Meet the creative genius behind Faux Bone!

A few weeks ago, we introduced to you Polymer Clay Artist and Instructor, Christine Damm, who will be teaching a polymer clay workshop called Whimsical Blooms-Polymer Clay Pendants at ArtBISS this fall. If you have never worked with polymer clay or would like a refresher class, then you do not want to miss this amazing workshop. Spend a full day with Christine as she teaches you the fundametals of working with polymer clay and how you can make your own art beads and or pendants to implement into your jewelry designs.  We are so excited to be the first jewelry retreat to host Christine Damm.  And rumor has it her work will be featured in the Designer Collection in the upcoming Belle Armoire Jewelry!

Today, we are excited to introduce metal artist and Faux-Bone founder, Robert Dancik.
Robert will be teaching two workshops learning how to create jewelry pieces with Faux Bone. On Friday, September 23rd, Robert will be teaching Spinning Bead Pendant. Students are asked to bring in their favorite bead and they will learn how to make a Faux Bone "carrier" which will allow you to see all sides of the bead as it spins!
On Saturday, September 24th, Robert will be teaching a workshop called Faux Bone Rings and Things. "What do you do with all those terrific beads, fired metal clay pieces, found objects, and beach stones that you just love but can’t figure out how to use in a piece of jewelry?  Why not use them as the centerpiece of a ring?  In this low tech fast paced class you will learn how to take those fabulous objects and combine them with Faux Bone to form a one–of-a-kind ring."

I am so intrigued by how versatile Faux Bone is to work with and how similiar it is to working with metal!  Faux Bone is a new, user friendly, inexpensive and extremely versatile material. Faux Bone can be cut, and carved, sawn and sanded. It can be filed, hammered, polished, drilled, stamped, riveted, inlayed, dyed, and painted. It can look like ivory, have the patina of aged ceramic, be polished to a pure white, or, of course, look like bone. If you prefer bright whimsical colors, you can add color with alcohol inks!  You can heat and bend it with nothing more than a small embossing heat-gun. It is so strong you can rivet on it, die form right into it, or hammer metal around it. Faux Bone is perfect for artwork as varied as jewelry and book making, sculpture, or printmaking. It can be easily embossed to make texture plates for PMC and basket makers can use it to simulate Scrimshaw on the tops of Nantucket Baskets. Rounds of Faux Bone can be heated and dapped (formed into a bowl shape) and filled with other materials or combined to make hollow beads. Its strength makes it ideal for use in tool making such as bone folders for bookmaking or as handles for files and stamps. It can be carved and used for printmaking and then the Faux Bone “plate” can be patinated as a finished piece itself.
Below is a Faux Bone ring colored with ink dyes by one of Robert's students, and a Faux Bone bracelet by Robert. Doesn't the bracelet look like so much fun to make? I am certain he will be bringing lots of kits with him!
 

Robert has been an artist/teacher for more than 30 years. He holds a Masters degree in Sculpture and is currently the adjunct professor at Pace University. Robert has authored a book through North Light called “Amulets and Talismans: Techniques for Making Meaningful Jewelry” (one of my personal favorites) and has been featured in numerous trade publications and jewelry books.

To see more of Robert's work, please visit his Faux Bone Gallery HERE. 

Until next time!

Jeanette and Cindy
www.artblissoworkshops.com