Locals gathered to watch as artists were demonstrating their work at Upper Level Pottery & Art Gallery on January 24.
Monica To, demonstrated watercolour painting, Cindi Plant demonstrated Batik art, and Brandy Berg demonstrated jewelry making with fine silver clay.
Brandy Berg has lived in Vermilion for the past six years and began this particular jewelry process in June of last year, but this was her first time offering a demo.
“It was a blast - the ladies that came in had amazing questions and were really interested in what we all did. It was a lot of fun,” said Berg.
She launched her business on December 3, last year at the gallery and it was a huge success so she brought some of her pieces back in to sell.
“I’m grateful to Heather and the gallery for putting on the demo days. Being brand new to the precious metal clay, not a lot of people know about it so it is nice to have that opportunity to show people. I used to do other jewelry and decided to go into a higher-end line with the metal clay,” said Berg.
When making an item, first she conditions the clay, then she conditions her tools with olive oil so they don’t stick to the clay, she then rolls the clay out and uses textured stamps or wax-sealed stamps to create the designs and takes a small clay cutter to cut out the shape she wants, and then dries it on a coffee warmer. She said her jewelry differs from others because when it is fired with either a kiln or torch (she uses a torch) it is .999 fine silver.
“As a creative outlet, I love being able to see the final product. It actually has helped with bringing stress levels down because when you are focusing on creating something, you are not focusing on anything else but that particular piece,” said Berg.
Outside of making jewelry, she is a registered massage therapist and certified reflexology therapist. For youth or new artists and entrepreneurs, she suggested sticking with what you like.
“A couple of days ago I ruined two pieces in one day. Part of being creative is about trial and error; you have to expect that not everything is going to go perfectly. Looking at the ruined piece and learning from that mistake, you can go to building a better product on that next piece,” said Berg. “You have to find what you love. I love helping people on their wellness journey with massage therapy, and with my jewelry, I like making pieces that speak to people. I made one piece that had sea turtles. I love them, and the person that bought it looked at it and went, ‘I have to have that.’ I love seeing people find the connection with my pieces.”
For more information, you can follow Brandy Berg Jewelry on Facebook, Instagram, or Shopify. She and the other artists also have work available at the Upper Level Pottery & Art Gallery.
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