JEWELRY MAKING & MORE

The Men of Metal Clay

SPECIAL ISSUE

Learn to Carve
Metal Clay Like a Pro
Make a
Mystic Pendulum

Tribute to
Gaudi Bangle
&
Black Omen
Pendant
BRONZE CLAY
PROJECTS

ARTIST PROFILE:

Kenji Von Achen

Display Jan/Feb/Mar 2014

$7.99 US/CDN

Gordon Uyehara R Marco Fleseri

Terry Kovalcik R Waldo Iowiecki
Patrik Kusek R Bill Struve R Zahario
www.metalclayartistmag.com

contents

VOL 5 I S S UE 1

18
FEATURES:
Metal Clay Moments Gordon Uyehara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Bill StruveCEO, Metal Adventures Inc. - An Interview with Bill Struve . . . . . . . 21
Metal Clay: A Method or a Medium? Marco Fleseri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

10

EDITORS LETTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
NEWS AND DIVERSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
IN THE STUDIO
Man Up! Lora Hart - USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
STUDIO INSIGHTS
The Artistic Garden Michael David Sturlin - USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
BOOK REVIEWS Pat Evans - USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
ARTIST PROFILE
Kenji von Achen Julia Rai - UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
GALLERY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
STUDIO SHOWCASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

28

PRODUCT SHOWCASE Pat Evans - USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

COVER ARTIST: Marco

Fleseri. PHOTO BY THE ARTIST.

ARTIST

MOTIVATING MOMENT - Metal Inspiration Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

VOL 5 I S S UE 1

METAL CLAY PROJECTS

42

Carving Metal Clay

Terry Kovalcik - USA

GALLERY

48

Tribute to Gaud 2
Waldo Iowiecki - Poland

35

54

Cant decide what to make next?

Let the mystic pendulum decide!
Patrik Kusek - USA

59

Black Omen
Zahario - Poland

12
VOL 5 I S S UE 1

ARTIST

NEWS AND DIVERSIONS

Silver Accessories Contest:

An Inspirational World of Silver

Jewelry from Silver Clay

BY ART CLAY WORLD JAPAN

The Silver Accessories Contest

exhibition was held at the Art Space
of Tokyo Metropolitan Theater from
October 2nd to the 6th, 2013. There
were 343 exhibits, together with 7
special non-contest exhibition pieces.
About 3500 visitors attended the
exhibition in the impressive building
in the center of Ikebukuro, Tokyo.

Grand Prix: Award of Ministers Encouragement at the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture,
Sports, Science and Technology
Coral (Theme: Beginning, Category: New Mokume-gane) Ms. Astari G. Swatantri, Finland
Material: Art Clay Silver & Copper, fossil coral cabochon, cubic zirconias, sterling silver chain

ARTIST

VOL 5 I S S UE 1

The Contest was first held in 1999 for Art

Clay Instructors in Japan. From 2002 it
was opened to all artists worldwide. The
contest is produced by Art Clay Club Japan and supported by The Japan Ministry
of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology and NPO Fine Silver Art Association.
The displayed contest pieces were
amazing, and the whole atmosphere of
the exhibition took each visitor to another
world. Artists explored and expressed their
ideas by combining silver or copper with
different materials. Many included natural
stones and glass in their pieces. Also, polymer clay and enameled pieces took our attention. Some artists used wood and fabric
as integrated parts of their works. Ms. Seiko Hashimoto, the Honorary Chairperson
of Art Clay Club, who is a Member of the

Semi-Grand Prix: Award of Encouragement from Japan Lifelong Learning

Council
Meow Musical band (Open theme, Category: Accessory)
Ms. Naomi Sato, Japan

House of Councillors of Japan, said By reviewing existing Japanese world-class techniques and inherent artistic sense, we expect
the new generation will start to create a new era of technology and
aesthetics.
Both hobbyists and professional artists may submit their work
to the contest. Mr. Seiichi Aida, the Chairperson of Art Clay Club,
talked about the lifelong pursuit of creativity, and in the contest
you can find artists from many different backgrounds, who are
young and young-at-heart, all participating.
A new category this year was New Mokume-gane. The ability to combine Art Clay Silver and Art Clay Copper inspired artists to push their boundaries and execute extraordinary ideas. Mr.
Tomoyuki Suganuma, Director of Japan Jewellery Designers Association, mentioned I am expecting that a dramatic change will
come after the New Mokume-gane technique spreads and grows
more.
This year there were 343 selected works from 324 artists, including 45 pieces from 39 artists who were from outside of Japan. Partipants could choose the theme Beginning or the open
theme. It was very hard to select the awarded works because the

Semi-Grand Prix: Art Clay Club Chairmans Award

Entrance to dream (Theme: Beginning, Category: Ring)
Ms. Ryo Sakuragawa, Japan
Material: Silver clay, silver findings 999, 950 and 925, brass, resin,
cubic zirconias

award-nominee pieces were all powerful and outstanding, said

Mr. Tomoyuki Suganuma, who was also a judge.
The three other judges were Mr. Morihito Katsura, a metalsmith and title holder of Living National Treasure of Japan, Ms.
Yoko Oba, the Director of Japan Jewelry Craft School, and Ms.
Shizuko Yoshimi, a silver clay teacher and artist. After two days
of selection Ms. Astari G. Swatantri from Finland, with her piece
Coral, was chosen to receive the Grand Prix Award. This is the
second time that an overseas artist has won the contest.
The next contest will be held in 2015. The theme is usually announced at the beginning of the year and submission is in June.
Any individual can start to create with Art Clay Silver and take
their time to work on their piece, as the open theme is always an
option in the contest.
Silver accessories Contest Gallery:
http://www.artclayclub.com/gallery/2013/

VOL 5 I S S UE 1

ARTIST

Measure less, play more.

METAL CLAY JUST KEEPS GETTING
better... As a metalsmith who has worked in
metal clay for more than 13 years, this stuff
blows me away! A great way to add texture
to your work.
Catherine Paetz,
art jeweler

25-gram
107- 761

Rings by Joy Funnell

50-gram
107- 760

Silver
925- 065
RingCore

Bronze
925- 066
TM

Copper
925- 067

Use RingCore bands to create metal clay ring designs

that dont need shrinkage calculations, leaving you free
to have fun. Find out more at riogrande.com:
Read Online

RingCore

Search

bands are available in sizes 610.

R io Gra nde.
Recommended by jewelers since 194 4.
Rio Grande has been the trusted jewelry supplier for more than
65 years. Products to dress up, know-how that measures up
and tailored customer service. More than 30,000 products
on our website and in our catalogs click or call today!

800.545.6566

riogrande.com

Part three in our ongoing series of interviews with the inventors of products and tools we enjoy using.

Bill StruveCEO,
Metal Adventures Inc.
(BRONZclay, FASTfire BRONZclay and COPPRclay)

How did you get involved with metal clay?

The U.S. school system was at its peak when I went through itsmall classes, excellent teachers
and facilitiesaccording to Malcolm Gladwells book, Outliers. During my last two years of grade
school Fortunes in Formulas, Calculus Made Easy and my sisters college algebra book were the three
books that set me on my lifes adventure. My first use of carbon and powdered metal (aluminum) was
in making gunpowder for firecrackers and rockets. My first commercial venture was selling rocket
plans through Popular Science to earn money during college. While attending Lake Forrest College, I
worked at Johns Manville from 11 PM to 7 AM, and attended classes from 9 AM to 4 PM. After college I earned a PhD in chemistry from Northwestern University in 1966.

VOL 5 I S S UE 1

ARTIST

Fast forwarding through jobs in chemical

research and development, teaching chemistry
to medical and graduate students, and computer
programming in the pharmaceutical industry
brings me to 2006. My wife, LaceyAnn, had
an interest creating metal clay jewelry, so we
bought a kiln. I had the idea of making clays
from base metals and started to experiment.
LaceyAnn took a PMC certification class from
CeCe Wire. I went with her and showed CeCe
some of my samples. Both CeCe and LaceyAnn
suggested I make bronze clay. My goals were to
make another tool in the artists toolbox that
was safe, could be fired in existing metal clay
kilns, and the resulting metal, strong. While
attending the 2007 Bead and Button Show I
showed a small sample of fresh clay and the fired
bronze metal to Celie Fago, Tim McCreight, Nettie Landenwitch and Chris Darway, all of whom
suggested talking with Kevin Whitmore at Rio
Grande. Kevin and I agreed that Rio Grande
would have an exclusive in exchange for packaging, distributing and marketing the clay.
Do you ever get your hands into jewelry making?
I have been certified in PMC by Celie Fago
and in Art Clay by Jackie Truty. Ive also taken
many jewelry classes, including Bead&Button
Show Master Classes, with Andy Cooperman,
Alan Revere, Charles Lewton-Brain and Michael
Boyd. I received the Bead&Button Shows Excellence in Bead Artistry Award 2011 for contributions to the metal clay community. My true joys
in life are learning, making things and helping
others do the same.

ARTIST

VOL 5 I S S UE 1

Metal Adventures is a fun name for your

company. What is the idea behind the name?
We selected Metal Adventures as our company name because an adventure is a journey with
an unknown destination. During my presentation at the 2008 PMC Conference, my activated
carbon firing process and our BRONZclay were
introduced. Our COPPRclay was introduced at
the 2009 Bead&Button Show and our FASTfire
BRONZclay at the 2010 PMC Conference. I
appreciate the many friends who have joined me
on my continuing adventure.
What are some of the common misconceptions
about sintering base metal clays?
A. That it is as easy as silver clay; it isnt!
B. That you dont have to do test strips to
test the carbon and temperature for a particular
kiln. Even experienced teachers tend to forget to
do this when teaching with kilns they have not
used before.
C. That sintered base metals are not the same
as forged base metals when sintered properly.
Sintered base metals match the strength and
hardness of forged base metals when fully sintered. They also work harden as well.
D. That it is OK if sintered metal breaks
rather than bends. If sintered metal breaks this
means that the sintering is not correct, or that
the metals in the clay form a brittle alloy, or that
the incorrect amounts of binders, etc., are used,
which leaves behind a lot of residual carbon.
F. That the activated carbon reacts with the
metal oxides on the surface of the metal particles. This idea is impossible since they are both
solids and are not in contact except at a very few
places on the surface.
G. That the activated carbon is there to protect the particles from oxygen in the air. This is
true, but its far from the whole story, which Ill
explain in a future MCAM article.

Sculpture 3D printed FASTfire BRONZclay by

Noortje Meijerink and Rik Theunissen in October,
2013 in The Netherlands, and fired by Bill Struve,
November, 2013 in Wilmington, NC, USA.

Dry FASTfire BRONZclay after cleaning.

Have you been testing metal clay in a 3D printer?

Yes, Ive been working with my own 3D
printer.
Also, Noortje Meijerink and Rik Theunissen
used some bronze clay I supplied to them to 3D
print a sculpture that I fired. It was Noortjes
initiative to experiment with a 3D printer, and
she fired initial test pieces successfully. It was
a lot of fun texting ideas back and forth to The
Netherlands.
The Motley Fool website has published several great articles about David Hartkop, who uses
our metal clay to do 3D printing. I have established a collaboration with him to develop a form
of bronze clay suitable for 3D printing. Metal
Adventures plans to make syringes loaded with
metal clay that will be useful to the 3D printing
community as well as the metal clay community.
(see video: http://vimeo.com/80862034)
At this point in our interview, my mind was
spinning with ideas and questions. Bill graciously answered all of my questions and directed me
to links to articles and videos about 3D printing
and base metal clay. Of course the more I read,
the more questions I had. Why do they need to
be sintered in carbon? What are the advantages

After firing in activated carbon.

3D printer head

of a two-stage firing schedule? What really happens during sintering? Are the metals melting
or melding or both? How much heavier is a solid
bronze casting than an identical solid bronze
piece made from sintered bronze metal clay?
This is when Bills wife, LacyAnn, came up
with the idea of a regular column about base
metal clays. What a marvelous idea! Please
look for more questions and answers in our
next issue. If youd like to ask Bill Struve
a question, you can reach him at BStruve@
metalclayartistmag.com. His answers will be in
our monthly newsletter and in our magazine!
VOL 5 I S S UE 1

ARTIST

ARTIST PROFILE

Kenji von Achen

BY JULIA RAI - UK

Jewellery artist, metal clay instructor and business owner Kenji von Achen lives in
what many of us would regard as the most romantic city in the world, Paris. Weve
been Facebook friends for a long while and I love keeping up with what hes up to,
but interviewing him for this profile was a revelation. Hes had several careers, has
an interesting family history and a positive and uplifting attitude to life and yes,
theres a little bit of romance, so read on and find out more about this charming man.

10

ARTIST

VOL 5 I S S UE 1

The youngest of three children, Kenji has two

older sisters, one of whom passed away in 2000.
His father is German, born in rural Illinois, and
his mother is Japanese American, giving him
his interesting name. My pieces are signed just
using KENJI, he explained. Its not a Sting
or Cher type of thing, its only because nobody
ever spells my last name correctly anyway and
also because Im definitely assured that theyll
massacre the pronunciation, he laughed.
His parents met just after his father left the
military during the Korean War. His mother and
her family spent three years during the Second
World War in captivity. Kenji explained, They
were forced to live in different internment
camps that were built for Americans of Japanese ancestry. In fact, they were horse stables
that were converted into barracks. I dont know
a whole lot about that period of her life as a lot
of Japanese Americans dont really like talking
about that period. Over the years Ive learned a
little more about life in the camps but most of
that information has only come from reading
books and doing research.
Kenjis family history is clearly important to
him. I didnt know my maternal grandfather
but I remember well my grandmother, he explained. I used to be fascinated watching her
work on her Ikebana flower arrangements. She
was so concentrated and serene looking while
she worked on them. She would make these
incredible arrangements using only three flowers and they had to be in exactly the right position or the piece didnt work for her. Since she
only spoke Japanese, when I think back on it
maybe that fascination was a part of our way of
communicating. Whatever it was I got her message, Zen. I think that was the first time I was
exposed and attracted to artistic talent. My maternal grandfather also had artistic talents as he
did some wood sculpting. At my parents house
theres a beautiful hand carved lamp base made
from a hardwood tree stump. Its no longer a
lamp but just a beautiful sculpture/vase.
He goes on, I didnt know my paternal

grandfather either but I have fond memories of

going over to my paternal grandmothers house,
especially because we would get to slide down
her stairs on our butts. We thought that was so
cool.
Kenji was brought up in Anaheim, Southern California. It was a great place to grow up
because at that time back in the 60s our neighbourhood was nothing but young families bringing up lots of kids. We lived not far from the
beach so summer vacations were spent either
at the beach or camping in our motor home in
the nearby forests. My parents still live in the
same house that they purchased in the 50s and
my oldest sister still lives in that area with her
partner.
I asked Kenji what his earliest memories of
his own creativity were. The first time I realized
that I was capable of doing something artistic
was when I discovered a Japanese art form
called Bunka punch embroidery, he explained.
Back in the late 60s my oldest sister was doing
these beautiful and intricate doodles. I was a
little envious because of the attention and praise
she was getting from her doodles. I secretly tried
to imitate her drawings but they were a long way
from the real McCoy! I was pretty discouraged
by my attempt at being artistic until one day at
a friends house I saw my first Bunka creation.
There was a specialized store near our house so
I bought a kit and gave it one last try. I just followed the instructions and I realized my first
Bunka. I thought it was pretty good and I was so
jazzed by the results. Thats when I learned that
it was better to find my own ways of expressing my artistic side instead of copying someone
elses work. Thats still my rule of thumb.
His creative life continued from these early
experiences. I moved to West Hollywood,
California in 1980 and started working as a
fashion consultant for a mens ready-to-wear
company, he went on. I was good at what I did
and worked for several well-known Hollywood
personalities as clients. I later started working
as a buyer while continuing to consult. In 1981
VOL 5 I S S UE 1

My Secret Garden Collection

Autumn Leaves

Holey Cow

ARTIST

11

Metamorphosis

Tryptic Collection

Tryptic

Tryptic Collection

12

ARTIST

I took on another full-time job (and continued

consulting) working as an interior designer for a
Beverly Hills showroom. After a couple of years
working there I also started designing some
of the furniture and home accessories that we
used for our interior decorating. I worked those
two full-time jobs for nine years. Thats the real
American way!
I asked Kenji when he first discovered metal
clay. Id been doing enamelling, bespoke jewellery and traditional silversmithing for almost a
decade when I first learned of metal clay in 2005
while surfing on the net, he said. I was thinking that if I understood the concept correctly,
the idea of working with this new material
would be fascinating.
He went on, as Id been doing enamelling
work with my jewellery, I thought I could maybe
marry the two materials together. I couldnt get
it out of my mind. I started searching on the net
to find out as much as I could. When I found out
that Angela Crispin would be coming to Paris
to teach a metal clay class I jumped on the occasion. At the end of the class I went home with
my first silver clay pendant; I knew that I was
hooked and Ive never been the same since! I
immediately started searching again for as much
information as I could find out about this new
material.
Metal clay wasnt available here in France
at the time, so I ordered my first packets of clay
from Rio, he explained. I can still remember
the excitement and anticipation of getting my
clay in the mail. When I opened my first package I immediately wanted to push the limits
and see how far I could go with it. Im that type
of person; I dont like taking baby steps. I immediately want to start running. Im also a very
tactile person and I just loved the feel of the wet
and dry clay. I never liked the feel of the wax I
was using with my traditional jewellery making;
I still dont. One of my faults is that Im not
good at waiting. I want things now and metal
clay allowed me to have this. No more spending
hours on end sculpting my piece of jewellery in
wax, then sending it out and waiting for it to be
VOL 5 I S S UE 1

cast, and then cleaning up the piece of jewellery

when it finally came back. Being able to bypass
all these steps made me very excited.
And then the obsession went on, again
another familiar feeling for metal clay artists!
I think anyone thats worked with metal clay
knows that feeling of suddenly seeing textures
everywhere. On my walks in Paris I started looking everywhere I could for inspiration. It wasnt
something that I was pushing myself to do, it
was spontaneous. Everything I looked at would
get my mind churning and Id start thinking
about how I could incorporate it into a piece of
jewellery. Walls, trees, leaves, doors and everything else I saw suddenly became textures. They
were everywhere!
I asked Kenji about his influences. Id have
to say that my main influences are nature and
my Japanese origins, a sort of Zen influence or
a Japanese thing. Nature plays a big part in my
creations as well as clean lines and just keeping
things simple and uncluttered. I also work a lot
with cultured pearls. Many of my pieces incorporate either Akoya or Tahitian cultured pearls.
I think they add softness to a piece of jewellery
and I think it mixes well with what I do.
He went on, I remember when I was a child
we would go to the festivals at the Buddhist
temples and you could buy a live oyster and they
would open it up in front of you. If you were
lucky you could end up with a cultured pearl!
Again, these type of Japanese influences tie in
with the feeling I had while watching my grandmother making her beautiful Ikebana floral arrangements.
These influences in my works arent something that are forced or intentional but rather
just the way that my ideas come to me. Often I
sit down to work on a piece that is far from what
I call my Zen style and then somewhere in the
middle of creating the piece the project takes a
turn and I end up back to those influences. But
that doesnt mean that everything I do is Zen,
having clean lines and being simple.
I love architecture and Ive always been a fan
of Frank Lloyd Wright. While I was doing interi-

ARTIST PROFILE

or decorating in Beverly Hills I got to visit inside

and out of the Freeman House in the Hollywood
Hills. Its a perfect example of those clean lines
and blending in with the surrounding nature.
And there are also a lot of magnificent examples
of architecture here in Paris. For me, when Im
inspired by architecture that usually means big. I
love BIG jewellery! he laughed.
I make whatever feels right to me at the moment and often many of my pieces can be very
large. When Im making a piece like that Im certainly not thinking about whether its saleable or
not, thats just how it is. But Ive been surprised
many a time with some of my really large rings
that have drawn a lot of interest. I didnt realize
that there was a real market for big rings. I dont
know about elsewhere but right now whats in
style here in Paris is BIG. I see some pretty huge
rings in the Metro!
I asked Kenji which piece of his work reflects
this influence best. I think a good example is
my Goldfinger ring, he explained. This was
the first piece that I did after buying my first
packet of silver clay. It had to be simple and
without a ring joint for practical reasons and it
had to have a cultured pearl incorporated into
the piece, it just had to! I used wood sandpaper
for the outside texture and finished the inside
with a satin finish. I set a light cream coloured
Akoya cultured pearl and I also added some gold
leaf. All I knew about using gold leaf was that it
had to be fused with the silver but I wasnt sure
about the actual process. At the time I had never
heard about Keum-Boo. So, I just took a blow
torch to it and when it looked like the leaf was
starting to fuse I started tapping the ring with
my brass brush in order to adhere it well into the
crevices of the ring texture. Hey, it worked! To
this day thats still how I do it, with a blow torch.
I can better control the quantity of gold that is
absorbed into the silver.
Kenji is largely self-taught although he has
taken some creative classes over the years. Im
certified as a Senior Art Clay Instructor, he explained. I was anthropology major with a minor
in psychology at college but anything artistic I

learned was just a hands-on type of experience.

An example of that is when back in the 80s I
started working as an interior decorator and
furniture designer. I didnt have any experience
in either of these fields but when the opportunity was unexpectedly put in front of me I did as
Ive always done: I did research and I read anything and everything that I could get my hands
on about interior design. I completely immersed
myself in both fields and I worked as an interior
designer for nine years until coming to Paris.
I asked Kenji to talk a bit more about the
classes he teaches. I teach classes regularly
in my home workshop, he explained. I teach
different levels of one-on-one classes in silver
clay, bronze clay, copper clay, steel clay and a
beginners bespoke jewellery techniques class.
I also teach a byzantine chainmaille class and
a crocheted bracelet class similar to Viking
knit. When I started teaching a few years ago I
was teaching four weeks out of the month but
now Im only teaching two weeks out of the
month and the other two weeks are for ME!
he laughed. My favourite class to teach is definitely the beginners metal clay class. Creating
with metal clay is a real passion for me and I
know it sounds a bit trite but I love trying to
transmit some of that passion that I feel when
I create with it. I love walking my students step
by step through the techniques of working with
metal clay, but when the student finally starts
brushing their first fired piece of jewellery and
the piece begins to shine, well, the smile on their
faces tells you everything. It makes me feel like
mission accomplished.
Kenjis studio/workshop is in his home. It
used to be our large dining area, he explained.
It is set off from the salon by large glass French
doors. In one corner I have my workbench for
traditional jewellery making, in another corner
my kiln for firing metal clay, enamelling and
glass fusing. Theres a large teak table in the middle of the room where I do my own metal clay
work and teach my classes. Theres also a buffet
where my photography tent and lamps are set
up. Everything is filled to the brim so things
VOL 5 I S S UE 1

Industrial Chic

Kcent Chouette

Tryptic Collection

ARTIST

13

ARTIST PROFILE

Articulated Turtle

My Secret Garden Collection

Untitled

14

ARTIST

have to be tidy and all well arranged. Thats

just how I am anyway. But once I get working
on a project theres no other words for it but
organised chaos. Thats the only way I can work
because I always have several projects going on
at the same time. Fortunately for me I can find
in a second anything that Im looking for. When
Im working on a project I can spend hours and
hours working away and not even think about
stopping to eat. I sometimes wake up in the
middle of the night, around three or four in the
morning, and Ill close the doors to the atelier
and start my day.
I asked Kenji about his creative process.
When an idea comes to mind my first reaction
is to just make a very general sketch thatll make
me remember it later. Other times thats not
necessary because I can feel that an idea will
haunt me until I get it done. Lately Ive been using an app on my Samsung Galaxy Note that is
excellent for doing sketches. I gradually keep refining the sketches and, if necessary, separating
and sketching different components. Sometimes
after I do that initial general sketch the idea can
mill around in my head for months deciding
where exactly I want to go with it. Often it will
go in a completely different direction from the
original idea before I start to refine the sketch.
At that point, in my mind I walk myself through
the entire creative process, from A to Z. I try to
anticipate any obstacles that I might come upon
and imagine how to solve them. If Im going to
be using templates for my work I trace them out
on a used cereal box (Im very green). Its the
perfect weight and can easily be cut out with a
craft knife or scissors. And if theyre templates
that I think might be used often I coat them
with several layers of clear nail varnish and they
hold up forever.
He went on, For me, the very last step is
imagining in my head the person wearing the
piece of jewellery thats going to be made.
Because Kenji used traditional silversmithing techniques to make jewellery before he
discovered metal clay, its not surprising that he
uses these in combination with his metal clay
VOL 5 I S S UE 1

creations. What I love about metal clay is its

ability to be combined with traditional metalsmithing. Using cold connections are one of the
things I like to do when I work with metal clay.
I love using rivets, not only for their functional
purposes but also as a visual design feature. A
few well-placed rivets and you not only have a
piece that stays together but also a visual effect
that can give your work a completely different
feel than if it didnt have them. I also like using
nuts and bolts. In my Industrial Chic Collection
I used a lot of them. I hadnt originally planned
to use them in the collection, and then one day
it hit me that it would be so perfect if I could use
them. I added toppers to the bolts on a few of
the pieces but the majority were made with the
nuts and bolts exposed. It all fitted in perfectly
with the industrial theme. I make most of my
own findings, such as my jump rings, ear wires,
clasps and stone settings and then use them
with my metal clay projects but Im finding that
more and more Im enjoying making my own
toggle clasps and settings with metal clay. I find
that there are so many more design possibilities
with metal clay.
I love Paris so I asked Kenji to tell me a bit
more about exactly where he lives. We live near
the Gare de Lyon (Railway Station). Its a quiet
part of Paris with plenty of traditional style bistros and small shops. At the same time with the
train station being just a two-minute walk from
our home theres always an influx of tourists
right around it. Ive always lived in this neighbourhood ever since I came to Paris in 1992 although Ive lived in a few different apartments.
Right outside our building, built in the 1902,
there is an old aerial train track that they transformed into a walkway surrounded by plants
and in the viaducts underneath theyve installed
galleries, artist workshops and boutiques. Its
really a cool place to visit for anyone coming to
Paris.
And what about the romance bit, I hear you
ask? I live with my partner of 22 years, Kenji
explained. I met him while I was on one of my
visits to Paris. We talked on the phone every day

ARTIST PROFILE

after I returned home to West Hollywood. Five

months later I had sold everything I owned except my 4x4 (just in case...) and moved to Paris.
I moved into an apartment and studied French
for a year. I mean, I HAD to learn some French
if we were going to be able to communicate, I
was 33 at the time and hes 11 years younger
than me. Hes an actor/dancer/daytime job and
does film, theatre and voice over work. Its been
a wonderful 22 years and were now discussing
getting married both here in France and in California. Marriage is definitely not something that
we need in our lives, weve been fine how it is for
the past 22 years, but there are other reasons to
our consideration. Time will tell... What a sweet
story.
Two years ago, Kenji had an experience
which could have ended his creative career for
good. I woke up from a nap one day and I was
paralyzed on my left side and couldnt talk
right, he told me. I had had a mild stroke.
While in the hospital I can remember thinking
about nothing else but the idea that I might
never be able to work again with metal clay or
to teach classes. It was scary because metal clay
had become such a big part of my life and now I
was going to lose that. I was fortunate because
after several months of re-education and speech
therapy I had almost completely recovered, except for a part of my memory.
It took me a few more months before I sat
down in front of a lump of metal clay to try to
make something. And what I had been afraid
of happened. I was sitting there in front of the
clay and I had no idea what I was supposed to do
first. Just the simple idea of taking out a piece of
plastic wrap to cover the clay didnt even enter
my mind. All the tools that were set out on the
work bench seemed foreign to me. I didnt get
anywhere that first day and I realized that I had
my work cut out for me. It was the same thing
in my inspiration department. It was pretty
empty with a capital E. Im one of the lucky ones
though because with a lot of re-education, a lot
of patience and a lot of encouragement from my
partner and my stubbornness to not give up,

things have pretty much come full circle. The

thing about age is that I dont know what part of
my current memory loss is because of the stroke
and which part is just that, age! he laughed.
With a scare like that, getting the work-life
balance right is quite important so I asked Kenji
how he relaxes. I often take on more projects
than I have time for and I had been getting real
stressed out. I recently decided to start meditating again and Im doing hypnosis. When I lived
in the States I used to meditate all the time but
for some reason when I moved here to France I
stopped. Now I make time for at least 30 minutes a day to meditate and calm myself down.
Im finding that since I started doing it my days
are more organized and there can sometimes be
a lot less stress in my life.
I asked Kenji where he sees himself going
with his metal clay work. As far as I can go! No
seriously, at the moment I see myself expanding
on my work with all the different bronze clays,
copper clays and steel. For right now I just want
to continue with my testing of all these clays
and then see what more I can do with them.
Those clays are like night and day compared to
silver clay and they fit in really well with my current inspiration.
Kenjis work has been included in several
books and publications and he sells his work in
various places. I do sell some of my work, but
not aggressively, he explained. I have a website
that is a window for my bespoke jewellery and
all my classes. My idea is to group all my metal
clay classes and metal clay jewellery together on
one website and my bespoke jewellery and the
corresponding classes on another. I cant make a
certain style of jewellery just so that it will correspond and sell on a website. Thats just not me.
For the time being I only sell my metal clay jewellery at shows and salons in and around Paris.
Kenji has some good advice for anyone wanting to sell their work. I know from past experience that the first rule of thumb is exposure,
exposure and more exposure! he said. Start
with a website as thats going to be your electronic calling card. All you need is your jewellery
VOL 5 I S S UE 1

Goldfinger

Pink Lady

Titane

ARTIST

15

ARTIST PROFILE

My Secret Garden Collection

Flower Power Kenji

and good photos in order to bring out the best

in your jewellery. I know its not easy but try
to teach yourself to take your own high quality
photos as its the most practical and economical
way to go. Have high quality prints made up so
you can put together a book showcasing your
work. Along with a well written resume and calling cards these will be the essentials when you
hit the pavement in order to get your work into
those shops. Choose the shops carefully, making
sure that your designs deserve to be in a particular shop. The goal is not to get your designs into
a shop at any cost. Choose wisely. Its the same
things for shows; make sure that your designs fit
in with the type of show that youre considering.
Dont try to suddenly create a collection that
isnt you just to do the show. Chances are that
if you do that theyll see it and youve done a lot
of work for nothing. Stay true to yourself and
exposure, exposure and more exposure!
I asked Kenji what hes currently working

on. The collection Im putting together is called

Mon Jardin Secret (My Secret Garden). For the
majority of my pieces Im using natural materials such as river stones, slate, concrete, sand,
seed pods, glass, enamels and even one piece
with a real bumblebee encased in resin. Most of
the pieces are being created using different colour bronzes as their warm colours mix well with
the theme of the collection and the materials
that Im using. With certain pieces though Im
also working with darkened steel and brushed
silver which will give a little more of an industrial feel to certain pieces. The hours and hours
that I spent alone in my parents garden last
summer really dictated this next collection.
It has been a pleasure to find out more about
Kenji, his life, family background and influences
and I really look forward to seeing what his new
collection looks like and how it evolves.
See more of Kenjis work by visiting these
websites:
Website: Kenem Bijoux
http://www.kenembijoux.com
Blogs: Pte dArgent LArt du Mtal
http://www.pate-argent.com

The Beast

JULIA RAI is a teacher and artist working in a variety of media. She finds inspiration in science fiction
and fantasy and loves a good story where disbelief can be suspended in favour of wonder. Her practical
and ultra-organised side is always vying for attention alongside her creative and messy side. Each is
trying hard to learn from the other and live in harmony.

16

ARTIST

VOL 5 I S S UE 1