Past Events

COMA CONFERENCE 2009
July 17-19 in Salida, Colorado

BRILLIANT DIMENSIONS: COLOR AND CONTOUR IN METAL

Presenters:

Jamie Bennett: Lessons from History

Jamie Bennett’s name is synonymous with contemporary innovation in enameling. One of the most influential artists working in the medium of glass on metal, Jamie is currently professor of art at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He is a three-time recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and his works are featured in over 20 museums internationally. Currently his retrospective exhibition, Edge of the Sublime, is on tour to museums around the country, including the Fuller Craft Museum and the National Ornamental Museum, among other venues.The art world redefined enamels in the late 1980s after Bennett broke the rules of traditional enameling. His works are richly colored paintings in glass. He has developed unconventional combinations of techniques using electroformed shapes with delicate graphics and mysterious imagery. We are pleased to have him join us to talk about his process, his story and his inspiration.

Linda Kindler Priest: Oh What a Great Relief! Repousse in Nature

CoMA is pleased to host Massachusetts artist Linda Kindler Priest in Salida. Her small-scale sculptures in metal and hand-cut stone are intimate observations of nature, with imagery ranging from delicate insects, birds, aquatic and plant life in motion to stately camels and playful monkeys. An attentive observer of her immediate environment, Kindler Priest can capture a moment in time with her skillful, impressionistic rendering in gold using the ancient processes of chasing and repousse. Often in her work, there is a subtle message about the fragility of our natural environment.A two-time participant in the prestigious Smithsonian Craft Show, Linda was the 2009 winner of the Gold Award for Excellence in Jewelry. Linda is an honor graduate of The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and has taught there for the past twenty-five years.

Phil Poirier: Innovative Techniques Using the Hydraulic Press for Jewelry Manufacturing

Phil Poirier Phil will be discussing and demonstrating Innovative Techniques Using the Hydraulic Press for Jewelry Manufacturing. Phil lives “down the road” in San Cristobal, New Mexico, and not only teaches workshops and classes, but is the owner of Bonny Doon Engineering. The Bonny Doon hydraulic press is a multifunctional workshop tool for which Phil has developed unique and innovative tooling. Phil is multi-talented. He is a master-gem cutter and metalsmith, innovative toolmaker and teacher whose philosophy is that “time is the most important element” when constructing a piece. Nothing is rushed; each technique and movement is carefully calculated when he makes a piece of jewelry. Phil, whose work appears in numerous books (500 Wedding Rings and The Craft of Silversmithing, just to name two), will open a new world of metalsmithing as he demos and wows us with new advances and techniques using the Bonny Doon, while sharing his philosophy of metalsmithing.

Lew Wackler: Multi-Dimensional Work From a Workmaster's Perspective

Boulder artist Lew Wackler comes from a long line of craftsmen who work with their hands. The evidence of pride in his heritage shows in his work. One of the world’s premier artists, known for his fantasy gem cuts and also one of the top metal artists in the world. Lew’s presentation will include a slide show of his work from the late 1960’s to the present. He will discuss some aspects of the challenges and rewards of working on large projects with large groups of people. Always the constant teacher, and a consummate tool-lover, Lew will give a demo on the use of a jeweler’s mini-lathe. He is fascinated with the concept that the lathe is one of the most important tools built by man, and the only tool that can be used to make itself.

Jamie Bennett: Painting Enameling
Fine Painting Techniques with Enamel

CoMA welcomes Jamie Bennett to Colorado to present a three day enameling workshop to be held at Metro State College in Denver from July 13-15, 2009. This workshop will explore various methods and processes in the Limoges technique of enameling. Painting enameling is a process where the finely ground enamel or overglaze is applied by brush or pen to the prepared enamel surface. Each student will work on an enamel element or panel using this technique. The use of various oils and binders will also be discussed.
Jamie is regarded as one of the country’s premier contemporary enamellists, and he has developed a number of unconventional combinations of techniques. His recently published Edge of the Sublime: Enamels by Jamie Bennett has been a resounding success, as has his retrospective exhibition by the same name which is currently traveling to venues across the country. A professor of art at the State University of New York at New Paltz, Jamie is a skilled teacher and we are honored to have him share his knowledge.

David Huang: “Angle-raised Vessels”
Post conference workshop

CoMA is proud to welcome David Huang back to Colorado to give a workshop on his techniques of angle-raising, chasing and patina application on vessels. David will present a five day workshop at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, CO, from July 20-24. Using just a hammer and stake, students will learn to raise and form a vessel from a 6” circle of copper. They will then chase a design on the outside and apply patinas to them.
David is an incomparable artist, a master smith who has a gifted ability to use simple hand tools to express works of timeless beauty. His work is widely exhibited in a number of well-known galleries and published in a number of books and journals, including: Lark Books: 500 metal vessels; “Japanese Patinas” by Eitoku Sugimori, Brynmorgen Press; and “Inquire Within: the Holloware of David Huang” - Metalsmith 2008 volume 28 no. 3.

2008 COMA Conference
“Cutting Edge”
The Steamplant, Salida, Colorado

Conference Presenters:

Michael Boyd
Tom Herman
David Huang
Jim Kelso
Carol Webb

Other Activities:

All-Members’ Meeting
“Don’t Pin That On Me”- Metalsmithing Rodeo tom herman
Silent Auction
Pin Swap
All-Members’ Exhibition and Reception at cultureclash
Members’ Banquet
Master’s Forum

Conference Schedule

Friday, July 11
1:00 pm Registration, Drop Off of Silent Auction Donations
2:00 pm Pin Swap/Tool Swap
3:00 pm Welcome to all participants
3:30-5:30 Presenter: Michael Boyd
5:30-6:00 All Members’ meeting
7:00 pm Reception at cultureclash, 101 North F Street

Saturday, July 12
8:30 am Registration, Coffee & Muffins
9:30 am Presenter: Tom Herman
11:00 “Don’t Pin that on Me!” metalsmithing rodeo
12:30 Lunch
1:30 pm Presenter: Carol Webb
3:00 pm Break
3:15 pm Presenter: Jim Kelso
4:30 pm Silent Auction Bidding/ Wine Bar
6:00 pm Banquet

Sunday, July 13
9:00 am Coffee & Muffins at the Steamplant
9:00-11:00 Jim Kelso Workshop
10:00-11:00 Master’s Forum
11:00 Break
11:35 Presenter: David Huang

Tool Room: Lew Wackler, D & J Rare Gems and The Naja
Tool Swap: Bring in your dusty, once used tools or materials and offer them for sale or trade to your colleagues.
Pin Swap: Make 10-20 quick and easy brooches for trade with other members! This is a great opportunity for you to use your Imagination! Some of the materials we’ve seen crafted into GREAT art pieces included: feathers, paper, brass, silver, plastic, found objects, rough stones. Anything goes!
COMA Silent Auction: Every year we hold the Silent Auction as an alternative fund-raiser for COMA. But, besides that, it’s a great way for members to find equipment and/or materials at less than retail prices. It’s also a great tax-deduction for the donors. We need your participation, and you’d be surprised at what makes a great silent auction donation! So, go through your studio, collect your treasures and drop them off at the beginning of the conference. If you wish, label items with a MINIMUM Opening Bid (especially important for service/timeshare donations). If you would like to make a donation but do not plan on attending the conference, please notify us at comaforum@comcast.net and we will make arrangements to collect your donation and give you a receipt for your taxes.

CoMA Classes/Workshops

Michael Boyd

Incorporating Materials with Metal

“My technique is just basic lapidary and metal fabrication. The stone is as important as the metal. I am looking for an integration of the medias, a manipulation and blending of the two: Using stone as a medium, not as an accessory.” Michael will be teaching a 3-day workshop on techniques of integrating media (including stone) with metals.

Dates: July 8-10, 2008 (Immediately preceding the CoMA Conference in Salida, CO)

Imagery on Metal…Techniques in Photo-etching

Carol Webb (Santa Cruz, CA)

Carol creates beautiful, contemporary jewelry and vessel designs rich in architectural detail. Her process involves the lamination of a thin layer of copper over a thicker layer of fine silver. Fine silver has a higher silver content than sterling, which makes it soft. She photo-etches through the copper to the silver to obtain patterns. The pieces are then constructed, and after finishing the copper is oxidized, imparting in the black color.

Dates: July 14-16, 2008 (Immediately following the CoMA Conference in Salida, CO)

Salida 2007

"Lucky Eleven on Friday the Thirteenth"
The Eleventh Annual CoMA Conference in Salida, Colorado
July 13, 14, 15, 2007

Guest Speakers:

Harlan Butt, Enamellist

Harlan Butt, an internationally - renowned metalsmith and enamel artist, is currently Regents Professor of Art at the University of North Texas in Denton, where he has taught
since 1976. Professor Butt received his BFA from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and his MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia.He studied in Kyoto, Japan with master metalsmith Shumei Tanaka and at the Biso Cloisonné Company. He is a fellow of the American Craft council and served as president of The Enamellist Society from 1998-1999.

Amayak Stepanyan, Engraver

Amayak Stepanyan is a master engraver in steel and precious metals. He was born in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and moved with his family to Russia when he was a young child. At the age of 17 he became an apprentice watchmaker, following the profession for the next 11 years. He was intrigued by watching his master engraver using the flex shaft and decided to teach himself the art of engraving using gravers that he made himself. He practiced with the aid of information in a book by Brepohl, and became so proficient that within a few years, he was able to leave watchmaking and become a professional engraver and an expert in engraving intricate steel dies for multiple production.

Ralph Gabriner, Photographer

As most jewelry artists will admit, one of the most difficult peripheral aspects of their jobs is conveying the beauty of their creations in two dimensions. To capture photographically the beauty of the stones, the subtleties of metal textures, and the intricacies of design is a daunting but required task. The process is, in fact, an art all its own. Many photographers have made it their life’s work to master this art, but few have done it as skillfully as Ralph Gabriner. His artwork appears

Marne Ryan, Fused Metals

Utilizing flame in a constructive manner is the foundation of all my work” explains how Marne Ryan incorporates fire into her unique designs. She starts with a very thin gauge of metal, which is run through the wire mill, then folded, milled and folded again to create a textured look. Fire is applied, and then the texture pieces are fused together until the pattern and texture that suit her needs are achieved. Many of her pieces feature stones. Sometimes stones will suggest the design; other times the design selects the stone. In either case one complements the other.

Mary Lee Hu, Woven Metals

Using traditional textile techniques—weaving, twining, wrapping, braiding— Mary Lee Hu transforms wire into sumptuous body sculpture. Her main tools are her fingers. “The many hours of repetitive twining are a meditative activity,” she says. Mary Lee professes an early love of metals that developed into more than 34 years of jewelry making in which she has explored the possibilities and limits of wire.

Salida 2006

Valentin Yotkov
Valentin Yotkov is a renowned master silversmith, whose stunning, classically inspired work has been exhibited internationally. Mr. Yotkov's training began during the 1970's with the study of fine arts in his native Bulgaria, the ancient Thrace, on the eastern shore of the Black Sea. Valentin was trained in the Old World apprenticeship system of Europe, and at the age of 22, he became the youngest member in the history of the National Silversmiths Guild of Bulgaria.

Valentin came to the United States fifteen years ago, and in 1994 he founded the Valentin Yotkov Studio in Brooklyn, NY, the only school in the country specializing in providing chasing and repousse instruction. He has developed a strong following among students and expert silversmiths who receive training in ancient metalwork techniques. Among his students are members of Tiffany and Co.'s silverware department. Valentin enjoys traveling throughout the US, conducting workshops for groups such as COMA, SNAG, and the Revere Studio in San Francisco.

Rich Boer
3M Account Executive, 3M Creative Arts Markets

Rich will demonstrate and discuss new 3M products and their applications for stone and metal artists. Each COMA member attending the conference will receive a packet of 3M products. Included in the packet will be FX polishing wheels, XR Metalworking wheel and product samples from 3M 's solutions for Creative Arts. This 60 page booklet describes in detail with photos and illustrations, products that can make your work easier.

Hazel Wheaton
Topic: "Artists and the People who Write about them"

Sixteen years of publishing has given Hazel Wheaton an extensive knowledge of the intricacies involved with creating a magazine. She is the editor of Art Jewelry. Previously, she was the managing editor of Laapidary Journalfor 10 years, steadily gaining knowledge about jewelry and gemstones, and the endlessly fascinating people who work with them. A native of Pennsylvania, she graduated from Haverford College and spent her junior year in Edinburgh, Scotland, which instilled a love of travel, whiskey, and really good tea. Prior to entering jewelry publishing, Hazel work in travel publishing, a career that took her to New York City and then to London, where she lived for four years.

J Fred Woell
Fred's presentation, entitled "Creating PMC Beads You Never Thought You'd Make" will cover making beads and hollow forms without the need for a core material. Through a variety of simple methods demonstrated, the artist will be able to create shapes never before imagined.This technique also lends itself to creating multiples with ease.

Chris Darway
As a teacher, Chris Darway is best known for his Mechanisms workshop. He has this workshop at at well known art centers, museums, and metal studios across the United States. We are lucky to drag him away from his bench in Lambertsville, NJ to show us the working mind of a mechanical master. Moving parts and mechanical workings come natural to Chris as a son of a mechanical engineer and the grandson of a machinist. An interesting fact is that he still uses tools made by his grandfather in his own studio. Chris' presentation at the Steam Plant will focus on a unique Barrel Clasp of his own invention.

Chris earned a B.F.A. from the Philadelphia College of Art. A "Darway Design" can be found in galleries across the country and abroad in Japan, Germany, and England. Additionally, his work is frequently accepted for exhibition at the prestigious Smithsonian Craft Show.

See you next year.