Teaching & Lectures
"Give a person a fish and they eat dinner. Teach them how to fish and they eat forever."
As a student it comes naturally to me to apply one piece of information to as many scenarios as I can:
To generalize from the specific.
As a teacher it's my goal to share that mindset and to help students develop the creative problem-solving tools that will allow them to see beyond tired solutions and open new doors into their creative approach.
Longer classes allow for more experimentation and work time. Content is basically the same, although spontaneous discussions and demos often develop in these extended formats..
2025
CMAG. Portland OR.
@9020 Studios
January 11 &10
More Than a Drill:
Grokking the
Flex Shaft
2 Days
Silvera. Berkeley, CA
May 1-5
Imaginative Captures
5 Days
Pocosin. Columbia, NC
June 2-6
Bang & Bend:
SmallScale Forging
forMetalsmths
5 Days
The word grok was coined by the writer Robert A Heinlein in his seminal novel
A Stranger in a Strange Land and has come to mean to profoundly understand something. From foot pedals to hand pieces, burs to bits, this 2-day hands-on class will open doors onto a new understanding and appreciation of this amazing tool. Through a mix of lecture, demo and real-time exercises you'll come to truly grok the Flexible Shaft Machine. Join us close to home in Portland, OR.
Coming back to the Bay Area!
Looking for a new way to integrate gemstones--or enamels, found objects --or that little treasure that's been on your bench for years-- in your work? Well, Imaginative Captures can help you develop new, elegant, more fluid and fully integrated setting (capturing) solutions. This 5 day information-packed workshop is full of tips and tricks that can help you find a new way to look at what and how you are making and break down some of the rigid walls that exist between ideas, process and materials.
We’ll get up close and personal with the flex shaft, soldering, riveting and cold connecting and liberate the problem solver within
So, if you're looking to shake things up in your studio practice or a fresh way to look at things, Imaginative Captures may be just what you’re looking for.
Participants must have basic jewelry skills and experience with the rolling mill, torches, hammers, buffers, etc. Required skills include drilling with the flex shaft machine, sawing, filing, silver soldering and basic bezel setting. Those who enroll must be able to solder unattended.
Join us at Silvera Jewelry School in Berkeley CA. A really wonderful teaching studio!
Been a while since I’ve taught at Pocosin--and I'm excited to return.
Moving metal by hammering--forging-- is a process that underlies so many processes in the studio. (In fact, the word smith is derived fromsmite: to strike .) Once you understand the principles, forging can be applied to rings, pendants, earrings, bracelets and small to mid-sized and large objects. Forging can play a supporting role or can be the star of the show. It's good for the soul and Pocosin is a great place to hear the anvil ring.
Columbia, NC.