Delores Highsmith

A recent move from Richardson, Texas, brings Jewelry and Glass Focal Bead Artist, Delores Highsmith to the Pagosa Springs area. Born in Georgia, she graduated with a BFA degree from the University of Georgia’s Lamar Dodd School of Art.

After Graduation, she moved with her husband to Boulder, Colorado, spending 15 years working in the oil industry and raising two children. Delores founded HiDesign, Inc. and spent 10 years producing technical slides, maps, illustrations, and presentations for the oil industry.

A corporate move with her husband Tom placed them in a suburb of Dallas for another 19 years where she was a member of and a Metal Clay Instructor at the Craft Guild of Dallas. She received most of her training in glass techniques from nationally known teachers through the Craft Guild of Dallas. During the years in Texas she was employed for 10 years as a Senior QA Manager and software designer for the product Macromedia FreeHand, a software drawing, graphics and printing program. Delores served on the board of The Suzuki Institute of Dallas, a children’s music school.

Delores has been making glass focal beads for other jewelry artists for over 10 years, shipping her beads to excited customers all over the world. She teaches private lessons in beadmaking and glass fusing at her home studio.

She is a trained traditional metalsmith working in silver, copper, bronze, and enameled metals. She teaches advanced chain maille ring weaving; and with the introduction of the exciting new medium, precious metal clay, she teaches all levels of metal clay techniques. “My Mission is on two levels. One is to create beautiful and imaginative things as an artist and the other is to teach others how to create using metal and glass. I want my students to discover their own potential and teach them how to bring the images in their heads into a lasting impression of unique beauty,” Delores says. She received advanced instruction, becoming a Senior Art Clay Silver Instructor with Art Clay World. She teaches classes in silver, copper, and bronze clays opening the door for excited beginning students, who choose not to train for years in traditional metal fabrication, to easily make beautiful silver, gold, copper, and bronze jewelry. Currently she is one of only three instructors in Colorado certified to teach Art Clay Silver techniques and to certify other instructors in these techniques.

See Delores' Video!