Upcoming Classes

I am very excited to be teaching classes at Art and Soul Retreat in both Virginia and Portland in 2008. I will be teaching a variation of my beaded bracelet as an evening class in Virginia on Sunday, May 4, 2008. This bracelet, in keeping with the Art and Soul by the Sea theme, will be a Beachcomber bracelet, incorporating bits of beach pebbles and shell fragments, as well as etched copper charms, colored and resined to resemble faux copper enamel. This class will also be offered in Portland in October 2008.

In addition to the bracelet class, I will be offering another evening class in Portland working with gourds. Gourds are a fun medium to work with - you can burn, paint, collage, dye and use color pencils to decorate the exterior and turn them into almost anything you can imagine since they come in all shapes and sizes. Here is a sample of a gourd I woodburned, dyed with watercolor pigment then wove fiber into spaces cut from the gourd to represent water.

I will also be teaching an evening and a full day class in wire weaving baskets and forms. This is a new class for me, but I know you will enjoy learning to make these fun woven wire baskets and/or a woven wire bird. I can't wait to see what new shapes and forms will be created in the class. This medium can be used in many ways from sculpture, to basketry and jewelry and beyond. Wood, glass and beads can be incorporated in the finished piece of art.

In addition to these classes I will also be teaching a beginning class in copper etching and a coptic stitch journal class at Sixth Street Gallery, where I was just invited to be a member. The link to the gallery is: http://www.sixthstreetgallery.com/. Please email me at janharris@purplebirdart.com if you have any questions regarding the classes.