Today we’d like to introduce you to Marion Fague-bass
Hi Marion, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I taught high school for 30 years and raised a family during that time, in other words, I had very little time for myself. The arts were a central part of my family life growing up and I really felt the call to get my creativity back. A few years before I retired from teaching I started making jewelry. I started with a beading class (the gateway drug) at a local craft store and I was hooked. Soon I was taking metalsmithing classes at the Maitland Art Center. I loved metalsmithing and beading, but it is a very expensive hobby, so I started an Etsy shop to sell the excess and help pay for my expensive hobby! After awhile I began vending at local arts and craft festivals. After a few years of taking classes at the Art Center, I was asked to teach. It seems that you can take the teacher out of the classroom but you can’t take the teacher out of the person. I really found my calling when I started teaching. Along the way I took up working in precious metal clay and started teaching that as well. I taught for several years at the Art Center until they decided to “retire” their jewelry program. By that time I knew how much I loved teaching jewelry-making and had a loyal following of students. I tried teaching out of my home for awhile, but eventually was fortunate enough to get a studio at FAVO. FAVO, Faith Arts Village Orlando, is the iconic (to old time Orlandoans) Park Davis Motel on Colonial Drive in downtown Orlando. It was a vintage ’50s era motor inn that had fallen upon hard times, and was converted into artist studios. I am thrilled to be part of this fabulous community of artists, and my tiny little studio is my happy place! I currently teach metalsmithing and precious metal clay (beginning and advanced), Tiffany Method soft solder, beading and other specialty jewelry-making classes and workshops. I also sell my jewelry online through my website and continue to participate in fine art festivals around Central Florida. FAVO also has Open House Art Strolls the first Friday and Saturday evenings of every month and the public is welcome to come visit all of the artists’ studios – including mine!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I had thought that selling my jewelry was going to be my second career. But it turns out that it is very difficult to make much money selling jewelry. For the longest time I was barely supporting the hobby. As my skills improved and I began t get into better art festivals, my sales grew a little, but still not enough. When I fell into teaching, I realized that not only did I love it, but it helped financially. I knew, however, that I would have to have my own business to generate enough income for it to be more than just a passtime. But figuring out how to start my own studio, set up a business, not to mention the cost of outfitting an entire studio (metalsmithing tools are quite costly) and the extremely high rents in the Orlando area made the entire process seem daunting. In the end, it took nearly 12 years to “stumble into” my place at FAVO and get everything up and running. When I finally got the studio and set about to make it offical, I ran into one obstacle after another getting through all of the red tape with my licensing through the state, city and county, to the point that there were several moments that I almost threw in the towel. And during the nearly two years between the time I left the Art Center and finally got my own studio, I lost most of my core of students and pretty much have had to start from scratch building my clientele. But every time I thought about giving it all up I also had to wonder what would I then do with my life? Perseverance pays off and slowly but surely I have made it past the obstacles, got my new website set up, and the sounds of students working fills my studio.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I work in traditional metalsmithing techniques, which involves using sheet metal and wire and cutting, forging, heating etc. to create artisan jewelry. I am also a senior certified instructor for Art Clay, one of the two original precious metal clays. It is a clay made from recycled metal, ground into a fine powder and mixed with an organic cellulose and water to form the clay. It can be molded, shaped, textured and sculpted like any clay, then it is fired in a kiln and everything burns away but the pure metal. Metalsmithing has been around since humans first learned how to work with metals, we use the same techniques today as they did thousands of years ago, we just have fancier tools now. Precious metal clay, which was invented in the early ’90s, is the only really new method of metalworking to come along in millenia. I really love working in both methods, but I probably do more unique work in metal clay. My favorite things to do in metal clay are sculpting and making miniatures. I have a line of silver miniature houses, often in the form of fruits and vegetables. I also like to paint organic items with the silver clay to create unique silver creatures like dragonflies, cicada wings, leaves and interesting pasta shapes. My 1/2″ tall “Little Grass Shack” and my 1″ tall mushroom house, “A Piece of Shitake,” have taken 3rd and 2nd place in a metal clay exhibition. My work earned an Honorable Mention at a First Thursday exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art, and I won an Award of Merit in the Halifax Art Festival. But I have to say what makes me the most proud is the work of my students. I get so excited to take the novice student from being afraid of the torch to creating stunning works of their own. I have students who have far surpassed their teacher! And that gives me more pleasure than anything else!
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Yes, I am a Boomer, so apps, podcasts, blogs, etc are not generally in my wheelhouse! I am fairly computer literate for an old-timer, but do have to turn to my kids on occasion to figure things out. I do use social media, YouTube, and online resources to expand my horizons.
Pricing:
- classes: price varies depending on the type and length of class, in general 1 month long sessions, 1 3-hour class per week, average $200 per month. Workshops range from $65-$150.
- jewelry: prices range from $45 up to $400.
- FAVO Art Stroll: FREE!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fingernailmoonjewelry.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fingernailmoonjewelry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FingernailMoonDesign
- Other: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/jewelry-making-classes-3204749
Image Credits
All my own photos
