One would think, with all the chaos generally reigning at our house, that I’d spend my free time in a serene, lavender-scented oasis listening to meditative music. But no. I choose to spend my few precious “off hours” a week in a dimly-lit basement (otherwise known as Fine Art Jewelry Classroom 15) playing with open flames, toxic chemicals, sharp instruments, and a lot of other people banging their tools loudly. It’s divine.
A couple of friends and I have been taking this class for years, although it’s more like open studio hours, as the teacher doesn’t really instruct us unless we ask for specific help. My current project is a self-guided experiment in repoussé, an ancient metalworking technique in which a malleable metal is ornamented or shaped by hammering from the reverse side; our instructor has never done this before, so we’re figuring it out together. This could take a while.
My last project took weeks, and I felt like I knew what I was doing. It involved sawing out miniature patterns, texturing silver sheet in a giant roller, soldering together all the various bits, and figuring out the final finish. I’m a fan of the sandblasting technique; it gives you a nice matte surface with tiny flecks of sparkle. After two months of work, I finally have a box that will hold about six quarters.
This work is its own reward. The process of transforming something unremarkable into something special is a real joy. And when you begin a project fearing you won’t be able to realize what you can visualize, and then manage to do it, it seems like a downright miracle. I guess I better start praying right now about that repoussé…
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