada.With 90 pieces, we believe this is one of the strongest Real People shows ever. As usual, the Old Court House Arts Center will be hosting a triple show, with not only Real People but art displays by Claymirth and the Workshop For Contemporary Artists as well.
As with Women's Works, our members will receive a 10% discount on the purchase of any piece of art from the Real People Show.
Please note a change of time for the Artists' Reception.We have moved the reception to Saturday August 28th (from August 14th) from 7-930pm, so that the Reception coincides with the Woodstock Jazz Festival.(For more information, visit: http://www.jazzonthesquare.net/). The Jazz Festival will be going on Friday and Saturday nights from 6-11pm and we encourage our guests to check out the music.
Gregg Hertzlieb, our judge for this year's Real People, has graciously agreed to run an all-day Figurative workshop and critique at the Old Court House Arts Center on Saturday, August 14th. We've included a flyer for the Workshop, and we'd like to offer all of our members a $10 discount from the workshop fee. Space is limited, so if you are interested, please email oldcourthouse@msn.com or realpeople2010@naac4art.org to reserve your space.
Chicago Metal Arts Guild Presents: Loop-in-Loop Chain Bracelet
with Terminations and Clasps
Fine Silver chains add that special touch to any piece. You will learn the fusing and weaving
techniques specific to loop in loop chains. You will also learn to complete your bracelet by creating
terminations and clasps. Multiple patterns will be presented that are suitable for
beginners as well as advanced students.
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Friday, March 5, 2010
Artists In Action - Lakeside Center, Crystal Lake, IL.
I will be demonstrating loop-in-loop chain weaving for this event.
New for Summer: McHenry County College is offering the Jewelry I and Jewelry II for the summer session. Please check out their website for details! www.mchenry.edu.
Happy New Year everyone! The semester will be starting soon, and the students at McHenry County College are going to explore enamels, beginning with the torch fired technique, as I learned this fall from Linda Darty, expert enamelist, author, and head of the metals department at the School of Art at East Carolina University. My returning students are excited to be adding this new technique to their learning experience. (See photos and a write-up of the workshop coming soon under CMAG Workshop!) The Etching on Metal workshop at The Fine Line Creative Arts Center is rapidly approaching (January 30, 2010) and will be an excellent opportunity to explore etching as a surface treatment. In April the Chicago Metal Arts Guild workshop, "Chains, Terminations and Clasps" will offer instruction in woven chain techniques creating a finished bracelet as well as terminations and a clasp to complete the piece. My spring/summer workshop schedule is being finalized, and will be published next month. Check back soon!
The semester is winding down - or reaching a crescendo - and plans are being made for January. McHenry County College continues to offer three sections of both Jewelry I and Jewelry II. New for this spring semester, we will be working with torch fired enamels. (Although the classes are full, check the school registration the third week in January for any last minute openings. - www.mchenry.edu.) At the College of Lake County I am looking forward to teaching a section of Art History covering the period of the Renaissance to the mid 1800's (Art 241, M 6-8:45 - www.clcillinois.edu. ) An etching workshop at The Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles, IL is scheduled for Saturday, January 30th (details at: www.finelineca.org ). I will also be teaching a two day workshop (Chains, Clasps, & Terminations) at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, IL for the Chicago Metal Arts Guild on April 17 and 18, featuring loop-in-loop chains. My schedule of spring/summer workshops is being planned - watch for it - and in August I will be participating in the exhibit "Art of Living - Ritual Art" at the Last Chance Gallery (www.lastchancefab.com ) in Lutsen, Minnesota. Art such as ritual bowls, legacy urns, and intentional jewelry will be featured, with a reception on August 13 from 5-7 pm, and the exhibition and demonstrations on August 14.
The fall semester has begun! This semester marks a return to the College of Lake County (CLC) teaching the Beginning Jewelry course. I've been away a while, and it's good to be back. The McHenry County College (MCC) jewelry and metals program that I've developed continues to be strong, with three sections offered in Jewelry I and Jewelry II.
My involvement in the Chicago Metal Arts Guild (CMAG) is also keeping me busy. The Annual Members Meeting was held September 20, 2009, and included a luncheon and two speakers on the topic "What They Didn't Teach You in College - The Business of Jewelry". Sandra Lang - Gallery Curator, McHenry County College spoke on "The Process of Applying for a Gallery Show and the Details Involved" and Tom Dougherty - Owner, Studio 2015 Jewelry in Woodstock spoke on "An Entrepreneurs Perspective". It was an enjoyable and informative meeting! For more details on this event, please link to the CMAG website: www.chicagometalartsguild.org.
Coming up on September 26 and 27, I will be attending a workshop conducted by Linda Darty for CMAG on Contemporary Enameling Techniques at the College of DuPage.
On October 17 and 18, McHenry County College is hosting the next CMAG workshop on Anodizing Titanium, with Noel Yovovich, artist, educator, and President of CMAG.
Early next year, (2010) I am planning a workshop with the Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles. The topic will be "Etching on Metal". Watch for an announcement with the dates and times. www.finelineca.org.
This summer I will be offering a series of workshops at my studio in Lake Geneva. Class size is limited, and your fee is required to hold your seat in the workshop, so be sure to contact me to reserve your space.
Here are the workshops, and their dates:
Chain Weaving Saturday, May 9, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Limit 8 students.
Tool Making Saturday, May 30 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Limit 8 students.
Wax Injection Saturday, June 6 from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Limit 6 students.
Color Over Metal Saturday, June 13 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Limit 8 students.
For workshop agendas and materials lists, please see the "Summer Workshops" page of this website.
Also in July, 2009 -
I will be conducting the workshop "Etching on Metal" at The Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles, Illinois on Saturday, July 18, 2009. Please be sure to check out their website and class schedules at www.finelineca.org
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Spring 2009 - We're Expanding! The Jewelry/Metals classes at MCC are growing! Since I introduced the course in January of 2004, the program has more than doubled - growing from a single one-night-a-week class to two six-hour-a-week course sections – and beginning in January 2009 we have expanded to three course sections! I now teach two articulated curriculums and numerous alternative curriculum designs for those repeating students who wish to continue to expand their level of skill. The program offers research and instruction in contemporary techniques and equipment as well as traditional methods and tools as part of the learning process. Our new rolling mill has been installed, and this spring we will be exploring it's possibilities in texture, pattern transfer, and mokume handling.
For more information on the Jewelry courses at McHenry County College, click on the following link:
The Chicago Metal Arts Guild announced it's Members Exhibit will be held February 6 through March 6 , 2009. This year the exhibit is being hosted by the Under the Wire Gallery at 2210 S. Halsted Street, in Chicago. If you are in the area, please come and see the amazing versatility exhibited by this talented group of metal artists!
New CMAG related note: As of January, I have assumed the duties of Treasurer of the Chicago Metal Arts Guild. For information about the organization and current news and events, click on the following link:
Recent Exhibit: Beginning October 14, 2008 McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Illinois, is hosting an exhibit of my most recent work in body adornment. The exhibit will run through December 10 in Gallery 2. Please stop by and see it if you are in the area. For more information, click on the following link:
One of my students was recently interviewed for a local newspaper. She is a wonderful artist, and an incredible inspiration. Check out her story by clicking on the following link:
In the fall, it's back to school. This semester I will be teaching three courses at McHenry County College. The Jewelry I curriculum covers basic metal working techniques such as piercing, filing, texturing, finishing, cold connections, and an introduction to lost wax casting. Jewelry II covers the lost wax methods more in-depth, as well as introduces other methods of casting. This curriculum also covers varied methods to set stones, the process of silver reticulation, and hinges. Advanced and independent students research other metals topics such as forging, mold making and multiples, production designing, container forms, and chain making. This semester the jewelry program is installing a rolling mill, so look forward to topics pertaining to the use of our new equipment! I will also be teaching Art Appreciation, which is an introduction to the various media and methods used by artists to create art as well as an overview of the creative process and the development of art through history.
Also this fall, I was asked to demonstrate some jewelry techniques for McHenry County College's fall high school recuritment event, MCC Night (September 10). A large varieity of chain patterns were displayed, along with several finished examples. Chain weaving techniques were demonstrated throughout the evening, and a completed bracelet was donated (through the art department) for the evening's door prize drawings. It was an exciting evening!
This summer I relocated my studio from Crystal Lake, Illinois, to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I love the town and the lake and it's people, and have just about finished settling in. The studio still needs a bit of tweaking, but is fully functional. Please check my Contact Me page for information on my updated mailing address.
