Tryon Arts and Crafts School will host “Adventures in Metal Clay” weekend workshop with instructor Landen Gailey. The one-day workshop will be held on Saturday, June 18 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the craft school located on Harmon Field Road.

This workshop is designed for beginners to get acquainted with the basics of metal clay. This is an opportunity for students to explore the possibilities of BronzClay and pure Silver Clay while creating pendants, earrings and rings.

Bronze metal clay is highly workable as a clay product, but because it is comprised of metal as well, it has its own unique characteristics. This medium provides incredible artistic range. Bronze metal clay can be pinched, rolled, sculpted and manipulated and allows the artist to experiment with just how far their designs can go. In its dried state, it is highly flexible and easy to carve – an ideal canvas for applying details and finishing touches for jewelry. When fired in a kiln, the binder vaporizes, leaving a solid, pure bronze object that can be sawn, shaped, drilled, sanded, patinaed or soldered using traditional jewelry tools and techniques.

Silver Clay works in many of the same ways, but when fired, the solid left behind is a high quality silver. These exciting media offer a new world of possibilities for jewelry makers, artists and sculptors.

Instructor Landen Gailey relocated to Hendersonville in 2002 from Atlanta where she was employed with the City of Atlanta’s art programs. After receiving her degree in art from Agnes Scott College, she became intrigued with enameling and spent 10 years working as a production enamellist. She learned metal clay techniques from her mother, an accomplished metalsmith, and received her PMC certification in 2006.

Gailey is now in her fifth year with PMC and says she continues to be fascinated with the expansive possibilities of the medium. Her work is exhibited in several galleries in the area. She has extensive involvement with the Museum of Mineral and Lapidary Arts, located in Hendersonville, N.C., and serves on the board of the local gem and mineral club.

Advance registration for all workshops is required. For more information about the instructor or workshop, contact Tryon Arts & Crafts School at 828-859-8323 or by email at tryonartsandcrafts@windstream.net. More details and examples of projects are available on the Tryon Arts and Crafts School website, www.TryonArtsandCrafts.org. There are a limited number of spaces available for this class.

Tryon Arts and Crafts School is a non-profit crafts organization located at 373 Harmon Field Road in Tryon and exists to provide creative opportunities for everyone.

– article submitted by Laura Linz