"Spirit House"

This class gives you a place for all the little things you have saved because they mean so much to you; the rock you found on your first date, the ticket stub from that awesome concert, your mother's earring that you didn't loose. Those little (must fit into a small zip-lock bag) things you have tucked around your computer, on the front edge of your bookshelf and on the window sil by the kitchen sink are the things I want you to bring to class. I supply each participant with a steel "armature" I create in my shop. They are all different, about 12" tall by about 3-5" wide. I also supply you with copper, brass and steel wire to create designs and wire your treasures to the armature. Additionally, I ask participants to empty their junk drawers and go through their jewelry for odds and ends that might be of use to others (that you no longer need). Since I keep the unused odds and ends for future classes, I also provide participants with two large bins of stuff to go through and find other things they may want to use.

The end result is a sculpture that reflects who you are and can be continuously added to over the years. When I work with families, I ask the parents to bring things that represent what they want to pass on to their children and the kids to bring things that represent what they want for their future. Families work on one Spirit House together. After they are completed, the parents talk about what their kids brought in and the kids talk about what their parents brought. It always proves to be an emotional communication.