Jean Skipper



Ocracoke is my all time favorite creative
destination, and I'm looking forward to
sharing it with you!

My name is Jean Skipper, and I live in Vass, North Carolina, with my Husband, Son, Mother, and our menagerie of cats and dogs.  Amidst the undeniable chaos that is our lives, I’m thrilled to say that I’m also living my dream as a full time Working Artist and Teacher. 

The road to this happy place has been a long and windy one.  It's lead from my birthplace in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to my 15 year career in banking, to five years as an art gallery owner in Southern Pines, North Carolina.  As I look back on it now, each and every step along the way has been a necessary part of the process, and it’s increased my appreciation for all that surrounds me now.

In my work as a mixed media artist, I transform solid copper, sterling silver, found objects, and other treasures into highly textured jewelry and assemblages.  I especially love sentimental whimsical one-of-a-kind artwork.  Every piece that I create has a story, and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you. 

Looking Forward...

At our ReMe Retreat on Ocracoke Island in

2015, I'll be introducing, Whispers In The Wind, a class that was born of my obsessive habit of collecting.  

As a child I filled my pockets with treasures from my travels, and I continue to do this today.  “Treasures” is a relative term.  Much of what I collect…the broken, the discarded, and the worn…would be deemed to be junk by most people.  Instead of quickly dismissing these items, I see their history; and I imagine the lives that they’ve touched.  I also attach a special significance to the memory and the context of when and where I discovered each piece myself.

My connection with these objects allows for a new chapter of their story to unfold. Whispers In The Wind was designed to honor these hidden treasures and to place them on center stage as the focal pieces in three dimensional mixed media assemblages, wind chimes, jewelry, or a combination of all three. 

    

During Whispers In The Wind, we’ll stamp, forge, texture, and move metal!  We’ll wire wrap, rivet, and cold connect to our hearts content!  We’ll gather found objects, and

incorporate our own precious treasures and memories into each piece that we create! 

Through it all, I’ll demonstrate a variety of techniques and provide you with detailed information about safety, metal properties, and the many means with which we can capture found objects.  

We’ll also discuss the manner in which our work can honor our memories, our histories, and the stories of the objects that will be taking center stage.

Perhaps most importantly, please remember that the choices are all yours!  No two finished projects will be alike, and I’ll work with you to create a one-of-a-kind original that’s sure to make your heart sing.

Skill Level: Whispers In The Wind is appropriate for all skill levels.  Even if you’ve never touched a hammer or a pair of pliers before this class, I’ll show you the way!

Your Takeaway:  Students will leave this class with a one-of-a-kind original creation, and a working knowledge of metal preparation, texturing, hand stamping, cold connecting, jewelry construction, and finishing.    

Supplies:  While all supplies are included with your ReMe Registration, I invite you to bring your favorites.  We’ll be using a variety of beads, chain, wire, and metal shapes.  In particular, students should consider bringing their favorite found objects.  Raid your junk drawer, your workshop, and your button jar!  The addition of your own favorites to your creations will add a bit history that’s uniquely your own.

Tools:  While tools will be available, I invite you to bring the favorites that you just can’t live without.  At a minimum, in Whispers In The Wind we’ll be using hammers, metal stamps, a steel bench block, a rubber bench block, round nose pliers, needle nose pliers, flat nose pliers, and flush cutters.

What Else? If you have additional questions concerning my background or the business of art, we’ll have ample time to discuss all of this and more in our relaxed seaside setting.  If you have questions for me prior to ReMe, please contact me anytime at Jean@ReMeRetreats.com

With our help, the memories of our ReMe Retreat on Ocracoke Island in 2015 will Whisper In The Wind long after our time together has come to an end. 

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Ocracoke!  

Looking Back...

At our ReMe Retreats in 2014, we worked through the process of creating individual one-of-a-kind convertible charm bracelets that could also be worn as necklaces.  Finished masterpieces featured each guest's personalized treasures and island finds, and often we deviated from our plan and worked with a completely different design in mind. 

Along the way, we learned a variety of metalsmithing techniques including hand stamping, forming, texturing, the creation of dimensional resin charms and resin enhanced papers, wire wrapping, riveting, and finishing.  Practice time was spent in the creation of cuff bracelets, pendants, earrings, and other treasures; and each guest left Ocracoke with their own collection of finished jewelry as a remembrance of their time at ReMe.  

 Outside of classes during our ReMe Retreats, I also assisted guests with these techniques and individual projects during daily open studio sessions. 

If you'd like to see more of my work online, please visit my Jean Skipper Originals Facebook Page or my Jean Skipper Originals Website.