Fun With Silver Metal Clay
For Beginners and Intermediates
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Instructor's Work
Student's Work
SEPTEMBER 15-21, 2025 WILDACRES - WEEK 2
SUSAN BROOKS - FUN WITH SILVER METAL CLAY
This weeklong class will include basic skills needed to complete beautiful fine silver (.999) pieces of jewelry as well as additional skills for those with some previous experience in using this fun and seemingly magical medium. Students will be given choices of projects to complete so that they can create pieces they will enjoy wearing and that fit their personal style. Potential projects include earrings, pendants, bracelet focals, charms, pins, and beads. Basic skills will include the basics of rolling, texturing, cutting, joining, stone setting, creating embellishments and bail making. Intermediate skills include coiling, fancy bails, alternative ways to set fireable stones, and the use of embeddable components. In addition, students will be offered the option of adding color to their creations using resin, dichroic glass, and various patinas. A variety of textures will be available as well as ones that we will create ourselves. Students are encouraged to bring their spirit of adventure and some reading glasses or optivisors to aid in the close detail work involved. If students want to add beads or chain to projects, they are welcome to bring those.
Basic Class Fee: $275 (covers clay and other supplies needed to complete the basic projects.).
Lab Fee: $50 (covers use of the student kits, expendable supplies, wear and tear on equipment, etc.)
Estimated Materials Cost: Additional fine silver clay and supplies are available for additional purchase for those who like to work larger or faster and want to do additional projects 7 grams ($20), 10 grams ($30), 20 grams ($58), 50 grams ($140)
Prerequisites: None
Bio:
Susan Brooks - Metal Clay
The creative arts have been a passion for me for as long as I can remember and have often been my “ticket to sanity”. Whether through basketry, weaving, gourd art or jewelry making, I could always find some peace and pleasure. Around 2010, I discovered the world of metal clay and became “hooked” immediately. The possibilities of adding textures and gemstones to jewelry is very exciting and seems a natural way to create pieces that express one’s unique personality and individual style. I became certified in all 3 levels of PMC in the summer of 2012 with Mary Ann Devos, one of the first generation metal clay artists in this country, through the William Holland School for Lapidary Arts. I later acquired certifications in Metal Clay (both silver and base metals) through Aussie Metal Clay, and in base metals through Clay Revolution. I have taken online classes with Holly Gage and Rodi Frunze, both celebrated artists in the field of metal clay. Currently I enjoy taking various classes with local and national artists to keep current in the field... and nourish my passion for metal clay.
My family history is rooted in the mountains of North Carolina and it is a blessing to have retired here, with its rich diversity of plant and animal life. Nature continues to be a major inspiration for themes of my work, thus my art business name is “Earthly Treasures”. I love to use insects, blossoms, leaves, and small animals as embellishments to my pieces and feel that the dragonfly is becoming my “totem bug”, appearing more and more frequently in my work. I love to use things that have symbolism - such as the dragonfly symbolizing growth, change, and wisdom, ginkgo leaves symbolizing longevity, butterflies symbolizing new life, and various gemstones having special healing properties with their unique energies
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