Delta Secondary School, Delta, British Columbia, Canada

I am writing to extend my appreciation for the recent workshop that you conducted for the Delta School District fine arts teachers. Marcia, you are a dedicated and passionate instructor. As a group, we were amazed at your professionalism, your enthusiasm and your ability to teach to a variety of different skill levels. On a personal note, your workshop topped my wildest expectations. Your exceptional examples, projects and in-depth teaching, helped fuel my love of learning and passion for working metal. The more you taught, the more excited I became. I was amazed at the amount of material you were able to cover and I will need weeks to take it all in. Marcia, your generosity is exemplary. I now have an entire arsenal of new techniques that I will pass on to my students. Whether it is how to move metal, make punches and stamps, make and use die forms, Kum Boo, or Prismacolour onto metal, all of these techniques and more will be a legacy that gets passed on because of your teachings. Thank you, thank you.

Sincerely,
Gailene Powell
Director of Fine Arts
Delta Secondary School
Delta, British Columbia

Dear Marcia,

Once again it was our great pleasure to have you here teaching a summer workshop. The students’ comments about “Punching Up Your Metalwork with Chasing,” were, as we expected, very laudatory. One student wrote, “Marcia Lewis is an excellent instructor, very informative and friendly. She taught us one of the most exciting new methods of forming.” Another wrote, “The instructor is well organized, one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable . . . She also teaches excellent time saving methods.”

Thank you for providing this learning opportunity to our metalsmithing students. We look forward to having you back again.

Sincerely,

Peggy Templer Executive Director Mendocino Art Center

 i just wanted to tell you that i LOVED the workshop you gave here in baltimore at M.I.C.A's jewelry center. it was phenomenal! i was completely taken with chasing and repoussé. your instruction was so thorough and your technique of teaching so patient and nuturing. it was amazing to learn that artists can create their own tools for this form of metalsmithing. i had been looking for a way to get three dimensionality out of sheet metal, and this ancient art is truly fascinating. it really did seem magical as the metal moved beneath my hands. i couldn't stop talking about it once i got back to the course i'm taking this semester! i can't wait to get your book in the mail and really dig into the meat of chasing and repoussé.

thanks for the experience!

sincerely,

dara o'malley

I did really enjoy your workshop and learned a tremendous amount.  I always  take copious notes in every class but I think I have the equivalent of another book on chasing and repoussé from two days of your demos and lectures.   I usually find 2-day workshops too brief to actually do much in hands-on work without sacrificing the precious lecture/demo time.   Not so this time!  We not only received a ton of info but we were able to make our own steel punches and a "fried egg".   Great idea for practicing skills with it's domed  yolk and the ripples and undulations of the frizzled whites.   You couldn't get too wrapped up in the preciousness of it and besides every one is different so there's no one correct fried egg!   You consciously spent one-on-one time with each student on both projects to ensure that everyone "got it".   This was all possible because you were extremely well organized and paced the class to cover all the material right up to the slides at the end.   And, it's nice to know I can refer to your book if needed!  As you pointed out, at the very least it is helpful to know how to use the pitch bowl as a support while working on any metal piece.   AND, I no longer feel a need for an expensive hydraulic die-press because I can combine the low tech version of Masonite die-forming with chasing and repoussé as you showed us.   It is not exaggerating to say that you've opened my eyes to the malleability of metal!

- Wendy McAllister