Helga van Leipsig: Muse Personality

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Date started working in metal clay:
November 2005 I bought my first package of silverclay because I saw it in my jewelry material & tool catalogue and I got curious by it. I fiddeled a bit around with it. It was love at first sight. With my torch I fired the first batch and thought it was magic. I turned to the internet to find more information about the product. Soon found out there were two brands. PMC was the one I was most attracted to because there was a wealth of technical information on the guilds website which I was looking for at that  moment. I had a desire to know everything about it, and that desire still fuels my passion for metalclay. I read and studied everything that I could find, I still do.  
Certified: (what clay, year and with whom)
My first teacher was Yolanda Nieuwboer, she’s a trained goldsmith and did have a two day intensive course with PMC in the Netherlands, it was February 2006. She thaught me the basics of working with the clay and the pro’s and con’s for metalsmiths. The next half year I did work on my own, experimenting in the time I had. In November 2006 I did an additional “enamel on silverclay” class with Yolanda. Adding color was then something I was playing with. In this time I also found out that ceramic decals can be used on silverclay.  

In my urge to know more I signed up for a new intensive class at the Mid Cornwall School of Jewelry in the UK February 2007. I did consider going to The States to get certified by Rio’s but the extra’s, like the two days of learning how to teach a workshop yourself,  that Lisa Cain offered, made me choose her school. Lucky me, because the 10 days were just brilliant. Lisa poured all here knowledge in us students. It was a very open and save environment to learn and it was also there I learned to know Julia Rai, we were the first two students that completed the PMC diploma.

Accomplished at what media in addition to metal clay:
I am a silversmith, love to hammer metal but it’s a time consuming habit. So lately I picked up foldforming and anti-clastic raising because of the speed of working you can have. My other job is being a webdesigner for small companies, takes up quite a bit of time. Ofcourse all my sites are build by me. The webshop La Leipsig Jewels took me almost a year to figure out. Quite a challenge as I am an auto-didact with webdesign.  
Website and short bio:
www.helgavanleipsig.com and www.laleipsigjewels.com
 
I live and work in The Netherlands. My jewelry education started at the Academy of Arts in Maastricht, The Netherlands. So before I came across Precious Metal Clay in 2005 I was already a traditional silversmith. Captivated by PMC because of its incredible moldable quality I immediately started to work and experiment with it on my own. In an urge to know everything about it, I gained the PMC Diploma at the MCSJ. In 2007 I won second price with “Lady Elliot” in the PMC competition “Small treasures” for European metalsmiths. Presenter on the PMC conference 2008 with “Applying ceramic decals on silverclay”. My work is published in several magazines and books. In may 2011 I will show & sell my Earth collection at the first SNAG trunk show in Seattle.  

I am still astonished by this fascinating material and keep on exploring it, creating jewelry which is sold via my website www.laleipsigjewels.com and a few galleries. I also share my knowledge by teaching PMC workshops in the south of Holland. I am a member of the PMC guild and SNAG.

What is your inspiration now?
Earth.  The farmers that plough. Seeds. Flowers. My own inner developments that I struggle with.  

I am now working on a collection that is called Earth. It is part explorations in metalclay in what you can do with it that is tough to do in traditional techniques and my fascination for farmers that are ploughing. Earth that gets turned over. The farmers do that to break open the land so that they can start sowing, so something can start growing. As a human being you also have to be open if you want to grow. I take those ideas as inspiration to make this collection, but it is still in its early stages.

The piece which is featured here is called “Plough Deep” and is one of my favorites. Actually, Tonya, you have been an inspiration for that particular piece. On the PMC conference in 2008 you handed out a badge with on it the text “Plough deep while sluggards sleep” a quote from Ben Franklin. This badge is still hanging on my inspiration wall.

Do you have a muse?
My muse is mother nature. In all her facets, good and bad.  
What is currently on your bench/workspace?
I can be very chaotic while working. Imagine piles of stuff laying everywhere. Because I just had a gallery show and am working on my pieces that I want to take with me to SNAG in Seattle it is pretty much covered.  
What project/direction are you working on now?
My new Earth collection.  
How much time do you average at the bench per week?
If I am really lucky it would be 10 hours solely on jewelry things. Sometimes it’s less.  
What’s the average time you spend on a piece?
That really depends. Making something from scratch can take months before the idea is ready in my eyes. But if a piece has to be done a second time, it could be just one hour.  
Do you sell your work?  and where?
On my webshop La Leipsig Jewels and in galleries and art shows.  
Do you keep a sketchbook and how do you organize it?
Yes, I have several sketchbooks. Over the years I have filled many with drawings, writings, collages etc. I can never resist a beautiful one, so the question “what do you collect” is answered here a bit as well. Once I did a course in bookbinding, so sometimes I make my own sketchbook. There is only one problem with a bound book, I find it hard to start in a new one because of the fear of not “doing it right”, the feeling that you want to make it beautiful and that you spoil a page (I know, silly me). So lately I began to make loose books where I can replace pages. It is really liberating in doing so because I tend to do more. Perhaps a tip for you as well!
Are there places or things you avoid that zap your creativity?
I do not watch television much. I get irritated by it, although once in a while a good movie is OK.
Do you have a ritual before you begin to create?
First I walk the dog, every day the same route in the morning. Then I go up in my studio put on some classic barok music and start working. The best part of the day is for me the morning, I fence-guard this time for the creative work. The afternoon and evening is for the organization stuff and webdesign which comes with having a business. I recently took up this habit to get more done, it is all part of making it a routine so I can work every day on jewelry things.  
What do you collect?
Beside my sketchbooks…? Not really much, okay my studio has lots of thinks in it but I don’t consider it a collection. It are just future projects. Perhaps my tradings with other artists is my collection. I have a beautiful painting that I traded for a necklace. A glass sculpture in exchange for earrings. A ceramic art work for a website. Mmm…. there are more, so I guess I collect art from colleague artists.  
How do you rejuvenate your creativity?
When I want to relax I go into my garden and will work in the ground and with the plants. We live in an old farm so there is always something to do. It is a like a meditation for me. I also take great pleasure in watching things grow. Still am amazed by how a little seed can become a tree or a vegetable that you can eat. Cooking is another. Walking the dog. Taking pictures from plants. Reading. Meditation. Juggling. learning languages. Having fun with friends. Traveling. Meeting new people.  
What would your perfect creative day be like?
Well on this sunny day I would first be working in my studio in the morning, just my daily routine. Then lunch with my partner and our son, enjoying fresh picked strawberries from our garden, whipped cream of course! In the afternoon a good museum or gallery visit with an art friend and talking. In the evening an Italian dinner with a fine glass of red wine and lots of friends to share all this happiness.  

One Response to Helga van Leipsig: Muse Personality

  1. Tonya, don’t know why I just found out you had a blog!! I’m a subscriber now to your feeds through RSS. And for heaven’s sake, did my mouth drop open when I read the ezine today! Can I tell you, I am beyond flattered? But I meant every word and was elated to read your goals were the same thing I’d been looking for. How awesome! I love WLW and SSC and have made some wonderful and fast friends – people I didn’t even know last week and now I feel like I’ve known them all my life!! How cool is that? Get some rest, busy lady. You are truly blessed and highly favored and deeply appreciated and loved by us all.

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