Recent MAASV Activities

Radiator Wearables –

with Edith Sommer

November 2009 General Membership Meeting

Date Sunday, November 1, 2009 Time: 1:00pm to 3:00pm

Location Yu Ai Kai Senior Center 588 North 4^th Street, San Jose, CA 95112

Food Your favorite snacks to share are welcome!

Parking Street parking -or- the small parking lot across the street.
(Please do not park at the Yu-Ai Kai center or in the lot next door.)

Edith Sommer loves old car radiators - she takes them apart and makes unique recycled items from the components: headwear, jewelry and garments. She will have a slide show about her unusual artistic medium and discuss her adventures in creating these wonderful pieces.

Metal Arts Association of Silicon Valley (MAASV), a California non-profit organization, promotes the advancement of Silicon Valley metal arts through education, innovation, and community. For more information about MAASV and its activities and goals, visit www.maasv.org

Be our guest when you attend your first meeting. If you decide to join MAASV, the membership fee structure applies (see the membership application for details). Special meetings and workshops are not included in the "one free first meeting" offer.

Show & Tell – Tools –Tinkering – TechShop Tour!

October 2009 General Membership Meeting

Date            Saturday, October 17, 2009   Time: 1:00pm to 3:00pm

Location    TechShop 120 Independence Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025

Food           Your favorite snacks to share are welcome!

Note          The heavy-equipment environment at TechShop requires meeting attendees to wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes.
Download meeting flyer here

SHOW & TELL: Bring your favorite piece or latest project (or latest problem) for show and tell. MAASV would love to learn about your work and what inspires you. Get some suggestions to solve your project dilemma and get it completed. Connect with other MAASV members doing similar work and spark those creative juices!

TECHSHOP TOUR: This meeting will include a short tour of TechShop and its facilities. Opened in October 2006, TechShop is like a health club but with tools and equipment instead of exercise machines. Designed for everyone, regardless of their skill level, TechShop is perfect for inventors, "makers", hackers, tinkerers, artists, roboteers, families, entrepreneurs, youth groups, FIRST robotic teams, arts and crafts enthusiasts. Want to be able to make things you dream up but don't have the tools, space or skills? Come see if your idea can become a reality!

Metal Arts Association of Silicon Valley (MAASV), a California non-profit organization, promotes the advancement of Silicon Valley metal arts through education, innovation, and community. For more information about MAASV and its activities and goals, visit www.maasv.org

Be our guest when you attend your first meeting. If you decide to join MAASV, the membership fee structure applies (see the membership application for details). Special meetings and workshops are not included in the "one free first meeting" offer.

Eighteen Members

One Hundred Pieces

Menlo Park Library

June 1 - 30, 2009

Eighteen MAASV members contributed over one hundred pieces of jewelry and metal art to MAASV's first showcase of metal techniques including forming, casting, filigree, metal clay, wire work and wire crochet. Located inside the front entrance of the Menlo Park library, the display also includes an extensive sampling of metal art books, tools and raw materials.

MAASV member artists generously loaned their work for the display: Nancy Banks, Sherry Cordova, Diana Dutton, Pat Evans, Adea Fong, Bill Golden, Leslie Gordon, Fran Grinels, Irina Guberman, Julie Jacobs, Oliver Juang, Dana Litmanovitz, Leanne Maru, Stephanie North, Cindy Scott, Edith Sommer, Lynne Todaro and Willy Jewelry.

The Menlo Park library is located at 800 Alma Street and is open seven days a week.

Stop by and visit and see the great variety of metal arts on display until June 30, 2009.

MAASV is looking for other no-cost venues available in the Silicon Valley for to produce another members' showcase for later this year or for 2010, contact MAASV with your suggestion(s).

Textile Techniques in Metal

A workshop with Arline Fisch

THE ART of Arline Fisch left: Egyptian Dream; top right: Multicolor Spirals; bottom right: Woven Feather Bracelet

Date Saturday and Sunday, October 10-11, 2009 Time 10:00am to 5:00pm

Location Yu Ai Kai Senior Center 588 North 4^th Street, San Jose, CA 95112

Parking Street parking -or- the small parking lot across the street. Please do not park
at the Yu-Ai Kai center or in the lot next door. Visit MAASV for details.

Costs Workshop fee: $185.00 for MAASV members, $235.00 for non-members

(or join MAASV and get the member’s price) Download workshop flyer here

Questions Email questions regarding this workshop to mal@maasv.org

A hands-on, techniques-based workshop. Students will learn textile techniques in metal and make samples utilizing techniques including weaving (flat and shaped), braiding, twining, plaiting, spiral braid, hairpin lace. Workshop information and details are supplied with paid workshop signup. A materials and supply fee of approximately $40.00 per student will be collected the first day of the workshop.

Arline Fisch, Professor of Art (Emerita), San Diego State University, pioneered textile techniques in metal. She authored Textile Techniques in Metal For Jewelers, Textile Artists & Sculptors: and edited Crocheted Wire Jewelry: Innovative Designs & Projects by Leading Artists. Her work is cataloged in Elegant Fantasy: The Jewelry of Arline Fisch.

Reserve your space now! Space is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
To reserve your space, mail a check payable to MAASV for the workshop fee to: MAASV, PO Box 2924, Cupertino, CA 95015-2924. Please note “Arline Fisch workshop” on your check. Your check will be cashed only when the minimum number of students for the workshop has been reached.

Metal Arts Association of Silicon Valley (MAASV), a non-profit organization, promotes the advancement of Silicon Valley metal arts through education, innovation, and community. For more information about MAASV and its activities and goals, visit www.maasv.org

July 2009 General Membership Meeting

Date Sunday, July 12, 2009 Time: 1:00 to 3:00pm

Location Cubberley Community Center, Room F-7, Jewelry Studio

4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA

Parking Parking lots V & F at Cubberley Community Center

Click to download a PDF of the meeting flyer

Food Your favorite snacks to share are welcome!

Have a good story a tool you love? Bought a tool you hate? Got a hot tip on an easier way to do something? Found a great source for hard-to-find tools or materials? Or a trick to share about how NOT to do it The Hard Way?

This general membership meeting is a great opportunity for all our members to share and learn from one another. We’ve all had the experience of learning a few things The Hard Way.

Don’t be bashful; all experience levels are encouraged to participate. Consider it a challenge to come up with at least 5 tips, tricks, or tools to share. This is an audience participation event and you can help make it a success.

Standard jewelry studio equipment and tools will be available if you need to use them in a demonstration.

Metal Arts Association of Silicon Valley (MAASV), a California non-profit organization, promotes the advancement of Silicon Valley metal arts through education, innovation, and community. For more information about MAASV and its activities and goals, visit www.maasv.org

Be our guest when you attend your first meeting. If you decide to join MAASV, the membership fee structure applies (see the membership application for details). Special meetings and workshops are not included in the "one free first meeting" offer.

June 24, 2008 General Membership Meeting

We welcomed in the summer at the Central Park Branch of the Santa Clara City Library

The meeting included a hands-on demonstration by Nancy Banks on creating Loop-in-Loop Wire Forms. Examples of Nancy's work can be seen below.

Necklace made with wire weaving technique

Necklace made of copper, with loop in loop technique

Nancy demonstrated an extremely simple technique that allows one to create simple hollow cables, pods, round beads, baskets or even martini glasses. The possibilities are endless: uniform or undulating forms, the ability to change colors within a single piece, create in large sculptural scale or draw cable down to less than a quarter of an inch. Nancy handed out wire, and then showed us how to start our own piece, end it, as well as increase and decrease the number of loops.

Wire sculptor Ruth Asawa pioneered using this technique to create an entirely new art form– creating sculptural ceiling-to-floor forms. The Sculptures of Ruth Asawa; Contours in Air shows the depth and stature of her work. Ruth’s work is on permanent exhibit in the base of the tower at DeYoung Museum in San Francisco.

MAASV members trying out the technique:

Nancy Banks Demonstrating Loop in Loop to the June MAASV Meeting Attendees

Workshop: Introduction to Etching Red Brass, Copper, and Nickel, June 21, 2008

Local artist and instructor Mona Clee taught a one day workshop on basic techniques for etching designs onto red brass, copper, and nickel.

Etched Bracelet with Rivets by Mona Clee

Students experimented with a variety of resists, including acrylic paint and spray paint, tape, rubber cement, permanent markers, permanent ink stamping pads and rubber stamps, and PnP paper to create textures, patterns, and images on metal. Students made a number of pieces that can be incorporated into finished jewelry pieces. The above photos show the results that students Leanne Maru, Cindy Scott, and Adea Fong achieved.

Custom Clasps Workshop with Alison Antelman
Saturday and Sunday, May 24 and 25th, 10 am to 6 pm

Clasps made by Alison Antelman and the students
in the May workshop

Alison's studio in Berkeley comfortably accomodated four students

Students created custom clasps that are safe, secure and truly one-of-a-kind. They came up with unique solutions to complete their designs. Alison taught how to create the key and box clasps, and how to make original simple latches. Students explored a variety of solutions to link custom-made clasp to the rest of a piece.

Alison also taught how to create a custom chain end terminals and custom ear nuts.

Key Clasp with Turqoise by Janet Crampton Pipes

About the Instructor:

Alison B. Antelman exhibits and sells her work in galleries and at craft shows nationally. She teaches intermediate and advanced jewelry at The Richmond Art Center in Richmond, CA and is President of the San Francisco Metal Arts Guild. She is often creating one-of-a-kind jewelry in her well-lit studio--an old factory in Berkeley, CA.

www.antelman.com

Alison soldering a demonstration clasp

ClaspWorkshopRequest

Materials and Supplies Needed:
Sheet metal to make clasps and a butane torch; student materials list provided upon signup to class.

Requirements:
Student must know basic metalsmithing techniques including soldering, piercing, sawing and filing.

Thursday May 15, 2008 General Membership Meeting

Results of the Bronze Vacuum Casting Demo at SJSU

Cast Bronze by Professor Rand Schlitz

an open house event
hosted by professor rand schlitz

at SJSU’s Jewelry and Metals Lab

Professor Rand Schlitz discussing the
results of the bronze casting demo

MAASV members and guests visited the Jewelry and Metals Lab at San Jose State University, watched a 3 minute video of the preparation for a bronze casting, and then watched four bronze pieces being cast in the custom SJSU vacuum casting setup.

Rand Schlitz also reviewed his students' raw materials to billet to wire to finished piece project plan. The presentation included pictures of the process and live use the camera over his workbench to highlight some of the finished 'stock' products.

The tour of the lab spaces was open ended with ample opportunity for any and all questions.

We welcomed Alexa, our 50th member!

Fabrication presentation by Rand Schlitz, SJSU Metal Arts Professor

Inserting the flask into the vacuum casting setup

Fabrication presentation- SJSU Metal Arts & Jewelry Lab

The bronze vacuum casting demo in process

Custom Clasps Workshop with Alison Antelman
Tuesday, April 29th and Thursday May 1st, 10 am to 6 pm

Workshop Description
Students created custom clasps that are safe, secure and truly one-of-a-kind. They came up with unique solutions to complete their designs. Alison taught how to create the key and box clasps, and how to make original simple latches. Students explored a variety of solutions to link custom-made clasp to the rest of a piece.

Alison's studio in Berkeley comfortably accomodated four stentsChain end terminals were covered upon request.

Vertebrae Bracelet
by Alison Antelman
Requirements: Student must know basic metalsmithing techniques including soldering, piercing, sawing and filing.

Student Clasps

Materials and Supplies Needed: Sheet metal to make clasps and a butane torch, student materials list provided upon signup to class.

About the Instructor: Alison B. Antelman exhibits and sells her work in galleries and at craft shows nationally. She teaches intermediate and advanced jewelry at The Richmond Art Center in Richmond, CA and is President of the San Francisco Metal Arts Guild. She is often creating one-of-a-kind jewelry in her well-lit studio--an old factory in Berkeley, CA.www.antelman.com

Box Clasp
by Janet Crampton Pipes

Key Clasp
by Janet Crampton Pipes

Key Clasp (Back)
by Fran Grinels Box Clasp
by Fran Grinels

Key Clasp (Back) in Process
by Sherry Cordova Box Clasp in Process
by Sherry Cordova

March 18 , 2008 General Membership Meeting
Hands on Tool Making Demo
   by Don Gaubatz

"Making jewelry can be a very expensive proposition – with all of the special tools one seemingly needs to invest in. However, it is surprising how much one can do at a kitchen table using simple tools and readily available materials, especially steel and wood."

Sample Set of Tools Created by Don Gaubatz

February 16 , 2008 General Membership Meeting

Stone Setting (Channel and Burnish) and Wax Carving a Ring Demo
by Jason Sekab

January 26 , 2008 General Membership Meeting

Creating a Metal Container
with Jack da Silva & Amy Bailey

Demonstration by EVC faculty Jack da Silva and Amy Bailey were very well received. The demonstrations included insights and information on the design, creation and embellishment of a small container.

Techniques presented were synclastic forming and design considerations.

About The Presenters
Jack da Silva coordinates the 3D Arts program at EVC teaching 3D design, Sculpture, and Jewelry Metal arts courses. His work is most recently published in Art Jewelry Magazine and 500 Vessels.

Amy Bailey teaches Art Appreciation and Jewelry Metal arts courses at EVC. Amy’s work may be currently viewed in the Diane and Sandy Besser collection in the De Young museum in San Francisco.

"The Greatest of These"
by Jack da Silva

"Unlock from Within"
by Amy Bailey

Container
by Kirk Righter
Container
by Patricia Wagner

November 13, 2007 General Membership Meeting

Broom Casting Demonstration

Mission College hosted the November meeting in their jewelry lab and foundry.

MAASV member Sheryl Andersen was assisted by fellow members Leanne Maru and Yehuda Tassa in a broom casting demonstration.

Broom casting is a form of direct casting used to make uniquely formed jewelry. The straw of a broom is bundled and molten metal is poured into the bundle. After cooling, the bundle is taken apart and the results are interesting stalagmite/stalactite shaped pieces ready to finish into jewelry or other scupltural objects.

Leanne Maru (left) and Sheryl Andersen Casting Silver Using Broom Bristles

Silver Resulting from Bean Casting Results of Broom Casting with Silver. Pieces and Photo by Sheryl Andersen.

October 13, 2007 General Membership Meeting

A Presentation:

The History and Culture of
Yemenite Filigree

Yehuda Tassa is working to preserve the history of Yemenite Filigree through his own personal and family knowledge, research, and by spreading the word through teaching. In this presentation, he will shown samples of typical Yemenite jewelry while discussing their symbolic cultural meaning.

Yehuda began to work in Yemenite Filigree at the age of six. Taught by his father, a well-known jeweler in Yemen, he worked in the family jewelry business for sixteen years. He studied Aeronautics Engineering and received his PhD. After retiring from an aerospace career, he revitalized his ‘lost art’ by prolifically producing both ancient and modern filigree designs. Yehuda creates jewelry and teaches in the San Francisco Bay area incorporating both ancient and modern tools and techniques into his workshops.

Traditional Ceremonial Necklace
Maker and date unknown

Samples card #22
from the Tassa family archives

  September 29, 2007 General Membership Meeting

   Members were invited to bring silver, copper, and brass to patina during the meeting.

Sherry Cordova and Kathy Fulton presented the following patina demonstrations:

Overnight Patinas on Copper and Brass
-   Boiled Egg
- Vinegar, Salt, & Ammonia
- Tobacco, Ammonia & Vinegar
-   Sal Ammonica & Tobacco

Hands-On Patinas on Sterling, Argentium, and Fine Silver
-    Liver of Sulfur With and Without Ammonia
-    Lime Sulfur

Resists
-   Permanent marker
- Rubber cement

  Demo Results

General Membership Meeting, Tuesday Evening August 28, 2007
Location: Little House Jewelry Workshop, 800 Middle Ave, Menlo Park CA

Demo 1 - Fusing Argentium and Fine Silver
presented by Cindy Scott and Kathy Fulton

Cindy fusing argentium

Demo 2 - Etching
presented by Mona Clee

(Above left) Red brass plate being etched in ferric chloride, suspended on a sanding pad covered in duct tape.

(Above right) Mona Clee removing the PNP image resist with acetone, water, and a soft brass brush.

(Right) Etched plate.
"Gazelle" by Mona Clee

Granulation Workshop
Saturday, August 11 and 18, 2007 with Yehuda Tassa, Yemenite filigree master and jewelry artist

What is Granulation?
Granulation is the art of fusing elements to form a decorative surface pattern. The most recognized combination is comprised of spheres fused to a sheet. The elements are held in place with a special glue formulation to limit movement during the granulation process.

Granulation Classroom with MAASV students

Yehuda and Leanne Creating Spheres

The class headed over to Allied Arts Guild after the granulation workshop, to visit the studio of Davide Bigazzi. Davide and Elisa were very gracious. Davide gave a quick overview of chasing.

Bale in Progress

Fine Silver Prep for Creating
Spheres in a Kiln

About the Instructor
Yehuda Tassa began to work in Yemenite Filigree at the age of six. Taught by his father, a well-known jeweler in Yemen, he worked in the family jewelry business for sixteen years. Yehuda revitalized his ‘lost art’ recently and began prolifically producing both ancient and modern filigree designs. He creates jewelry and teaches at several locations in Northern California, incorporating both ancient and modern tools and techniques into his filigree and granulation workshops. Examples of Yehuda’s work can be seen at www.sabrajewelrydesign.com

Field Trip:       Exhibition "Art of Being Tuareg: Sahara Nomads in a Modern World"
Aug 5, 2007    Cantor Centor for the Arts at Stanford University

               Tuareg Earring

July General Membership Meeting July 17, 2007

Members of MAASV presented the following demonstrations:

Jewelry and Small Object Photography
-   Adea Fong and Sherry Cordova demonstrated taking photographs of small shiny objects and shared tips they have learned
-   Kathy Fulton showcased a "photo-studio-in-a-bag"

Silver Metal Clay
Local instructor Cindy Scott taught a ring-making technique with silver metal clay

Field trip
June 23, 2007 A Visit to Art Chemicals in San Leandro for a patina demo by Ron Young
and a bonus sidetrip to Harbor Freight

Members field trip on June 9, 2007 to the following locations in San Francisco:

- The Masters of French Jewlery exhibit at
   the Palace of the Legion of Honor
- Stuart Moore Gallery
- Velvet da Vinci Gallery

We also visited a few 'bonus' jewelry shops
- David Clay Jewelers
- Zee Continental Jewelry
- Silver Moon Jewelers
Read more about the trip, and the extra stops we made, in the upcoming newsletter

MAASV Members outside the Palace of the Legion
of Honor; behind us is San Francisco Bay

The First Sponsored Workshop

The weekend of March 30, 2007, in the first month of our organizations existence, we held our first workshop with a visiting instructor. Michael David Sturlin taught his fine silver crocheted chain class. At left is a photo of our members in the midst of the workshop.

Become a Member or Renew Your Membership

General MAASV membership is $40 per calendar year (January 1st through December 31st)
Senior membership (aged 65 and over): $30 per calendar year
Student membership (must provide copy of current year student ID): $20 per calendar year

To join, send an email to membership@maasv.org with your name and phone number with "MAASV" in the subject line. A MAASV representative will contact you. Or, fill out and print the membership form and mail it to MAASV. Or, join right now via PayPal.

February 16 , 2008 General Membership Meeting Stone Setting (Channel and Burnish) and Wax Carving a Ring Demo by Jason Sekab

Metal Arts Association of Silicon Valley

Recent MAASV Activities

November 2009 General Membership Meeting

October 2009 General Membership Meeting

A workshop with Arline Fisch

July 2009 General Membership Meeting

June 24, 2008 General Membership Meeting

Thursday May 15, 2008 General Membership Meeting

an open house event hosted by professor rand schlitz

at SJSU’s Jewelry and Metals Lab

Workshop Description

Become a Member or Renew Your Membership

an open house event
hosted by professor rand schlitz