Carol Meeks has been an artist as long as she can remember.
She always dabbled, but spent much of her time, close to 20 years, in the real estate and mortgage field. Now, as an empty-nester, the award-winning Meeks has returned to the art world with a vengeance and a teaching business at Sanger Meeks Studio near Mount Peak in Enumclaw.
Meeks, operating as Sanger Meeks School of Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design, is offering a series of jewelry making classes called Studio Nights.
For the past three years, art jewelry has been Meeks’ passion and obsession.
Her jewelry has been displayed in galleries in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Keystone, S.D., and is on permanent display at the Dragonfire Interactive Studio and Gallery in Cannon Beach, Ore. It’s at Dragonfire that she was recently invited to perform a two-day live demonstration.
She has attended many workshops throughout the Puget Sound region and recently traveled to Taos, N.M., to study with the internationally acclaimed Marilynn Nicholson. Meeks will be sharing many of the techniques she learned from Nicholson’s 35-plus years as a jewelry artist and teacher, as well as some insights of her own in the classes.
“I’ll be demonstrating one or two skills during Tuesday’s sessions and give some hands on time to practice each skill,” Meeks said. “At the end of Tuesday’s session, it will be time to get your mojo working, so you come to class Thursday with a project idea incorporating those skills.”
Meeks’ goal is to teach students how to texture and shape a basic metal sheet into one-of-a-kind jewelry; make custom bezels and set stones; and fabricate jewelry from components from clasps to focal pieces.
By focusing on one skill set for a two-night segment, Meeks said she plans for each of her students to go home with a beautiful example of each lesson, ready to use in their own jewelry designs.
Opening her studio to help others seemed like a perfect transition out of the real estate business, she said. The move also came out of her own frustration in finding local metalsmithing classes.
Meeks is planning her Studio Nights to be fun and productive. Since she only has room for four students per class, she’ll be able to blend varying skill levels into one group.
Each three-hour class starts at 7 p.m. Classes are offered Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting Tuesday, and will run through May. Classes are sold in weekly segments of two at $29 each.
For information call 253-569-1258 or e-mail carolmeeks@msn.com.
WATCH THE VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2laVJUobKU
