When we started in March of 2020, Metal Arts Adventures with Anne and Ame (MAA) was just a way to stay connected as the pandemic pushed us into isolation. We thought we'd do the show a few times, never imagining it would take on a life of its own for over a year. Together we've virtually traveled the world, learned tips & tricks, celebrated holidays, found solace and shared inspiration. As the world reopens, it's time to pursue exciting new endeavors. In this show, master metalsmith Earl Bushey shares top-notch mokume gane tips and Bette Barnett introduces us to the fascinating world of powdered metals. For links to resources and classes mentioned by Bette, visit her at studiomigoto.com.

As for us, watch for future updates from here on  sandiegojewelrylab.com and on annevillestudio.com as well our social media channels and if you haven't done so already, do sign up for our mailing list. Be  well and keep in touch!

When we started in March of 2020, MAA was just a way to stay connected as the pandemic pushed us into isolation. We thought we'd do the show a few times, never imagining it would take on a life of its own for over a year. Together we've virtually traveled the world, learned tips & tricks, celebrated holidays, found solace and shared inspiration. As the world reopens, it's time to pursue exciting new endeavors. In July’s show, master metalsmith Earl Bushey will share top-notch mokume gane tips and Bette Barnett will introduce us to the fascinating world of powdered metals. As always, Metal Arts Adventures is all about you so please join us for our Grand Finale episode on July 15th.

Metal Arts Adventures #27: Emerge Online Opening
Put on a swanky outfit, pour yourself a glass of something sophisticated and imagine yourself making a grand entrance into an artsy gallery space populated with interesting people and jazz .... it's our online opening reception for "Emerge" our juried exhibition! Wander around nibbling cheese (make yourself a small plate of cheese beforehand to get the full effect) and see the jewelry metal art works while listening to celebrity judges Anne Wolf of Anneville Studio and Bette Barnett of Studio Migoto discuss the technical prowess and design merits of each piece. Guess the winners and stick around til the end to see if you're right as we unveil the Best of Show, Best Mokume, Best Steel Piece and Most Creative Piece and award each artist their fabulous prizes. We want to hear from you - leave a comment below. Do you know of a jewelry metal arts work space reopening? Have you heard about a fair that's going to be live again this year? Do you know what's up with Idyllwild Arts, the San Diego Gem & Mineral Society or a cool place in your area? We're looking for signs of things getting back to normal and we'd love to hear from you so jot down a few notes and raise your hand or type them into the chat window during the show. Step into the gallery to view the online show "Emerge" and see who won!

Put on a swanky outfit, pour yourself a glass of something sophisticated and imagine yourself making a grand entrance into an artsy gallery space populated with interesting people and music .... it's our online opening reception for "Emerge" our juried exhibition! Wander around nibbling cheese (make yourself a small plate of cheese beforehand to get the full effect) and see the jewelry metal art works while listening to celebrity judges Anne Wolf of Anneville Studio and Bette Barnett of Studio Migoto discuss the technical prowess and design merits of each piece. Guess the winners and stick around til the end to see if you're right as we unveil the Best of Show, Best Mokume, Best Steel Piece and Most Creative Piece and award each artist their fabulous prizes. Hope to see you there!

May 20th from 5-6pm Pacific Daylight Time
Meet & Greet starts at 4:45pm.
Online via Zoom
Join us for an exploration of Qing Dynasty jewelry lead by San Diego metal artist Marianne Pickett. She'll share items from her collection along with interesting stories about them. Dating from 1644 to 1912, the Qing period was China's last imperial dynasty. We will also be sharing some work that wowed us from recent classes and a few best-of-the-best student tips & tricks. As always, stick around till the end for our lively Q&A discussion of all things metal arts. MAAA is a FREE weekly online metal arts live show. In this fun, interactive gathering we offer demos, share tips & tricks, feature work by artists and students from around the world, go on virtual studio tours, discuss historical metal arts traditions and share resources. You're invited to join in! Need help with a tricky soldering job? Wondering if a tip you saw really works? Want to give us a tour of your studio or recommend an instructor? Submit a question or segment idea and we'll follow up. Send it in! ​

Do some virtual shopping and hang out with Tevel! Tevel is the long-time owner of Allcraft, the renowned jewelry/metals supply shop in midtown Manhattan. He joined us along with Jeanette Craig, author of  "Soldering Demystified" to share new and intriguing jewelry tools. First Anne demonstrated using some of the tools on her mokume gane rings - really cool tiny sanding discs, an innovative ring holder and more.  Then Tevel and Jeanette answered everyone's questions about these tools and many others. Earl showed off some very interesting delrin-lined pliers from a guitar-making company. We heard from viewers it was one of our best ever, at least for tool geeks (and who isn't??). Read on for resource links.

Come with us to Japan to meet master mokume gane metalsmith and designated National Treasure  Norio Tamagawa! We tour his home, work a bit in his studio and even enjoy tea hosted by his wife, who is a master in the art of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Afterwards we take a spectacular hike up Mt. Yahiko to commune with the gods of mokume (well, most of the trip is by tram...) plus, we hear stories and see some great photos from Yoko and Karen, metalsmiths who also recently visited Tsubame-Sanjo area and made their own cool metalsmithing discoveries. News alert! We are also excited to announce that we're now accepting entries for Emerge, our brand new juried online show. Continue on for photos.

Guided by award-winning jewelry designer Ileana Rojas-Bennett, our virtual trip to meet the Maleku people of Costa Rica was great fun. We learned about their village system and ingenious home construction techniques and then viewed hand-painted seed jewelry, colorful masks and intricately-carved gourds. We even learned a few words in the Maleku language - capi capi means Hello! Next, Anne showed us a great approach for making brooch backs (including two special tricks) and we announced the details of our brand new call for art...Emerge. While we weren't able to record the live episode, we do have a video of Anne's brooch back/pin demo. Read on for photos, resource links and the video demo.  ​​

Thursday, February 21st from 5-6pm Pacific Time
Meet & Greet starts at 4:45pm.
Online via Zoom
Take a virtual trek deep into the heart of the Costa Rican rainforest to visit the Maleku people, see how they create their hand-painted seed jewelry and learn about their unique language and culture with award-winning jewelry designer Ileana Rojas-Bennett. Next, Anne's will show us a great approach to making brooch backs (there's a trick to it!) and we'll announce the details about our brand new call for art. Stick around till the end for our lively Q&A discussion of all things metal arts from torch tips to patina particulars. MAAA is a FREE weekly online metal arts live show. In this fun, interactive gathering we offer demos, share tips & tricks, feature work by artists and students from around the world, go on virtual studio tours, discuss historical metal arts traditions and share resources. You're invited to join in! Need help with a tricky soldering job? Wondering if a tip you saw really works? Want to give us a tour of your studio or recommend an instructor? Submit a question or segment idea and we'll follow up. Send it in! ​

Journey with us into the colorful, 500 year old labyrinth of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar guided by San Diego jewelry student & artist Karen Savel. We'll marvel at the ancient arches, see local jewelers at work in their tiny shop, walk in the footsteps of Rick Steve's and visit a gold smelter, stop to watch a street lapidarist at work and finish off with some classic Turkish delights. Next, we sit back and enjoy an informative how-to by enamelist Kay Yee as she shows us her method for creating blackboard brooches. Kay also shares a great list of resources including an inexpensive starter kit and online classes. Read more for resource links.

At our online Holiday Party we looked back at some 2020 highlights (we did find some!) and shared our plans for 2021. The recipe exchange was a hoot with concoctions for tasty treats as well as Mokume Goo from Earl, DIY Solder from Sky and Niello from Anne (note: don't eat!). We also had fun enjoying everyone's home decor and festive apparel. The winners of our holiday cheer prize drawing were Patty (congrats on the agate burnisher!) and Joanne (edible gemstones!). After that we heard from several people about their own 2020 - good and bad - along with hopes and dreams for 2021. We capped it all off with our Holiday Raffle. Many thanks to everyone who decorated, dressed up and shared goodies. Read on to download the recipes and get some cool free coloring pages and a handy circle divider tool. 

​Thursday, December 17th 5-6pm PDT
Meet & Greet starts at 4:45pm
Join us online for an hour of glad tidings and merriment. We'll enjoy a holiday metal arts slideshow, a few surprises and raffle off some goodies. Plus, we'll host a recipe exchange so send in your favorite recipes for brownies, cookies, patinas - whatever you want to share. Totally free, just tune in by clicking the link right here on our home page. Be sure to decorate your computer or tablet, don some gay apparel and send in your recipe. MAAA is a FREE weekly online metal arts live show. In this fun, interactive gathering we offer demos, share tips & tricks, feature work by artists and students from around the world, go on virtual studio tours, discuss historical metal arts traditions and share resources. You're invited to join in! Need help with a tricky soldering job? Wondering if a tip you saw really works? Want to give us a tour of your studio? Care to recommend a tool or instructor? Get free feedback from professional metal arts instructors! Submit a question or segment idea any time and we'll follow up. And for our December online party, remember to share your favorite recipe too! Send it in! 

Anne Wolf is our guide this month for a fascinating photo journey into the gorgeous niello work of southeastern Turkey. This time she'll discuss several striking pieces from  her collection, all purchased during her trip to the region in 2005. After that, we take a deep dive into a topic many of you have burning questions about... working with torches in your home studio - specifically working with gas. Which type is best? Where do you buy tanks? How do you safely store them? What about insurance? What about oxygen concentrators?!? Read more for resource links and photos!