Meet Our Instructor:
Char Jorgensen, Wire Master
Char's Bio:
I am a local artist, born in Seattle, and currently live in Enumclaw with my husband and cat. I am a Blingaholic, so shiny things interest me and get my creativity ramped up! I love jewelry and have worked in jewelry stores and taken classes in diamond and diamond grading, colored stones and colored stone grading, pearls and pearl grading, counter sketching, metals, enhancements in stones and more.
This is all well and good until I found out that I am overqualified for most jewelry stores to hire! Plan B: make my own stuff. So after a career in the telephone industry (???), I began to work on Plan B for some creative fulfillment. Problem #1: afraid of fire and no soldering knowledge. Problem #2: I couldn't afford 14k gold and custom prices.
But, gold filled was within my budget, as was sterling silver, so wire could be obtained and I could manipulate it the way I wanted. PLUS I had a lot of stones that I had dug, cut and polished as well as purchased stones from remote places that I hadn't been to yet! Problem #1 and #2 solved.
Since I don't have a large studio space, this craft fits well wherever I go. I can travel with it and have taught in Philadelphia and Santa Fe for many years alongside many of the most foremost wire artists in this field. All I need is 3 different pliers, a ruler, tape, pin vise, sharpie markers, dowels, wire cutters and I am pretty much ready to throw these into a bag and go. Problem #3 solved.
I entered the Northwest and the American Federation competitions and won both and took the Master level in 2009. I was able to submit 10 items and show off 10 different specific techniques they asked for. I have been published in Step by Step Wire a few times and am currently in an Ebook put out by Interweave Press.
I LOVE to share my techniques with others, since I have made all the mistakes possible in working with wire, my motto is "I have made all of the mistakes so you don't have to and I can get you out of them!" Yes, I have cut the wrong wire and saved the piece, I have put the stone in backwards ad saved the piece, I have place things in crooked and still saved the piece.
Come take one of our wire classes to experience Char's expertise!
Click here to see our class calendar.
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Ben Franklin Crafts and Frame Shop
21121 Hwy 410 E, Bonney Lake, WA 98391
253-862-6822
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