The Metal Space

Thank you, Anna, for your beautiful words! We are so pleased to know that you have enjoyed the workshop.

Hello makers:-)
We are introducing new project based Saturday Sunset course with Roxanna Moznabi. First project is starting already on Saturday 27th of June, 5-8pm and runs for 8 weeks. In this course, you will learn bit about kinetic jewellery - specifically, you will be making silver spinner pendant (silver is included). During this time you will learn metal forming, filing, annealing, soldering, texturing, finishing and more. Perfect for beginners and low level intermediate makers needing to dust their skills.

New block of Wednesday Night Jewellery Making with Brenda Orlowski is starting already next week. There are only three spots left, don't missout your chance to switch off and claim some time for yourself. Come and make jewellery with us.

Work in progress - Three Tidal Necklaces by Wendy who comes to our Wednesday day class, Jewellery Explorations with Clare Hooper. Absolutely stunning! I can't wait to see it finished!

Is Wednesday day time good time for you? Enrol to next course starting next week on Wednesday 10th of June.

I can't described how impressed I am with our students. This is work of our Saturday students. Some were complete beginners five weeks ago and some are already an intermediate level. Can you tell which work is whose? You can't it is all really good!! Well done Kerry, Anna, Cybele and Karlota! Well done, Laura Capplis, what an amazing teacher hou are!

Next block of Saturday classes starts on 13th of June, don't miss out!

COPY FOR INSTAGRAM / PROMOTION

Professional photography isn’t always an option or available every time you need photographs of your work. This hands-on workshop is designed to give you the skills to capture your work anytime, using your iPhone!

Date / Time - Sunday 16th August 2026, 930 - 430pm

Location - This workshop is held in collaboration with The Metal Space, 8/505 Pittwater Road, Brookvale 2100 NSW, Australia.

Bookings: www.samanthamackie.com 

Link: https://www.samanthamackie.com/photo-workshop/p/x7s0ak4h9iwj9ltk0rgrspjmhd82dp

What you will learn…..

Maximising Your iPhone’s Features – Unlock the potential of your iPhone’s

Composition & Styling – Learn the essentials of composition and styling to showcase your work in the most flattering way for improved sales and prize entries.

Props & Backgrounds – Explore how to select and use props to improve your images without overpowering your work and how make your own easy back drops.

Using Natural & Artificial Light – Understand more about light basics and improve your photos with minimal setup.

Basic DIY Equipment – Learn about simple, affordable gear you can buy or even make yourself to elevate your photography.

Editing Your Photos – Step-by-step guidance on simple editing - using one of the best photo editing apps available - and it’s free.

Preparing Images for Social Media, Web & Print – Get tips on how to prepare your images for  competitions, Instagram to print-ready marketing files.

Includes:

Morning tea, tea and coffee

Written Notes & Cheat Sheets

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WHAT TO BRING

Two or three pieces of your work

Your iphone - fully charged and a charging cable

Lunch 

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Look at these candle holders! They are coming along so nicely! Lyn is working super hard!

Alice from Jewellery Making on Saturdays with Laura Capplis finished these beaitiful earrings and is ready to gift them to the lucky birthday person! They are stunning!

A few snippets from Wednesday night class! Last week Lauren finished this stunning silver ring! It is a birthday gift! How lucky is the birthday person.
Amy is working on pretty cool earcuff. It will be soldered and polished this Wednesday night. Can't wait to share with you photos:-)

Today I am cleaning and getting ready these two neckpieces for postage to for members exhibition Echoes and Fragments. Applications closing today!

Furrows
2022
Brass (Sydney), coconut shell (Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa), mahogany (recycled from chair back Amparo, Brazil)

Travel has become an essential part of my creative practice and personal transformation. Each place I visit leaves a lasting imprint on me — collecting new memories, learning from unfamiliar environments and cultures, and gradually altering the way I understand both material and life itself. Through these experiences, I become more aware of how people adapt, survive, and create meaning through the resources around them.
During the wet season in Bali, I walked along beaches overwhelmed with washed-up rubbish. The landscape was confronting — piles of sharp plastic, broken objects, and debris stretched across the shoreline unlike anything I had witnessed before. Among this, local people patiently sorted the waste into materials: furniture fragments, organic matter, plastics, and reusable objects. What could be reused was given another life; the rest slowly disappeared, often burned. As the season passed, the beach transformed again, revealing black volcanic sand marked only by water ripples, scattered pebbles, and traces of organic remains.
What drew my attention repeatedly were small piles of coconut shells gathered and sometimes intentionally burned. Curious about their significance, I learned that coconut shell is a highly valued material used as fuel because it burns intensely and reaches high temperatures, making it useful for blacksmithing and other forms of making. I became fascinated by this transformation — a discarded natural material becoming a source of energy, labour, and creation.
This encounter deeply resonated with my practice. I am interested in materials that carry memory, evidence of use, and cycles of transformation. Through collecting, observing, and learning from the places I travel to, I seek to understand how objects and materials embody human resilience, adaptation, and renewal.