Karin Jones has been a goldsmith and jewellery designer since 1993. In recent years she has turned her attention away from traditional jewellery, to working in Damascene inlay, a technique she learned at a workshop in Mendocino, California, on scholarship from the Craft Council of BC. In 2007, she took time to practice and perfect this process during an artist residency in Fiskars, Finland, where she also volunteered at the local forge, learning traditional blacksmithing techniques.
I will be teaching 2 week-long workshops at Kootenay School of Arts and Crafts at Selkirk College in Nelson, BC, Canada, this summer.
The first, champ-leve enameling, will run from Aug. 9-13.
Here is the course description:
"Champ-levé (French for “raised field”) enamel works are created by piercing a pattern out of a sheet of silver or other metal, and soldering it onto a back plate. This creates a recessed pattern which can then be filled with glass enamel, creating an inlaid, flush look, similar to stained glass or mosaic. Because Karin teaches making a piece of jewellery from start to finish, students will learn basic jewellery techniques such as drilling, saw-piercing, soldering, and finishing, as well as applying and torch-firing the enamel itself. Intermediate students will receive tips on fine-tuning their technique, as well as creating intricate works in this beautiful and ancient art form. Students will leave with several pieces of colourful, finished jewellery, as well as an excellent knowledge of fundamental jewellery techniques suitable for a small, basic home workshop, or professional studio alike.
"Karin Marita Jones, a jeweller trained in Canada and Germany, has 20 years’ experience in the jewellery trade, including 8 years as a bench goldsmith and 5 years specializing in champ-levé enamel work. She now spends her time practicing her latest obsession, Damascene inlay (gold and silver inlay on steel)."
The second course, Damascene Inlay (Silver and Gold Inlay on Steel) will run Aug. 16-20. Course Description:
"Damascene is an age-old method of inlaying silver and gold onto steel, originally used in the decoration of weapons, arms and armour. It has been used extensively in Japan (on samurai sword fittings), Europe (on suits of armour and helmets), and the Middle East (on platters, decorative objects and bowls, as well as weapons). Done by creating a texture on steel and hammering gold and silver foils into the textured areas using various punches and hammers, this work offers the possibility of creating incredibly intricate patterns and designs in metal. Karin Marita Jones has developed her own method of working with damascene, adapted to readily available tools and materials, while staying true to the original, authentic principles of this technique. This course will appeal to both jewellers working on small objects, and blacksmiths/metal sculptors working on a larger scale. Focus in this class will be on smaller objects, as the course will be taught in a jewellery workshop; however, it is easily adaptable to larger works, and metal artists are encouraged to bring their own steel objects for inlaying in class. Students will leave with several pieces of finished artwork. Basic principles of metal working and properties of materials will also be covered. Suitable for all skill levels.
"Karin Marita Jones is a jeweller/metal artist with 20 years experience. She has studied jewellery in Canada and Germany, and blacksmithing in Finland and the United States."
For examples of my Damascene work, please see my website, www.karinjones.ca, or other posts on this blog.
Nelson is a hisoric town in the KootenayMountains of British Columbia, about halfway between Vancouver and Calgary, and 147 miles north of Spokane, Washington. It is accessible by car from all of those cities, or by air, through the domestic airport at Castlegar, BC.
Last minute changes to my schedule: I'll be at Granville Island Thursday and Friday, not Friday to Monday. Keep your ears open for an upcoming studio sale, June 26! (Date to be confirmed.)
Damascene Bowl by Karin Marita Jones
