This past weekend I attended a workshop taught by Mary Hettmansperger from Peru, IN on Woven Metal Jewelry. I’ve known Mary for years through our common basketry interest and it is just wonderful watching her branch out into other areas. She is just too creative for words!
Working with metals was quite fun – there were torches and rivets and hammers and anvils …. oh, my! LOL! Great fun playing with the coloration you can get on copper with heat and the texturing you can achieve with very little effort.
What was really good from my perspective is that I was able to use stuff that I’ve been saving for years (not really knowing why I was saving the stuff but figuring it was too good to throw away). I have a roll of copper flashing that my Dad had collected – with the tar paper still on the back of it – that is at least 30 years old. Pretty cool to see it all flame up and disappear (the tar and paper) while torching it. Lovely colors on it, too, from the heat.
Most of what I ‘produced’ I am envisioning on the covers of new journals that I need to make soon. I think the coppers and my handmade papers will go well together.