Professor Norton here, teaching my " Beading Magic: A Creative Jewelry Workshop" at the Sedona Arts Center last Saturday. Here is my student, Sharon, who had fun getting out of her head while expanding her creative boundaries.I have been a teacher of some form of art for the last forty some years. Usually it has been Calligraphy, but I find myself eager to share new artistic dimensions . I like it that the student can actually Finish a piece within a day's workshop. It is such a reward for them to actually leave with their own completed creation .
Since I also work in ceramics, I am enjoying the immediacy that jewelry can offer myself, and my students. I still make my own high fired porcelain beads, each one a unique treasure. This is how I actually got into the jewelry making business, to give the gallery what they demanded. But that can take months to create; fill the kiln; fire the kiln: stain, and fire again. With the gorgeous array of beads we have available, it can be so nice to just pick out one's design from the array of beads I have to offer my students. Yes, I Do go to the Tucson gem show, and any other location where I can score unique, and quality stones. What an array awaits me: crystal beads from Europe; coral, pearls, and shells from the sea; jasper from our own state of Arizona; rose quartz that has been worn for thousands of years. The list is endless. What is so liberating is to experiment with color, textures, layout and designs. I am a teacher that really leaves those decisions to the student. I can offer suggestions, but they are sometimes not taken, which is fine by me. I am always surprised; impressed, and even amused to see how everyone's process is so different. Each person follows their own vision and how fun is that! Comments?
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