Spring in Seattle

My recent spring teaching trip to Seattle split itself into three distinct parts: my two day chisel-patterning class, my three day 'fabricate & patinate' class, and the bittersweet and mind-blowing experience of seeing Phillip Baldwin's studio and meeting his wonderful wife Layne Goldsmith.
As usual, Dana's studio was a delight, and also amazing to see her new gallery just three doors down! The food choices around the studio have only gotten better (five stars for the new taco joint across the street, and that's a San Diegan saying that).
First, my two-day chisel patterning class got off to a star-studded start with a personal appearance by metalsmith Bill Dawson, who has started making the chisels for my classes. He showed us how to properly sharpen the chisels, as well as showing some of his top-notch work (delightful spindles for spinning wool that take their visual and technical cues from Japanese sword furniture but leave behind that icky lethal aspect).
Then students got busy chiseling. I was thrilled to have jeweler Ryan Gardner in my class, who has always had an interest in mokume, and now may incorporate it into his fabulous jewelry. I can't wait to see that!
Many of the students from the first class stayed for the second class, "Fabricate & Patinate" - my first mokume class where we didn't actually do any patterning! We used patterned material from the previous class or Phillip Baldwin's already patterned sheet, and learned how best to create finished work without compromising the patterns.
The first morning of that class we were treated to a visit from Layne Goldsmith, a textile artist/professor and also widow of Phillip Baldwin, a giant of mokume gane and one of the only sellers of mokume gane. She had Phillip's mokume gane, both blank and patterned, for sale and it was a bit of a frenzy. Everyone respects Phillip's work so much, and we know this is the last of it.
After that 8 talented students spent three days making sake cups and pendants - some using their own mokume, some using Phillip's patterned sheet. The students were hard-working and fun too - great chatting with Tony, thanks for the rides and the STONES Marcia, Ed and Bob loved talking geeky with you, thanks for the lunch Claire, Rachel your sake cup turned out so great!! Dana even had a go at making a sake cup, and many thanks to  assistant Mia Bell for bringing the sake for um, testing purposes. :-)
On my last day in Seattle, Layne graciously invited me up to see Phillip Baldwin's studio about 45 minutes north of Seattle. I had met and chatted with Phillip at SNAGs over the years but had never seen his studio. It was quite a mind-blowing experience. I saw a sword he'd made from scratch decades ago then used for weeding the garden. Saw his anvil, his scribbled notes on sheets of brass, his works in progress with sharpie lines on patterned mokume, ready for his saw. The fabled liquid salt bath for annealing. Hulking machines under covers that when lifted revealed rolling mill after rolling mill, each larger then I'd ever seen. The main fusing area - propane fired kilns, right next to a good-sized power hammer. 100 ton press, held steady by chains disappearing up into the rafters. The most poignant were his dies - carved steel reliefs he used to make his signature mokume patterns like 'jazz', 'bubble' 'haida' 'night sky' etc. Left me respecting him even more - his work was such a unique blend of blacksmith and non-ferrous techniques.
I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more mokume gane work and hopefully having more conversations with those who knew Phillip at the memorial "Wave to Shining Wave" exhibition this summer. We will keep his memory alive.

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