PMC Senior Instructors - Mary Ann & Ken Devos

MARY ANN DEVOS

Mary Ann Devos earned a BS in Administration from Nova University. She was a practicing RN for 25 years in Critical Care and Hospital Administration. It was her lifetime commitment to art that helped her maintain her highly stressful medical career.
Over the years art was the joy of her life. She journeyed through many media including textiles, glass, clay and metals. Her influences are ancient cultures and nature. In 1988 she made a strong commitment to metals. In 1995 she began her full time work as a jeweler. Her work has been features in many galleries and magazines.

In 1996 she was introduced to PMC in Tim McCreight's first class for jewelers. It was an instant life transformation. She began to teach and in 1999 became Consultant for Aida Chemical Industries, maker of Art Clay. She adapted the curriculum for use in the US and began a certification program for that company.

In 2001 she returned to PMC as Director of Education for PMC Connection, the newest distributor of PMC in the US.

Mary Ann's accomplishments include many articles in clay, glass, metal and craft magazines. She received the Chairman's Award for the International Pearl Contest, Tokyo, Japan, 1998. He two books, Introduction to Precious Metal Clay and Precious Metal Clay in Mixed Media are available internationally.

She works full time to teach and manage the Education program for PMC Connection, especially the Certification program. She also helps to set up the Education programs the national and international companies.

Mary Ann has taught and exhibited in Europe, Africa, Australia, Canada, Japan and across the US.

Ken Devos

For much of my life, I have worked in a wide range of artistic media. Encouraged from childhood to develop my creative abilities, I have tried to learn from the artistic opportunities available to me. From an early age, I have felt a need to create. Childhood craft lessons serve as a solid foundation for later artistic endeavors.

Since 1989 I have turned to working in metals, primarily silver. I have taken classes in contemporary metalsmithing techniques on the college level at Edison Community College in Fort Myers, Florida, as well as at the Broward Art Guild. I continue to expand the range of my technical abilities through classes at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and workshops presented through the Florida Society of Goldsmiths.

In 1999, I began to incorporate the use of Silver Clay into my creative process, combining Silver Clay with hand made silver chains and intricate techniques using metals in textile processes. As a result of this involvement with Silver Clay, I also have trained in advanced techniques of its use, studying both in the US and in Japan.

The use of Silver Clay within the context of traditional techniques results in a blending of modern material and traditional patterns. This intertwining of old and new is a continuing theme in my work, a striving to take new materials and apply them to established procedures. It is a process which allows me constantly to re-examine my work and the world around me. Silver clay has opened a wide range of artistic possibilities and I look forward to continuing my exploration of this medium.