"Kate is built right for teaching. She's patient, knowledgeable, good at explaining things and completely giving as an instructor. I walked out of the class with many great timesaving tips and a further appreciation of the medium. Her tools are amazing, putting all else to shame. No ego trips, no pretense- just solid fun fulled teaching- the best learning experience I've had since I've left graduate school! Not to mention Kate's got a great sense of humor as well. Such a deal!"
-Michelle Krespi, Oakland, California
"I can not express enough delight and gratitude towards you for having taken your class. The knowledge and skill are beyond anything I could ever have imagined... You were always upbeat, kind and concerned if we were "getting it". You came across as there being no dumb questions and concerns. You didn't give us the answers, you walked with us to find the answer. What makes someone a great teacher, not an ordinary run of the mill teacher is you don't hold back any so called "trade secrets". Also you would like to see your students surpass you... This is all wrapped up in an uplifting, always with a smile person. Thanks for a lifetime's worth of knowledge, Kate!"
-Bill Dombroski, Mountaintop, Pennsylvania
"I thoroughly enjoyed your class at Rowan University in NJ. You were so generous with your knowledge, and conveyed it beautifully. I could tell it was an excellent workshop for me, because of the enthusiasm I had when returning to my studio. I dove right in, using my new tools and making a couple more. It is so freeing to work the wax with new understanding of the it's properties. The tools work wonderfully! You really helped demystify turning wax on the flexshaft. I have been doing wax work for years, but the knowledge I gained at your workshop really felt like taking a giant leap. We all are so fortunate that you are so creative and inquisitive yourself, and that you share your expertise. Thank you so much!"
- Jean Anthony, Jean Anthony Designs, Riegelsville, PA.
"I took a wax modeling course with Kate Wolf last summer at Touchstone. The course content was extensive, extremely well organized, and effectively presented. The tools I made have become my favorites. The "tricks" I learned have saved me a lot of time and energy. Kate is a proficient, friendly and willing instructor. She is generous with both her time and her expertise. I highly recommend her class."
-Linda Moughemer, educator and custom designer, Richmondville, NY
"I had been doing wax modelmaking and casting work for my own business for about 5 years when I was lucky enough to find out about Kate Wolf.
I took her workshop with the idea of learning certain aspects about wax carving. Learn I did!!! I couldn't believe how much information I was able to pick up in the workshop. My work time has been cut in half. I highly recommend this class for anyone from beginners to experts... Kate is full of knowledge and she actually loves to share what she knows. I can't wait to take the class again..."
-Marc Williams, MarcCo. Jewelry Mfg., Swoyersville, Pa.
"This Illustration Class helped open up creativity in my jewelry designing that I didn't know existed! Bravo to Kate for creating a fun, encouraging, informative learning experience for all of us who participated. I recommend this course
highly."
-Tracy Johnson, Fine Jewelry, Harpswell, Me.
Creative Marketing with Marlene Richey.
Marlene is totally approachable, enthusiastic and encouraging. I left the course with many tools, including the written materials she supplied, book recommendations and industry resources to refer to. Marlene gave me the tools to achieve my goals, step-by-step. She helped focus me, gave me direction, and put me on the path to success. Thanks to Marlene, I know who my market is, I have a press release, a collection, a collection statement, an artist’s bio and I am on my way! Thanks, Marlene, you rock!
Cynthia Stiles-Stacey, Stiles-Stacey Designs
This review was posted at www.ganoksin.com
I just recently finished
Jayne Redman's 2-day Keum Boo workshop at Kate Wolf's Studio in Portland, Maine, and it was such a fun and rewarding experience that I felt I had to share it with you. Jayne, for anyone who doesn't know, is this year's hot new production designer--with articles in Lapidary Journal and AJM, to name a few. (She would take exception at the "new" part, as she's served her dues getting her metalsmithing education at the Portland School of Art, and then teaching there as well.
She started our class by showing her unique and elegant pieces and
then literally taking them apart to show the construction. Jayne
shared so much about the production design--the way she uses dies in
the hydraulic press to cut out the components, her paper models,
findings sources, pricing formulas--that it was like getting 2
workshops in one. We students had very different projects to
Keum-Boo, from an organic-looking ring, to a piece of reticulation,
to my rolling-mill embossed leaf, which was Keum-Boo'd down the
middle for a half-gold half-silver look. Jayne also demonstrated
using Liver-Of-Sulfur to make the Keum-Boo "pop-out" visually.
For anyone of you who've wanted to try this--learn it. It's very
easy, with a few simple caveats, and gives great "perceived value
added" for very little in dollars added.
Kate Wolf was the Mother Hen in the background making sure that all needs got taken care of, starting with 4- pages before we even arrived, covering everything from travel, lodging, directions, restaurants, all the way down to "bring long pants and a jacket as it can get cool in the morning." Both Kate and Jayne treated each of us with respect for where we were in jewelry-making, taking us from that place to a more advanced place, with no judging, and
genuine praise for what we had done. None of the instructor arrogance or student favoritism that I've seen in some workshops. Kate knew that I had done the Wax-Carving class at the GIA in Carlsbad, CA, so she showed me examples of her work, and the many hand-made tools she's designed and teaches her students. Her work is at an artistic level well beyond the GIA (In all fairness they have a different emphasis.), which you'd expect from someone who's
been a Master Model Maker for the Franklin Mint, among others. If
you are an artist-jeweler and want to extend that to wax - take Kate's class.
Finally, there's Portland. It's a little gem of a city, and must be one of New England's best kept secrets. It has a beautiful harbor, a lovely refurbished Old Port area of quaint shops and cobblestone streets, and there's even a lighthouse commissioned by George Washington. Travel for me (I'm newly in New York City) was not expensive. There are several airlines, but I took the Amtrak to see the Fall foliage (about $150 one way), and then the Trailways bus back (at $50).
We students all had a great experience with Kate and Jayne. I highly recommend checking out her website: http://www.katewolfdesigns.com or drop Kate an e-mail at thrive@katewolfdesigns.com. to find out what she'll be doing next. (The usual disclaimers: I have no financial interest, etc.)
-Gary Strickland, GJG
