An Afterthought on Teaching

Though I am in Malaysia having a great trip, my mind was wandering to the classes I taught in WA. It was an interesting experience because I have never offered a class that was project driven, and this was, after all, a gourd festival. So, some students were a bit taken aback when I began by saying there would be no patterns, no handouts, and no tracing. (I had put sticky glue on their chairs- they could not flee.)

 No.  We would begin by working on paper, not gourds, and we would begin by sponging colors in random strokes, working quickly, and not trying to make a picture.  No pictures please.  Don't make pictures.  No, no pictures.  Just grab the paint and put it down, no rights, no wrongs, no fixes, no erasures, just spontaneous movement of the hand and arm.  Time's up.  Now on to finding the "seed"....and before they knew it, the 4 hours were over and there was no finished gourd in sight.  But almost 100% of the students over 4 days of teaching said they had been excited, inspired by the process, and learned how to see in a new way.  That's enough for me.  They opened themselves and let something new in.  Their surprise inspired me.  It was a great team project even if it didn't involve a finished gourd anything.

Celebration of Fine Art

Beautiful opening day on Friday!  What's better than art and 70 degrees?  The show is spectacular!  We have some very talented new people and many of the veterans of the show have spent the year getting special pieces ready for this special event.  The Celebration is a very out-of-the-box artshow.  We artists appreciate the support we get for expermenting in new techniques and materials, concepts and ideas that stretch us and ultimately make for more dynamic work. 

Keep an eye on this blog as I post pics from the show, or, just come on in and see the work in person.

The Process - piece by piece...

Sometimes these things are pretty awkward!  And when it's cold it takes a lot longer because the tool cools off
quickly.

The Process

 What is a clear picture in my head passes through many states of being before completion - currently this newest project (a large commission piece of an Iris garden) is in what I refer to as THE CHINESE NIGHTMARE phase.  Now, this is not meant to be a cultural insult of any kind, so I hope none of you are taking offense.  Rather it is simply what a nightmare dreamt by a single-language American girl might look like in Chinese........but in another couple of weeks it will be quite another story.  Till then, enjoy the pictures of the process....and, btw, the finished work will be on display for the opening weekend of The Celebration of Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ, Jan 16-18.

ACC/Charlotte

It was delightful meeting so many new people this past weekend at the ACC/Charlotte show! It was the first time that I've shown in Charlotte and it was a beautiful and succesful show - and fun to know that many of you will visit our studio/gallery just 40 miles up the road in Salisbury. To those of you who recognized my work from other NC shows in Asheville, Blowing Rock, Piedmont and Cabbarus County, thanks for the compliment! Achieving that "voice" in one's work is something we all strive for. Three days is a long show and I'm glad to be drinking my coffee this morning in my own home. On Wednesday, after the election, I'll be back at work preparing for the Piedmont Craftsmen and Carolina Designer Craftsmen shows. Hope to see you there.

Gourd Workshops & Classes

At last! The Gourd Workshops have begun! Click on Workshops & Classes to see what's coming in September. We'll have a great time and you will love Salisbury in the Fall!