I traveled down to Maryland last week, first to Polymer Clay Express  to see Rob and Wilma Yost and their new digs in the charming town of  New Market Maryland.   From there it was on to Olivia’s for the night because we were both taking a class with Connie Fox called Make Jewelry You’ll Love in Five Steps.
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This was not a “jewelry making class, ” and  I didn’t have any idea of what to expect.  There are not many people with whom I would take a class under these circumstances. But I have followed Connie’s work for years and have always admired her sense of design. And she had always been so generous with information, posting free articles on-line and on her website. So I took the plunge and I’m glad I did.
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Connie provided a lot of food for thought. She led discussions on how to evaluate our work styles and personalities.  We spent a lot of time looking at and discussing the work of other jewelry artists. We looked at one another’ s work  to examine the intent behind it find ways to improve the design.   Doing the exercises Maggie Maggio and Lindly Haunai’s book Polymer Clay Color Inspirations has improved my work and I am always striving to improve my craftsmanship.   But I came away from Connie’s class with a better idea of my sense of design and what I am attempting to achieve with my jewelry. I know I like to mix media and use found objects, but I am also a story teller and a lot of my pieces tell stories. And so the process continues.
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 Since peeking into another person’s studio is always such fun, here are some pictures from Olivia’s workshop
Ornamento 