For the last few hundred years a gris gris pouch is a talisman that contains items like herbs, oils, stones, hair, bones to create a charm of protection or good luck. Some scholars believe that the word “gris gris” comes from the West African word for fetish. Join me as we create our own version of this container talisman inspired by African design. The little pouch is composed of roofing copper and is backed with a piece of an olive oil tin, in the tradition of African artisans who recycle tins. We will puff our copper in a form and I will show you how I stamped and cut mine out. We’ll then learn to rivet our pieces together. Finally, we’ll embellish our necklace with an eclectic collection of beads and fiber to create a rich tapestry of texture. This is a great class for beginners to learn some basics but it should be great fun for the experienced as well!
Supply List:
- Small, 5”x5” or so, sheet of copper, 22ga or even roofing copper (which is often 24ga) will work
you can order copper sheeting from Contenti.com (or contact me to order some)
- Small piece of recycled tin for your backing (also about 5” X 5”)
- Metal shears or tin snips
- Jeweler’s saw and #2/0 or finer saw blades
- Metal block
- Bench pin or combination block/benchpin
- Chasing hammer
- Centerpunch (I prefer not automatic for texturing)
- Leather cording
- Crimp, findings and a clasp to finish off necklace
- Beads to embellish with, you’ll want some with larger holes that will fit on the leather cord
- 20 or 22ga copper wire to make head pins and/or headpins and jumprings for adding charms
- An assortment of jewelry pliers for cutting and working wire- round nose, chain nose, flush cutters
- Fibers or ribbons to embellish with
Optional supplies:
- Task light if you need it
- Magnification
Teacher will Bring:
- Metal hand punch for making holes, but you might want your own as we’ll be sharing. I have started selling these, so contact me for more details.
- tubing and wire for rivets, hammering forms, extra tools and patina
A Little About ME
I am so excited to join the gang again at Artfest. It is such an honor! During the year I teach metals at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, NC, and have taught around the country at other retreats and workshops. But Artfest is by far the most wonderful of those experiences. I love to make pretty much anything. My batchelors degree was in studio arts, mostly painting and printmaking. Later in life, I went back to school for my Master of Fine Arts and studied metals at East Carolina University.
