LIVE from Tucson – 2016

By on January 15, 2016
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by Judy Ellis, Wirejewelry.com

Wire Jewelry Tip for January 15th, 2016

Every year we spend a few fast-paced and fun-in-the-sun filled days in Tucson, AZ at the JOGS Gem and Mineral Show with our sister company – JewerlyTools.com. This year we have a fantastic group of instructors and we are very excited about the classes that they are offering!

Today we introduce you to 10 of our 20 Instructors. Each have very different styles and techniques that they teach – but all are unique and wonderful in their own way!  Some of our instructors have taught with us in the past – and many of you may have taken classes from them already. This year we have a number of returning instructors, and I think that you will enjoy meeting them!

If you haven’t ever had the chance to take a class and have always want to – WHY NOT?! Now’s the time – pack up the car – and get on the road!

Jewelry Tools’ 2016 Jewelry Instructors and Classes at JOGS


Albina Manning

Jewelry designer and instructor Albina Manning was born in Russia, in a small town not far from Volga River. In 2003 she moved to Arizona. Her works have been used by Fire Mountain Gems both as a back cover advertisement and inside their catalog.

Albina has written several E-books and has been published in Art Bead Circle Magazine, Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry, as well as the book Mixed Media Jewelry Techniques, a collaboration with Dale “Cougar” Armstrong and eight other talented jewelry artists. Albina’s latest success is her Coiling and Weaving Wire Jewelry Designs Series, a 3-DVD series devoted to working with round wire to create beautiful designs, released through Wire-Sculpture.com.


Cooky Schock

Cooky Schock is the retired owner of The Shepherdess in San Diego, CA. She has been teaching wire jewelry classes since 1999 and has taught at Bead Fest Philadelphia, Arlington and Santa Fe, the Best Bead Show Tucson, To Bead True Blue Tucson, JOGS Tucson, Parson School of Design: Altos de Chavon Campus Dominican Republic, Art Unraveled Phoenix AZ and Rocky Mtn Bead Society CO.

Her focus for the last twelve years has been on metalwork, primarily silversmithing, and most recently, has been exploring the use of metals of the less precious variety (such as copper and brass) and alternative materials including resins and acrylics. She is a juried member of Spanish Village Art Center and her work can be seen in Studio 8.


Debora Mauser

Debora Mauser has been teaching nationally for 7 years at large venues like Bead and Button and Bead Fest, Tucson shows as well as bead stores and schools like William Holland and Sawtooth Center. She is a certified Wubbers University and Painting with Fire Instructor.

In 2013 Debora was a part of Nunn Designs Innovation team. Her work has been featured in national magazines like Step by Step Wire, and online at Jewelry Making Daily. Debora’s teaching style is fun and low key, with student input being vital to the success of each class.


Eva Sherman

Eva Sherman began beading as a way to spend time with her daughters but soon became hopelessly addicted. In 2005 she traded in her architectural career for the opportunity to spend all her time among beads, and opened Grand River BeadStudio in Cleveland, Ohio.

Eva now happily spends most days in the studio creating, writing and teaching, but has been know to take her show on the road. She has discovered an affinity for working with wire and metals, and prefers to design in an organic and unstructured style. Currently, Eva is working on her second book on organic jewelry design.


Francesca Watson

Francesca Watson is a designer, maker and instructor who lives and works in the Texas Hill Country outside San Antonio. In 2012, she walked away from 25 years in administration and small business management to focus on living a more creative life. She is now the owner of Roadhouse Arts Studios + Gallery, a working and teaching studio in Bulverde, Texas, where she spends her days experimenting with new techniques and teaching metals, enamels and jewelrymaking.

Her focus is on creating unusual, wearable, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces using a wide variety of unique and beautiful stones. Francesca is also an avid photographer with an emerging interest in mixed media, which allows her to indulge her love of paper and journals.

She and her husband, Nick – who is also an artist – live on just over an acre in the country, which they share with two dogs, a flock of chickens, a large garden, and a variety of Texas wildlife


Gail Stouffer

For the last 15 years I’ve been an artist who loves to teach! I love the teaching process and my students are my passion! I’m overjoyed when a student feels a sense of accomplishment; when they connect to the information I’ve presented; when they choose go beyond their perceived limits.

I teach workshops in glass, metal clay-smithing and design at my studio in the Texas Hill Country, as well as at various venues around the country. I am privileged to serve as the Director of Educational Content for KilnFrog.com, an online resource for kiln education, equipment, and supplies, serving the glass, metals, and clay communities.

I have been fortunate to serve as a faculty member at The Southwest School of Art, The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, as well as The Pittsburgh Glass Center, Phoenix Center for the Arts, and The Fired Arts Academy at Jen-Ken, Beadfest, Glasscraft Expo and at Creative Glass in Zurich and the United Kingdom.


Helen Driggs

Helen Driggs is the Senior Editor for Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist magazine and an experienced artist/metalsmith. She has appeared as talent in 6 instructional videos for Interweave Press and authored the book “The Jewelry Maker’s Field Guide” in addition to writing projects and a popular column “Cool Tools & Hip Tips” in every issue of the magazine.

Helen is an experienced metals teacher with a wide range of skills including Lapidary, Metals, Wire, Beads and Mixed Media Arts and she travels to teach workshops across the country. Read her blog: materialsmithing.wordpress.com, Learn from her Instagram: hdriggs_fabricationista and join her on Twitter @fabricationista.


Joe Korth

Joe Korth is a jewelry artist and metalsmith from Denver, Colorado. He was born in Berkeley, California in 1979. His first exposure to jewelry creation was in a high school art class. Joe continued his education at Eastern Michigan University where he earned a B.A. with a dual major in Philosophy and Literature.

After completing his degree in 2002, he moved to Denver and began to explore his love for the arts. He has devoted himself completely to jewelry since 2004. Joe has been an instructor at the Clear Creek Academy in Denver as well as the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he was an Artist-In-Residence from 2011-2012. Joe is currently the President of the Colorado Metalsmithing Association (COMA).

Janet Alexander
Janet Alexander

Janet is an accomplished metal artist, jeweler, and author. She is a Finalist Winner in the prestigious 2015 Saul Bell Completion. Her work is shown in museums across Texas and published in several books and magazines, Contemporary Metal Clay Rings, Metal Clay in Color, American Craft Magazine, Metal Clay Artist Magazine, Contemporary Metal Clay Rings, Metal Clay 101 for Beaders, and in New Directions: Powder Metallurgy in a Sheet Metal World.

Her work is shown on the cover of the October Metal Clay Artist Magazine. She has over 40 years experience in jewelry metal arts as a bench jeweler, designer, and instructor. Janet is a National Jewelry Instructor teaching at conventions, and bead shows including Bead & Button, Interweave Bead Fest, Adorn Me, and Metal Clay by the Bay. While appearing on HGTV Crafters Coast to Coast and That’s Clever demonstrating she demonstrated the process of lost wax casting and wax carving techniques.

Janet has a BFA in Metals from the University of North Texas and has studied metal working with several Master Jewelers. She has GIA certification in diamond grading and stone setting. Additionally, she has certification in Precious Metal Clay with Rio Grande, Crossover Certification with Art Clay, and is a PMC Connection Senior Instructor and Technical Advisor for the PMC Connection.

Kaska Firor
Kaska Firor

Kaska Firor is an award winning jewelry artist, a writer and an educator. Originally a traditional wire-wrapping artist, in recent years Kaska has shifted her focus to working with innovating weaving techniques barrowed from basket making and textile arts. The intricate and visually complex patterns created by the weaves were what originally attracted Kaska to wire weaving.

Her fascination with the art continues to grow as she discovers more complex and challenging ways of combining and modifying different techniques and more inventive ways of incorporating stones, beads and other elements into her woven designs. Kaska showcases and sells her jewelry at art shows and exhibitions where she has won numerous awards. Her work has been published in magazines such as Art jewelry Magazine and Step by Step Wire. Her first book, Freeform Wire Woven Jewelry, was released in November 2013.

Kaska enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with others. She teaches locally at her studio in Cincinnati and throughout the country.

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If you’ve never spent any time in Tucson and want a great weekend run-away – why not go?!!! To learn more about our classes or to get signed up today CLICK HERE!

Happy Wrapping!

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