Hot off the BRAIN PRESS!
Taking notes with Charles Lewton-Brain
When Charles Lewton-Brain gives a workshop up on the high plains of Calgary, Canada, people fly in from Australia and Hong Kong to spend a few days with him. We are flying Charles down to the Center for Metal Arts for two workshops in late July.
Charles is encyclopedic in his information on technique, on working metal, on jewelry, on the creative process, on artwork photography, and especially on those “Cheap Thrills” and bench tricks to work with what you have at hand. We’ve been listening to you about your preferences for the workshops, with a chance to absorb all the information Charles has to offer. We’ve also had emphatic requests for hands-on time. So we are offering both.
Two Days of Fold Form Demonstrations with Charles Lewton-Brain
July 21-22, 2011: (Thursday and Friday) This workshop delivers the whole system of hundreds of folds, in two days. Charles will demonstrate all of the families of folds, and many variations. T-folds, cross folds, pleated folds, woven folds, sheared and formed star folds, chased wedge t-folds, Plunkett folds, and more. Two memorable days of face-time with Charles at the work bench, watching the folds develop, and hearing his trademark good-humored and informative commentary. Charles is generous with his knowledge, so be prepared to learn a great deal not only on fold forming but tooling and setup ideas. (We’ll have the coffee bar open all day.)
Bring your questions, a sketchpad—and a camera! Expect to see more than you will be able to absorb, so bring a way to document the workshop and to record the new ideas and inspiration for your own work.
Two days with Charles in an intimate studio setting: $380. A deposit of $190 holds a seat for you in the workshop.
Early registration special: Register by April 20 for $360. A deposit of $180 holds a seat for you in the workshop.
Two Days of Hands-on Workbench Time with Charles Lewton-Brain
July 23-24, 2011: (Saturday and Sunday) Your own work station with anvil, tooling, and copper for two days of working hands-on with the fold forms. Work at your own level, and try new folds and variations under Charles Lewton-Brain’s guidance. Demonstration and hands-on time at the workbench, in a fully equipped studio. You will learn to make folds in each of the main categories. Forms are derived from the natural plasticity and ductility of the metal. Shaping is extremely efficient and rapid – many forms are complete in three to seven minutes. Tools are simple: fingers, hammer, anvil and mill. Complex relief forms are made from sheets of metal, often in one annealing. Forms made with this method resemble chased constructed and soldered forms and the process translates into most metals, including steel.
Bring a camera, your questions, and some of your own work or portfolio to share with the group. These intimate workshops are great resources of new ideas and creative energy for your own work.
Two days of bench time with Charles Lewton-Brain: $380 + $80 materials.* A deposit of $230 holds a seat for you in the workshop.
Register by April 20 for $360 + $80 materials.* A deposit of $220 holds a seat for you in the workshop.
*Copper prices have been changing in the past year; if there is more than a 5% increase in copper pricing, we may need to adjust copper material costs.
Full Seminar Package: take both workshop sessions, July 21-24, for $795, if registering by April 20. A deposit of $398 holds a seat for you in the full 4-day seminar.
Charles Lewton-Brain in vintage teaching mode
Charles says, Fold forming has developed a great deal since 1985. This process is not just for jewelers anymore. Fold forms are beautiful in themselves, but they can also be used as a component of more complex pieces. Once you have mastered the folds, you can go on to further developments, like slicing up a fold form, manipulating the elements and rejoining, or using it as an element in a constructed structure. You can cut hours from a chasing procedure by chasing on air in a T-folding technique. Fold forming also offers a major new series of procedures for production work. By making a number of fold forms and experimenting an understanding of process in metal forming is achieved more rapidly than in conventional working methods.
Charles with torch in demo mode
Charles only gives a few workshops each year. This summer he offers a workshop series after the SNAG conference in Seattle Washington, one at the Alberta College of Art and Design, workshops in Massachusetts, and two workshops at the Center for Metal Arts in Florida, NY.
How to register: By email: register@centerformetalarts.com
By phone: (845) 651-7550
Registration will be on the Upcoming Seminars page here on the website.
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