Don and Louise Coulson
50040 Deer Road
Aberdeen, MS 37930

662-436-7153

wireweavers@gmail.com

knottedjewelry.com

Design team of Don & Louise Coulson have been married for 37 years; raised two great kids; rebuilt a boat; and hand built a cabin on the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway. They have moved 39 times in the 38 years and traveled thousands of miles on their boat and in their camper. They are fortunate to have seen wilderness from Canada to Mexico. From birds to bears and orchids to cacti, they have observed the natural world. The beauty of the water, rocks, sky and nature combined with historical textile techniques form the basis of their designs.

They are juried exhibiting members of the Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi, have taught in several states and had pieces published in Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry. Louise has recently completed her book "Showcase: Develop, Maintain and Market Your Own Jewelry Web Site".

Don Coulson has recently retired from a career in construction managementfor a large engineering company and has much more time for his jewelry work.He has been working with wire for about 4 years, but in the last 2 years hisfocus has turned to knotted jewelry. He lived aboard his boat for 12 yearsand has cruised extensively. Basic seamanship skills include marlinespikework - the tying of knots. It was only natural to translate the knots tosilver. In Don's view, the finest pieces come from the combination ofmaterials, craftsmanship and creativity.

They use many techniques on the wire that they have used on yarn. After many years as a knitter, a weaver and a hand spinner, it was just a natural transition to use fiber-related techniques on the wire. They coil, twist, knit, know, braid, tat and even sculpt the wire into jewelry that is intended to be timeless and elegant. Precision and craftsmanship as well as imagination and creativity are critical to the success of this type of wirework.

Their design process is a journey of discovery. It consists of sketching, modeling and making practice pieces to get the proportion, technique, and detail set before the pieces are rendered in gold or silver wire. They incorporate the historical tradition and techniques for knitting, weaving, lace making, knotting, braiding and nailbinding in the work. Working closely together, they design and create each piece of jewelry using their combination of natural skills and learned expertise.

CLASS DESCRIPTION

Some of the projects will use jigs (supplied for use in class and available for sale if the student wants them) and others will use free-hand techniques.

Bring any hand tools you are used to working with.

· Round nose pliers
· Chain nose pliers
· Flat nose pliers
· Flush cutters
· Optical aids
· Jewelry cloth
· Measuring tape
· Steel ruler

Don will teach 8 projects including the following:

- Knotted Pendant and Earring Set
- Some variety of Turk's Head Knotted Bracelet and Earring Set
- A nautical knot to be determined
- Two Nautical Rings
- Possibly a Carrick Bend
- Reef Knot Turk's Head Bracelet Braided or Sennet Bracelet
If time permits, several other projects will be included.

These materials fees will be charged separately if the student wants to participate in the extra projects. The projects may include Knotted Chain, Celtic Knotting,Chinese Knotting and Knotted (Possibly Sennet) Post Earrings among other possibilities.

Lab Fees for Handouts and consumables - $10.00

Total Class Cost for Materials for the 8 basic projects - (based on a $16.78silver market in January of 2008) $90.00. Since we are unable to predictthe price of silver in 9 months, this is a tenative prices.

Maximum Number of Students: 6

Pre-requisite: Wire experience helpful but not necessary