Artisan designer-maker Regine Schwarzer provided expert step-by-step instruction & hands-on guidance to participants of Gallery 1855's Jewellery Workshop. View some of Regine's creative masterpieces at www.regineschwarzer.com (image by Jenny Pickett) is named in honor of the year of its build - as South Australia's first council chambers. From 1855-1967, it was home to Tea Tree Gully's Council Chambers. Today, this carefully restored building is a vital part of the City of Tea Gully's arts and culture, comprising a community hub for local artists to exhibit their work and collaborate with other artists and share their knowledge with the public through affordable and creative artist-led workshops and events.
One such workshop was Gallery 1855's Jewellery Workshop - facilitated by artisan designer-maker
Regine Schwarzer, which was held on Saturday, 30 November 2019, from 10am until 4pm. At a very affordable cost of $60, which included all materials and tools, I was extremely fortunate to gain a place in this workshop by invite. I don't live locally but a community art space like Gallery 1855 is a rare find, so I didn't hesitate to accept the invite and, being on a weekend, the drive was relatively quick and on-site parking (including disabled parking) was readily available.
A selection of semi-precious stones & some of the tools of the trade (image by Jenny Pickett)
Regine is truly expertly skilled in teaching and creating - she provided very clear step by step instructions and hands-on guidance so that every single participant (9 in all) completely designed and created their own neckpiece from silver-plated copper and a choice of beads and semi-precious gemstones. As I had no previous jewellery making experience and limited dexterity, I felt absolutely amazed to have designed and created a neckpiece that truly represented who I was. Six hours went very quickly and I know I'm not alone in saying I found it to be very therapeutic.
My finished neck piece - featuring serpentine & black onyx (image by Jenny Pickett)
Gallery 1855's setting and atmosphere definitely contribute to unleashing workshop participants' creative flow - it's such a beautiful historic building (wheelchair accessible throughout) and incorporates both the workshop and exhibition spaces in a welcoming and casual setting to effectively create a hub.
Follow Gallery 1855 on Facebook - (click here) - to stay updated on workshops, events, and exhibitions.
