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Precious Metal Clay Classes
(See What is PMC?)
I just love to teach, so I'm happy to hop on my flying carpet and travel near and far to offer Silver Metal Clay Classes or Lecture on new techniques. My presentations emphasize developing the creativity of the artist within. Innovative technique based lessons are presented to inspire, strengthen technical and design skills, and elevate the students abilities to the next level.

I have experience speaking at conference settings, the classroom and privately. I've written articles on my own new pioneered techniques for magazines such as Art Jewelry, Lapidary Journal, Bead Style, and Step by Step Wire to name a few. Additionally, my finished work has been published in over 35 publications. So let me put my experience to good use, while I inspire the next generation of Metal Clay pioneers.

For more information, to arrange a class, or give a presentation, please give me a call at 717-445-5755 or e-mail me at hgage1@ptd.net.

Metal Clay Class Schedule

Following is a list of classes I am presently teaching. I am always adding new classes to the list, so come back often.

February 20 2010 • 9 am - 5 pm (Full)
February 21 2010 • 9 am - 5 pm (Full)

Holly's Metal Clay 1-Day Workshops
Bowmansville, PA
Contact: Holly, 717-445-5755 • hgage1@ptd.net to register for the class below. Seats are limited, early registration is recommended.

Peruvian Applique Style Jewelry
This project is fun and spontaneous. You will learn an applique technique to make a sheet of patterned metal clay of your own design. From there you will add and assemble other elements to create a series of pieces that can be used for a pendant , matching earrings, bracelet components or other set. The class will feature a demo highlighting the applique technique as well as finishing techniques. I'll work my hardest to make sure you leave more informed than when you came, providing tips, tricks, and handouts all in a relaxing environment.

Materials needed: PMC3 25g, sandpaper, polishing papers & cloth
Class includes all tools and equipment, handouts, firing and expert instruction.
Optional: Your own personal tools, magnifying lens, Ott , etc.

Bring your own lunch or order one of Chris' deluxe lunch boxes for $20.
Lunch includes: Sandwich, salad, beverage, fruit dessert. When registering for class please request a menu of options.

PMC and supplies may be purchased from the instructor in advance. All orders will need to be in by 12N on Feb 5th. A "minimum" supply of these extras will be available the day of class.

Note: Please be considerate, your enrollment affects the run of the class, so a $10 cancellation fee per person will be charged for cancellations with less than 3 week notice.

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May 21 - 23, 2010
San Francisco Metal Clay Guild Workshop
San Francisco, CA
Contact: Kathleen Gordon, kjgordon@gmail.com

May 21, 7 - 9 pm • Presentation

May 22 , 10 - 5 • Negative Space Caning
Negative Space Caning is a high energy workshop focusing on creating filigree, chambers for enamel or polymer inlay, and patterns easily duplicated for tessellating designs by combining Metal Clay and a combustible material that disappears after firing in a kiln.

This exciting new technique developed by Holly Gage is a springboard idea for looking at and working with Metal Clay in a whole new way.

The class will include a presentation and handouts on the basic cane making process, what combustible materials are suitable for the process, as well as simple and advance assembly techniques. You will also be introduced to how a complex cane is designed and created. Your finished piece will be of your own design ready for polishing and a patina at the workshop or inlaid on your own.

Materials needed: Wood Clay, 1-2 pkgs. PMC3 25g, sandpaper, polishing papers & cloth
Teacher will bring: All basic tools needed for class
Optional: Your own personal tools, magnifying lens, Ott , etc.

• • • • • •

May 23 , 10 - 5 • Repoussé Effects in Metal Clay
Holly will share her secrets for transforming original photos or drawings into highly detailed, low relief images looking similar in style to traditional repoussé. Students will learn to wet-work a reverse polymer mold of their image; manipulate silver metal clay and use tools to create different hand-wrought textural effects; and to carve details for the finishing touch. The results are unique and original, beautifully echoing the hand of the artist.

Materials needed: PMC3 25g, sandpaper, polishing papers & cloth, Bake and Bend polymer clay. Students should bring: Several original drawings or photographs to choose the best for the project .
Class includes all tools and equipment, handouts, firing and expert instruction.
Optional: Your own personal tools, magnifying lens, Ott , etc.

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July 10 - 11
Chesapeake PMC Guild Metal Clay Workshop
Chesapeake PMC Guild Studio
Worton, Maryland
Contact: Theresa Goddard, theresagoddard@gmail.com

Negative Space Caning
Negative Space Caning is a high energy workshop focusing on creating filigree, chambers for enamel or polymer inlay, and patterns easily duplicated for tessellating designs by combining Metal Clay and a combustible material that disappears after firing in a kiln.

This exciting new technique developed by Holly Gage is a springboard idea for looking at and working with Metal Clay in a whole new way.

The class will include a presentation and handouts on the basic cane making process, what combustible materials are suitable for the process, as well as simple and advance assembly techniques. You will also be introduced to how a complex cane is designed and created. Your finished piece will be of your own design ready for polishing and a patina at the workshop or inlaid on your own.

Materials needed: Wood Clay, 1-2 pkgs. PMC3 25g, sandpaper, polishing papers & cloth
Teacher will bring: All basic tools needed for class
Optional: Your own personal tools, magnifying lens, Ott , etc.

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July 28 - August 1, 2010
PMC Conference 2010
Purdue University, W. Lafayette, Indiana
http://www.pmc-conference.com/

Every other year the PMC Guild puts together a fabulous opportunity to gain knowledge in the medium of metal clay. This year will be no exception. You can expect to see:
• Keynote Speaker Linda Darty, Teacher, enamelist, author
• Nine O'Clock Speakers Alison Lee, host of Craftcast
• Bruce Baker, jeweler, business owner, and lecturer
• 5 Lectures (see my presentation details below)
• Tech Expo featuring ongoing displays
• Events Exhibition: Cultural Messages: Symbolism through the Ages

Presentation by Holly Gage:
In the Midst of a Revolution comes Innovation and Opportunity  —
Are “You” Seizing the Moment?

The advent of Metal Clay is dramatically changing the landscape of metal work and jewelry making.  Changes are coming fast and furious — we are truly witnessing a revolution. This burst of creative energy has given birth to a world of opportunity. New tools and supplies are abounded and businesses are thriving in a recessionary economy.

During this dynamic presentation, Holly will discuss how metal clay innovators, pioneers and inventors take a mere idea and travel an uncertain road of trial and error, success and failure to invent new products and tools. The veteran, as well as the newcomer to metal clay, will learn just what it takes to see an opportunity and “seize the moment”.

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August 14, 2010 • 9 am - 6 pm
August 15 2010 • 9 am - 6 pm

Holly's Metal Clay 1-Day Workshops
Bowmansville, PA
Contact: Holly, 717-445-5755 • hgage1@ptd.net to register for the class below. Seats are limited, early registration is recommended.

Innovative Prong Solutions for Setting Titanium
Free-formed rainbow Titanium can be very intriguing. It is bright, colorful, and sculptural. Against the bright shine of silver it certainly has the “bling” factor. One method for setting Titanium is by making your own hand built prongs. Our exploratory trip will highlight innovative handmade prongs solutions; proper placement
and structural consideration for the prongs; basic do’s and don'ts of prong making; as well as learning how to design with shrinkage in mind. Your finished piece will be of your own unique design inspired by your individual titanium or free-formed item of choice.
You may bring your own irregular shaped item for setting or purchase Titanium at or before class at Holly's website. Recommended size is 20mm – 40mm.

Materials used: , PMC3, 3 M polishing papers, Polishin Cloth
, Titanium

Bring your own lunch or order one of Chris' gourmet lunches for $20.
Lunch includes asssorted buffet choices, beverage, dessert.

PMC and supplies may be purchased from the instructor in advance. All orders will need to be in by 12N on July 27th. A "minimum" supply of these extras will be available the day of class.

Note: Please be considerate, your enrollment affects the run of the class, so a $10 cancellation fee per person will be charged for cancellations with less than 3 week notice.

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September 1 - 5, 2010
Master Classes in the UK
Mid-Cornwall School of Jewellry
Cornwall, United Kingdom
Contact: +44 (0)1726 817989
or e-mail: info@mcsj.co.uk

http://www.mcsj.co.uk/masterclasses/index.html

September 1 -3, 2010 • Repoussé Effects in Metal Clay
Learn the secrets of transforming original photos or drawings into highly detailed, low relief images, which look similar in style to traditional Repoussé. Discover how to wet-work a reverse polymer mold of your image; manipulate silver metal clay and use tools to create different hand-wrought textural effects; and to carve details for the finishing touch.

The Repoussé effect is only achieved by this technique and is different from photopolymer plates. The results are unique and original, beautifully echoing the hand of the artist.

Materials needed: PMC3 25g, sandpaper, polishing papers & cloth, Bake and Bend polymer clay. Students should bring: Several original drawings or photographs to choose the best for the project.

• • • • • •

September 4 - 5, 2010 • Negative Space Caning

This technique will allow you to look at Metal Clay construction in a whole new way. We will use combustible materials layered with Metal Clay to create filigree chambers, which are perfect for inlaying polymer, resin and more.
Your finished piece will be of your own design and various finishing options will be covered.

Materials needed: Wood Clay, 1-2 pkgs. PMC3 25g, sandpaper, polishing papers & cloth

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Retreats Planned for 2011

July 21- 28, 2011
Back in Time Retreat
This one is still in the planning so for more information when it becomes available, please contact Holly at hgage1@ptd.net or Angela at ange.est.la@wanadoo.fr

Pa Dutch Country Lancaster County is known for living in simplier times. Rolling Farmlands and landscapes, horse and buggy travel, and rich traditions. Angela Crispin and Holly will be helping you to combine a new material, Metal Clay with influences from the area -- Antique textures, handmade connections, and interesting combinations of old and new. But don't get fooled, innovation is the heart beat to any of Angela and Holly's collaberative workshops.

In addition to the workshops, excursions will be planned to take advantage of the local flavor as we visit the Antique Capital of the World to scour for inspiration as well as one of a kind textures and oddities. We will also enjoy learning about the Amish heritage as we dine with a traditional Amish family and tour their farms from yester-year.

• • • • • •

France Retreat 2011
Ze French Connection
Brittany, France
This one is still in the planning so for more information when it becomes available, please contact Holly at hgage1@ptd.net or Angela at ange.est.la@wanadoo.fr

Angela Crispin and Holly will again be hosting a week long journey to Moëlan-sur-Mer, Brittany, France to learn new line-up of Metal Clay techniques!

The village of Pont-Aven is picturesque and has become a popular artist's paradise. Concarneau is a medieval walled town and one of the most photographed in the region.
Our stay at Le Moulin des Ducs, Moëlan-sur-Mer, Bretagne, France is an ancient mill first owned by the Duc of Brittany. Today a charming 3 out of 4 star hotel with its 12 hectare garden, nestled within a lush valley. Pretty granite homes house charming newly renovated rooms and refined amenities surrounding a bend of the Belon river which flows through the property - a peaceful haven made for strolls steeped in ocean air!
In the handsome traditional mill dining room, extended by a veranda overlooking the river banks you can enjoy savoury cuisine inspired by the best of local goodness of the region by Chef Thierry Quilfen

Read More about our journey in 2009.
Also visit for student pictures and more http://www.zefrenchconnection.com/

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Hotglass Bead Making Classes
Ages: Teens & Adults
Meets by Appointment:
Day or Evening
Fee: $25/hr.
Recommended: 6 hrs. class or 1 hr. per week for 6 weeks
Contact: Holly, hgage1@ptd.net or 717-445-5755 to schedule a private class.

Hotglass beads, otherwise known as lampwork beads, are formed in the flame of a blazing torch. This is a mesmerizing process where Italian moretti glass rods are melted to the consistency of honey and manipulated into different shapes and decorated with more glass, pixie dust, and precious metal foils. This is a one to one class in which glass techniques, safety, and annealing are discussed and practiced. Expect to have lots of fun with this relaxing art form!

Testimonials:

"Loved Holly's Class, very informative, tips galore, and fun, fun, fun, can't wait till she comes back"

~ Carol Hamilton at Lorton Work House
Art Studios
the class was wonderful

"I have to say my expectations were far exceeded. Holly - you're personable, supportive and you have that knack of offering just enough information so I didn't get overwhelmed.
totally great!

Thanks,
Lisa H

"Yes, Holly's class was just super!!! What a boat load of information..."

~ Ann Davis
"Great Class, Holly! I enjoyed meeting you and appreciated all the info. you shared! I also think your background in education was a huge plus! You explained everything very well and were patient with us when we needed a repeat. I appreciate your hard work and talent"
"Holly is amazing. She made me take that perfect little leap in knowledge that made that internal lightbulb turn on and say, Ahhh, it all ties together now. We learned TONS, created beautiful "interesting" pieces and laughed a lot. Holly is nothing if not flexible. And funny."

~ Renee Kutcher
"I just wanted to publicly acknowledge what a gift it is you give when you teach others. Your knowledge, skill and generosity are all impressive."

~ M.D. Jemmott.
"Holly, I really benefited. What an unforgetable treat .... Thanks for pushing me and keeping me focused and entertained with your humor and insight"

~ Val, Tucson

"I really admire your work. It is beautiful and soulful. I am new to PMC and have been collecting the tools recommended by different PMC artists, but it is the reading of the generous tips and tricks on your website that helped so much and I can’t say enough about your classes, they are so informative with a unique approach to MC."

~ M.K. Oberreit
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