Artwey Special Events and News | Fire & Ice : Portland Arts Centre : Workshops
Fire & Ice : Portland Arts Centre : Workshops
Published: 30th January 2010
Artwey members are running workshops as part of Fire & Ice, the exhibition at Portland Arts Centre that is being staged between 27th February and 28th March 2010.
Every Saturday and Sunday during March 2010 there are 3 sessions, starting at 11am, 1pm & 3pm. To book contact Portland Arts Centre at this link
Individual workshops are posted on the Artwey Calendar.
Hot Metal Casting in Cuttlefish Moulds : Make A Snowflake!
You too can make a snowflake like this :-
A group of Artwey artists will lead workshops every weekend guiding people through the process to make a piece of jewellery in the shape of a snowflake, by casting hot metal.
So it is Fire & Ice in action!
The snowflake shape is carved into a piece of cuttlefish, harvested from nearby Dead Man's Cove. Another piece is placed alongside and bound together. Hot metal is then poured into it and when cooled the piece is extracted and cleaned up and there you have it.
The image here is of an early attempt, it shows the cuttlefish grain, which is part of the design.
Lead-free pewter is used, it is a high tin alloy which melts below 300 degrees, so is easy to handle and fairly safe, compared to silver or bronze. It is jewellery grade material, suitable for pendants or brooches - a clasp can be attached on the back.
The workshops are held each Saturday & Sunday during the event, starting each day at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, last 2 hours, there is a limit of 6 people for each one.
If a private group of at least 6 people wishes to book a separate session at another time during the week, they can try negotiating!
The charge is £20, including the cost of the piece that is taken home. Of that £5 covers the expenses and £15 goes towards the Portland Art Centre's fund raising effort.
No previous artistic experience is needed, young people are welcome, but they must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Laurence & Mark Demonstrating - heating the metal.
Bookings are being handled by the Arts Centre - contact via their website
More details of the process can be found at this link.
(Note that sometimes the casting fails, no guarantee is given that a successful outcome will be acheived!)
Other Activities During Fire & Ice
More workshops may be run during this event - watch this space!
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