Metalsmithing Studio- Soldered Ring and PMC Pendant

Our Metalsmithing Studio is one of the most used spaces at Artascope Studios. We host a plethora of metalsmithing, PMC, beading, wire wrapping and sea glass jewelry classes in our fantastic studio. Equipped with drilling centers, acetylene solder stations, a jewelry kiln, tumbler and a wall stacked with hammers, filling, cutting and beading tools , this place has become the hub of jewelry creation in South Portland.

Recently, Gayle, our stained glass expert, switch gears and taught a fantastic Solder Ring Class. This was a great introduction to metalsmithing and they were thrilled with their results after just 4 hours of work. Sisters, Julie and Diane were excited to make their own rings. Leslie had such a great time and she can't wait to practice her new skills, so she joined Artascope Studios as a Member to have access to the studios. Kelly was able to refresh her skills from a class last summer and even set a dichroic stone that her sister has made. Very successful class indeed!

PMC is one of our hot classes right now. PMC, Precious Metal Clay, is fantastic product that combines artistry, clay and silver into one amazing jewelry experience. The creators of PMC found a way to combine tiny silver fragments with a binder to create a porcelain clay-like substance that can be molded, carved and formed into the most amazing pieces. Once dried and fired in a jewelry kiln, your final product is a pure silver unique creation. Check out the results of Deb's PMC pendant class. Students came in with their own ideas and in some cases, objects to mold in plastic in order to make a PMC replica. The detail and designs are very personal and the possibilities are endless. Although the pictures look like students are working in clay, once their pendants were complete bone dry and fired, their final products were 99.9% pure silver jewelry.

Mosaic Garden Stone and Hammered Metal Jewelry Review

It was a busy night at Artascope Studios for two popular Art Night Out classes- Mosaic Garden Stone and Hammered Metal Jewelry- filling our 2 first floor studios with lots of sounds of clanking metals, snapping glass and conversations between students.

Check out some of the beautiful mosaic designs the students created for their garden stones. You could just hear the excitement about getting out into the gardens to display their new creations. A great way to welcome in spring.

Laurie helped her students lay out the design to make sure they have the right color combinations and bit and pieces for a desired effect. Safely glasses are a must for students breaking up glass mosaics to make their needed shapes. The final design in applied to contact paper and laid in the bottom of a stepping stone making container.....round plastic containers make perfect stepping stone molds. The concrete in poured over and the students come back in a day or two to pick up their final piece.

One cool side note on the Mosaics class was that every student signed up over the web. This is a very exciting new tool for all of our Art Night Out customers. Instead of giving us a ring to sign up for a class, you can sign up on line through PayPal at any time day or night. Under every class description, there is a sign up now button. Sweet! Check out the link.... http://www.artnightout.com/

Hammered Metal Jewelry with Betina was taken to a new level. No one held back in creating one of a kind pieces. Betina toaught everyone techniques to twist, bend and play with the wire into the desired effect. Hammering comes after to add texture and dimension to their items. One student embellished her beautiful blass dragonfly with luscious glass beads. Check out the 3-D sculpture using copper, brass and silver wire. Quite a masterpiece. The money clip is my favorite of the night. What a fun gift to make....always something new brewing in these studios.

A New Venture for Artascope Studios

Artascope Studios has decided to create a new art blog as a way to stay connected with artists everywhere and let everyone know about all the wonderful things we have to offer.

Artascope Studios is located in South Portland Maine and home to the popular Art Night Out™. Artist Series and ArtEscape!™ programs. We offer art classes in everything from glass working, wireworking, beaded jewelry, PMC, photo transfer, printmaking, batiking, metalsmithing, collage, decorative painting, fine art painting and book arts to name a few!

We have a fabulous in-house art supply store and 5 unique studio classrooms. The Art Night Out™ program is a great way to learn new skills, get together with friends or make some new ones. We hold classes every Monday and Thursday Nights from 6-9pm and Saturdays from 2-6pm. Our Artist Series are 6 week long classes that meet once a week and offer an excellent resource for students looking to find a new talent or sharpen their skills. The ArtEscape!™ Weekends are three day intensives held year round where you can experience a huge amount of creativity in a small amount of time!

There are opportunities for the community to join as members, using the facilities and receiving some great perks for a small fee. The steward program has been an intregal part of Artascope since its beginings 3 years ago. Local artist donate a few hours of their time on a weekly basis to watch over the studio, give tours and help keep Artascope looking its best. The stewards also share their talents by teaching the extensive list of classes we have to offer here. Our lovely gallery is home to creations by all of our stewards and members with a montly highlighted artist to check out.

Check out some of our upcoming February classes. Check out www.artascope.com for more information!

Cheers!
Maggie

February 2008 classes!

Intro to PMC
23 Feb - Sat (2-6 PM) $125
Explore the fantastic world of PMC and what you can create! You will learn how to roll, stamp, shape and watch your designs come to life with PMC. You will be amazed with the results. Includes a brief introduction to the medium.

Silver Spoon Necklace
25 Feb - Mon (6-9 PM) $45
In this class you will take a silver spoon or fork and convert it to a stunning pendant! Learn about sawing, drilling and wireworking! Who knew there were so many possibilities for a spoon?

Tin Collage People
25 Feb - Mon (6-9 PM) $45
Using copied photos of loved ones, create these adorable tin folk! Bring your imagination to life as your loved ones serve as your inspiration! Great for holiday gifts!

Beachstone Pendant
28 Feb - Thu (6-9 PM) $45
Are you looking to increase your wireworking skills? This new class will add another method of wire wrapping to your repetoire. Learn how to use wire to accent beachstones in a way that is sure to delight everyone!