The STUDIO SPACE!

Part of a Vancouver heritage home, this 400+ square foot studio space is nestled in a beautiful quiet West End neighborhood. Equipped with a sound system, bathroom, full kitchen and fridge, individual cubbies for each student to leave their trays and projects, big windows, lots of light, this modern, clean, comfortable, child friendly, inspiring space will bring out your inner designer in a heart beat!

****(To note: child height friendly tables and chairs will be used for children's classes:)****

GROUPON for all August Classes.

Adult Classes and Kids Classes Resume for Summer Starting August 8th.

In lieu of this being a new program, I am offering a GROUPON from today
(July 26th - to Sunday August 6th) Classes will start on the 8th.

ADULT CLASSES (7:00pm - 9:30pm, T/TR for 3 weeks)
REDUCED PRICE: $215 (regular price $250)
PROJECTS: Asymmetrical Earrings or bangles, Abstract Necklace, Pendant or cuff
OPEN LECTURES: 1. Anatomy and Design 2. Form and Fuction 3. Mixed Mediums
INCLUDES: All materials and tools + event showcase at the end of the
course + a glass of vino while you learn!



KIDS CLASSES: (Monday - Friday, 9:00am - noon OR 1pm - 4pm)
REDUCED PRICE: $215 (regular price $325)
PROJECTS
1. Fun with Feathers! (earrings, hair clip)
2. Free Forms!(asymmetrical necklaces)
3. MINTage! (turning recycled materials into wearable works of art)
DISCUSSIONS (age dependent and adaptable)
1. Style 2. Inspiration 3. Color/shapes 4. Recycling is cool, because...
INCLUDES: All materials, tools+ fashion show event + healthy snack
while you learn!

AGES: 3yrs and up
***max class size for 3-5 years olds is 6 children to ensure one on
one attention***

ALL OTHER INFORMATION
1. Classes include discounts from our
sponsor, Country Beads (2015 W.4th ) for all future purchases.

2. A minimum of 5 students required. A maximum of 10, to guarantee one on one
attention.

3. All courses will be held in my West End Studio (just off Robson Street)




***to note a portion of all sales made from these classes, will be going
towards running this course as a series of not for profit community
workshops in the new year. Your help is appreciated!***

xo,
Heather

JEWELRY 101 - THE SHOWCASE

On Saturday, April 23rd, 8:30pm, the final projects of the Jewelry 101 students were launched in a showcase that brought together independent artists who live and breath the sustainable avant garde aesthetic, for one amazing event. (Photo's to come). The goal of the show: For students to see their finished culminations in a new perspective and for everyone to revel in their transformation from student to designer as their couture pieces were rocked on the runway.

Everyone involved in the show was strategically picked for how they could add and what they could take from the collaborative. Models were chosen for the energy they exude which of course was magnified by their good looks. All the girls were absolutely stunning and brought their own personalities to the runway.

The photographers: Sam Mason and Chelsea Brooke Roisum blew my mind, bouncing off of each others energies and capturing all moments, raw, haute and all the little things in between. Videographer Cody Shaw nailed down interviews and I am super stoked to go over the footage.

Makeup guru's Bonnie Ong and Emily Cheng took my vision and magnified it 10 fold and the hair, oh the hair! Malissa Jeffers of 'is' salon in Yaletown launched her sexy "TAILFEATHERS". Malissa and Jeffery Klassen showcased their mad couture styling skills.

Everyone was a joy and a pleasure to work with, honestly, I felt privileged to have scored such an amazing team.

Special Thank You to The Beaumont Studios, for donating the space, Raw Canvas, Dujour Boutique, Arbonne skin care, Brian Carson, Brian Corkum, Stephanie Geracitano, Kevan Schell, Firefly Fine Wines and Ales and all of my AMAZINGLY talented and lovely students of the first 101 class. Can't wait to see you back for 102.

All students and sponsors will receive 15% off on 102 classes which will resume in LATE JUNE. Registration is now open.
I will also be running weekend workshops and children's classes and will do private parties and events. For more information and to register, please email: partsbyheather@gmail.com

Jewelry 102 will be all about taking what you learned in 101 and applying it with new mediums and projects: wool, metals, texturizing, resin, chain work and exploration of mixed mediums, forms and structures.

Pricing for 102 classes: $250.00 (for 8 weeks + final event)
Pricing for 101 classes: $250.00 (for 8 weeks + final event)

PARTS for kids! : $180 (for 6 weeks + final event)
or $225 ( for 8 weeks + final event)


xo,

Heather.

PARTS...for adults! Introducing Jewelry 101

When they asked me if I would do it, I said sure, flattered that I was being offered such an opportunity, but not really thinking about all that it would entail. I have been creating and launching educational art programming for children for a solid ten years and I came to The Beaumont Studios because I liked what these ladies were doing: a small, non pretentious studio, rich in diversified creativity and some serious talent – a communal space providing a platform for the true essence of ‘art collective’ unlike other places in Vancouver that posed as ‘communal’ but are more about who you know and whether you are deemed cool enough to make the cut. No, this Beaumont Studio is just cool by nature and was something else and I wanted to be a part of it! After describing my program, it was met with much excitement – let’s do it – just like that. I was kind of floored. The goal was to fill two programs geared towards kids but as we began promoting it, it was the grownups that began taking notice, prompting the unexpected question: would I tailor a new curriculum and run my classes for grownups? This was met with a resounding: ABSOLUTELY!

The next 4 weeks were spent re-tailoring the existing curriculum to be more lecture based and to provide a safe encouraging, semi structured forum where adults could connect to each other and to their inner artist and leave with solid introductory skill sets and 3 wearable works of art. We decided to run the program as one two-hour time slot, in the evening, per week for a total of an 8-week session.

I was a little nervous when in the first week of January, we picked a January 26th start date and capped the maximum registrants at 10. Two weeks later, fully booked, we opened up 2 more spaces, which were quickly filled. Reality sunk in. People wanted to take my class. Twelve infact. With the push and support of The Beaumont Studios, (hearts to Jude and Charmaine) I was going to be teaching my first ever adult design class based on a curriculum that I had created. Crazy like fox!

****MEDIA RELEASE AND OFFICIAL LAUNCH COMING SOON!****
UNTIL THEN: Blog Updates!

Day 1.
Wine, dim lighting, tables set, chairs out, music playing: as each woman entered the new ‘workshop’ space set up at The Beaumont Studios, I was mildly intimidated. These ladies were HOT! So well put together and each walked in with their own energetic disposition which made me dorkily excited. It is one thing to create a space where children can grow and connect and explore pushing their own limitations and boundaries, but at that moment, I realized that as an adult, a common misconception exists, that we are these established beings; however, here we all were, allowing a new kind of exposure and openness, proving that we are always imperfect beings, we are all children in spirit: innately needing to connect, to grow, to expand, to learn, to impact and to impart - each of us, innately needing to make sense of the world. How wonderful, and what better way to do this than through art, the essence of the heart!

Personal Style:
First day of class, we learn a bit about each other and go over tools of the trade, and start to learn basic skills to apply towards our projects and of course have time to assess why we are here and what we will get out the next 8 weeks. (I can’t reveal everything; you will have to take the class☺). But I will tell you this, what I told my new students….

One of my goals for all of you, is for you to start to see the world around you differently, with an awareness and an open mind – notice the negative space inbetween the branches of the trees, the colors the sky turns at different times of the day, how the air feels through your hair, how a fabric feels against your skin; take a moment to watch reflections of light in buildings and in each other eyes, take in the texture of the pebbles in the side walk, the gradation of the dying grass growing to newer and greener. Stop and smell, listen, touch and take in the world around you. Art is universal because it is in us, in (the heart); art is in here. As we can start to really see and experience the world around us in the simplest of ways, differently and openly, we are taking life in with our bodies and minds and all of this manifests in the heart and comes out in everything we do – the creativity that you will express here as a result is like the yoga of art.

Class 2– EXPLORING OURSELVES – Inspiration

Hauling in inspirational materials, the ladies of Jewelry 101 were at first intrigued: poetry, photography, painting…but then, as I handed out a “gasp” worksheet, I was met with a lot of groaning and whining, which made me laugh, my kids class did the same thing – they were tired, they came here to interact, to be creative, to drink red wine (the adults not the kids) and here I was asking them to write about how they defined themselves. Some students enthusiastically wrote and discussed their answers, some were openly pissed off; I welcomed both reactions equally. At least I was getting a reaction – that meant fire and fire can be directed into something amazing.

In some forms of artistic expression, we don’t really need to think critically, we just do what we feel, but in jewelry design, you need to also produce something that is durable and wearable, but also fits our design ideas. We need to start thinking critically about how a piece is going to sit on the body – will it be with purpose? Will it imitate a curve of a bone; will it sit flush or protrude? Where it will be worn? How it will hang? Will movement change its form? Do we want movement? Do we want its form to change? How we want to move with our design? What will it be worn with? How can we keep the integrity of a design and also apply form and function and strength and durability? How can we play with color and texture? These are all things that come into play when we start applying our manifestations, so while we train our fingers and hands to work intricately with new materials and tools, we must also train our mind, to delve and to think critically; the first step in starting that process, is by looking at what inspires you and then exploring how you define that....

What inspires me? Anatomy – how muscles move, movement in flight and in water, shapes in shadows, imperfection found in nature, the sensual nature of foods and fabrics, different textures on skin, strangely beautiful pairings, transformation, laughter, erratic angles, thick sloppy acrylic paint on smooth surfaces, weathered metals, the way birds appear to be floating in the sky when they all fly together and that moment when they go from perched on a wire, to swooped up in flight, the sexy curve of too high heels, color, freckles, eye smiles, starry skies -inspiration – what moves you enough to think about it, to take it in?


February 16th
And now...We are working on completing our first project – Asymmetry is key, as is experimenting with new mediums and mixing unexpected materials and textures. I am SO excited about how these projects are going from inspiration to touching and selection of components to sketches, to almost finished creations. We are functioning on the basis that ANYTHING in this creative process is possible. The designs the ladies are putting together are blowing this statement out of the water. So impressed! I am also thrilled about the final class that is top secret. Minds may be blown.

COMING SOON: PARTS by heather meets SCHOOL OF THOUGHT!

MORE PHOTOS FROM RIDGEWAY! Kids In Session Photo's coming soon!

PARTS for kids! wrapped up at Ridgeway Elementary School in North Vancouver on December 8th and may I say: What a success! While there were only 4 students, we all agreed that we rocked the small class size; each of these students blew me away with their expression of their own personal style!

Class began on October 13th with a discussion of style and design, who and what were our influences, how do we express ourselves, what is personal style, what kind of statements do we make, or admire, what kind of design do we like/dislike in popular culture, what is culture... After getting inspired we moved on to learning about different stones and metals, tools and names of techniques. Important to note: This ain't no beading class! The students of the PARTS for kids classes get to use amazing materials - things from the PARTS by heather private collection of inherited and salvaged goodies!

Running with their own person concept of style and creativity, each child took the skill sets learned and the materials available and was given the opportunity to run wild wherever their imagination and fiery little spirits took them. The results -some of the coolest takes of wire wrapping, mixed mediums, leather work, re-purposing and asymmetry that I have seen! Go team!

At the end of the session, we worked towards our final fashion show, establishing signature walks and poses, learning how to make the most of the runway, and the kids even hand picked their own set list: Sweet Dreams (Beyonce), Revolution (The Beatles) and ABC'S (Knaan). Luckily for us, the gym was all set up for the band concert later that night, so after writing their "set lists" describing their designs and the influences behind them, we headed to the gym to practice. I was so impressed! From lighting to runway, they had it made! A special thank you to all the families who made it out and to Principal Burlone for all her help making the finale show something to remember.

I was so thrilled with the way this session turned out. I wouldn't have been able to do it without the backing of the North Vancouver Arts Council who not only believed in my pilot program, but personally encouraged and supported me towards make it a reality in my first school. Watching these kids grow within and beyond themselves, and connect to each other was not only a pleasure, but such a gift! Getting to be a part of their creative growth and share their energy every week, reminded me of what is most important in this world: leading with your heart. May we all live life the spirit of love.

While this session has come to an end, I have received many requests to run it again in the winter/spring. So hopefully Ridgeway and PARTS will be re-united in the New year.

Speaking of new classes and support, Vancouver own multi-platform Gallery: The Beaumont Studios has joined forced with PARTS for kids! We will be running multiple sessions starting as early as January 10th, Register now, or purchase on of our adorable gift cards as a last minute holiday or birthday or even just because gift!

NEW ON THE HORIZON: PARTS jewelry classes for Adults! All the buzz at the Beaumont had Ladies without little ones, asking if they could take classes too - but of course! Recently added to my Beaumont roster are savvy adult classes please contact the BEAUMONT for more info on times, projects and start dates. (778) 371-9629. Or visit online: http://www.thebeaumontstudios.com
All Sessions will be 8 weeks.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL, Oh no, I will also be teaching my PARTS for little ones class (Pint sized protégé) and an additional class for ages 7-12 at the Vancouver Jewish Centre:) Classes are 10 weeks. Registration is still open and classes will be on Thursdays. For more information of registrations, please call: (604) 257-5111. Or Visit online at: http://www.jccgv.com

If you are interested in hosting this fabulous program at your own establishment, community centre, school, or as a private workshop, or event, or for any media inquiries, please contact: partsbyheather@gmail.com. I am now taking bookings into Spring and Summer.

AND if you need a last minute gift, or want to peruse: The North Vancouver Arts Council Gallery is showcasing designs from the PARTS by heather 'COUTURE 09' collection as well as a few new items! The Gallery is located at Lonsdale between 3rd and 4th. http://www.nvartscouncil.ca Designs will be on display till The end of January.

Thank you for following my little blog, have a safe warm and wonderful holiday. More in the New Year!

New Locations in the New Year

The PARTS for kids! class at Ridgeway Elementary is wrapping up on December 8th with a fashion show - the kids are getting excited and photo's will follow:) I have been blown away by the creations that are cropping up. Last week, we began a foray into leather and these kids on onto something haute I tell you. I love the way they look at materials... My one male student is making a necklace from rolled leather attached with bone components, and as for the girls, there is a fabulous leather wrapped hairband swathed in neon feathers to an earth toned metallic hair piece with ribbons and suede - my mind is being blown - go team!

What I love most about this group is the friendships that are forming and how each child is creativity feeding off the others. They came in strangers and now encourage and help each other, joke with one another, share and inspire one another. It's amazing.

The fashion show wraps up before the schools band and choir concert, so we've got the set up and sound covered. There will be scooters and plenty of high fashion attitude. I can't wait to see this group kill it on the runway!

In other news, New CLASSES in the new year!

Starting January 10th, PARTS for kids! will be running sessions for multiple age groups at the Vancouver Jewish Centre (wee ones and school age) and with The Beaumont Gallery (school age and adults). We will likely have another session at Ridgeway too.

Thanks for reading!