| November
2000 
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Halloween
is just behind us. A holiday that unfortunately has lost some of
its zeal thanks to the encroachment of Christmas decorations in
September. It’s too bad really, for it is a holiday that sparkles
with personal attempts at finding that perfect alter ego.
Through
the years I have flirted with many personas, my favorite, when I
was a child, was dressing up as Pipi Longstocking. She was (and
is) my hero for all her quirky and non-conformist ways. One year,
when I was sporting a great pair of cowboy boots, Annie Oakley seemed
a natural. (But, I spared everyone my rendition of Ethel Merman
belting out "You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun".) I
think I kept up my half of the bargain as Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde,
one year. I was pretty frightening! And the fall I got my leg out
of a cast, the only thing to be was a barefoot wood nymph.
Of
course we are in costume everyday. The clothes we select, and the
jewelry we chose, tells a great deal about how we feel that day,
and how we are going to act. Flamboyant, relaxed, sensual, serious,
creative… One year, I attended a now famous "White Trash
Party". I was in a gold lamé jumpsuit, gold sandals,
rhinestone-studded sunglasses, and BIG hair. Someone tried to talk
shop with me, and I couldn’t do it!
I
think this month’s hair sticks are a perfect addition for the
holidays, whether they are a romantic soft touch for Thanksgiving,
or to put away as a stocking stuffer.
Have
a wonderful Thanksgiving, and remember to be grateful everyday.
See
you next month!
Elizabeth
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| October
2000 
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Fall
is upon us, the geese are flying, the colors are changing, and the
first pumpkins appeared at the farmers market this week. I actually
look forward to being able to dig out my favorite sweaters and corduroy
pants. And it’s always surprising to find myself just about
ready for the garden to back off a little. I guess that is what
changing seasons are all about, because I know that by next March
I will be champing at the bit to get my hands back into the soil.
Fall
does bring us inside again, and I have more workshops scheduled
for all those ready for ready to find inspiration on dark evenings.
I
will be conducting Precious Metal Clay workshops at the following
locations:
Rochester
Museum and Science Center, Monday, October 2, 9, 16. From 7-9 p.m.
Call 271-4552 x342.
Genesee
Pottery, Monday, November 6, 13, 20. From 6-8 p.m. Call 271-5183.
Rochester
Info Courses, November 14 & 16. 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Call 256-1960.
This
class will be for making Holiday ornaments.
Rochester
Museum and Science Center, Saturday, December 2, 9, 16. From 12-2
p.m. Call 271-4552 x 342.
For
those who have taken workshops and want to keep working on their
own, I do supply silver PMC for $30 and ounce. And provide a firing
service for $20 per ounce. Email me for more information.
Some
of the really creative things that students have made out of PMC
are: buttons, charms for necklaces, earrings, hair sticks, small
figurines, rings, bracelets, animal totems, and beads.
Elizabeth
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| September
2000 
|
Isn’t
September always a surprise? I know as a child, summer vacation seemed
to spread out to the horizon, seemingly endless. Today, even without
that long stretch of vacation, September still seems to bound up in
front of us completely out of the blue.
I
was delighted to be chosen as Feature Artist in the Fall 2000 Issue
of the STUDIO PMC newsletter. This two-page article can be viewed
on their web site at http://www.pmcGuild.com. (Or will be as soon
as they load it!)
My
summer "Precious Metal Clay" workshops were a huge success.
Each workshop was filled to capacity, with waiting lists for all.
As a result, workshops have been scheduled into the fall. The Rochester
Museum and Science Center will again be holding workshops in October
and December. The Genesee Pottery will have another workshop in
November. (A reminder: I hold private workshops in my studio, as
well as sell PMC and offer firing services.)
I
am in the process of putting together a lecture and slide presentation
for groups and organizations that have requested such. It should
be complete by later in the fall. If you know of such a group that
might be interested in hiring a speaker, please contact me.
Rochester
starts out the fall art season with gala gallery night. It’s
a night when all the galleries launch their new fall exhibits, and
there are art openings all over town. This year it is Friday, September
15th. I will have a piece in the Pyramid Art Center’s Member
Show.
On
a final note, I had the privilege of meeting Hillary on one of her
campaign stops in Rochester. And an autograph to boot. Of course
one of Rochester’s claims to fame is Susan B. Anthony, and
I take everyone who comes to visit, to see her grave. One of the
speakers at Hillary’s event was a 99 year old woman who had
been a suffragette, and was one of the first women to vote (legally
that is). She was proud of her contribution, and proud to see women
so actively running for office these days. But the phrase that stuck
in my mind, was when she said, that unfortunately women haven’t
done much with their voting privilege. And it’s a sentiment
that sadly I found all too true. When my grandmother was of voting
age, she couldn’t vote. And a scant two generations later,
I am appalled and embarrassed at the number of women I speak to
who do not bother to vote. ‘Nuf said.
See
you next month,
Elizabeth.
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| July
2000 
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I
have just all sorts of news this month! Last month was chock full
of good and exciting news.
Two
of my mixed media pieces were juried into an upcoming exhibition
called "Made in New York 2000", at the Schweinfurth Memorial
Art Center, in Auburn, New York. The picture here is one of the
pieces that will be in the show. This brooch reliquary is called
"You Are Here", and stands about six inches high. The
front and back cover are copper with embellishments, contained within
are pictures, sketch book pages, the brooch, a lock of hair. The
second piece is a game table entitled "Playing by the Rules:
You Can't Get There From Here". There will be a Artists Reception
open to the public on Sunday, July 9th from 1-5 p.m. For directions
you can check out their website at http://www.cayuganet.org/smartcenter/.
I
was also delighted to be informed that I received a grant for my
jewelry work from The Craft Alliance of New York State.
I
spent time these last few months volunteering for the Pyramid Arts
Auction, their annual fund raising event. All of us who donated
time and art work for the auction were well pleased that it was
the best auction to date.
The
workshops I have been conducting for Precious Metal Clay have continued
to sell out, and I have had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful
and creative woman in these workshops.
My
work in PMC is now available at the Memorial Art Gallery's gift
shop. (Located on University Avenue in Rochester, New York.)
Another
home show rounded out the month. If you like to host a home show
for my jewelry please email me for information.
My
creative talents turn now to painting the dining room. These projects
in a 110 year old home always amuse me with their complexity. It's
never just a matter of slapping paint on the walls. It turns quickly
into any number of repairs first. Windows that have been painted
shut for twenty years, old plaster walls that stay vertical just
by the grace of God, and past repairs uncovered that astonish me
with their sheer audacity and creativity. Its at these times that
I reflect on a fitting quote by Herman Melville, "There are
some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is the true method".
Have
a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend!
Elizabeth
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| June
2000 
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Buying
jewelry is lots of fun, but often the customer is so swept up with
the design; the immediate look of the piece, they forget to examine
its quality.
Let's
use stones as an example. When stones are used they are usually
the focal point of a piece, whether it's a diamond in a ring, or
an agate in a bracelet. Settings, whether prong or bezel, when perfectly
crafted, almost fall away from observation, letting the stone take
center stage. I use bezel settings exclusively for a number of reasons.
I think they are more durable for the kind of general wear that
jewelry has to stand up to, and I think they are enormously pleasing
esthetically. When you examine a bezel around a stone make sure
that it fits the stone. Any play in the bezel will mean that eventually
the stone will work its way loose. Also gaps in the bezel are going
to collect dirt and grim which will actually abrade the stone like
sand paper over time.
Stones
themselves should fit the function of the piece. Stones are gauged
by the Mohs scale of hardness with diamonds being the hardest at
number ten. A very soft stone set in a ring or bracelet will eventually
loose some of its luster, or scratch. A perfect example of commercial
jewelry stores giving customers what they may want, but not understand
is the recent popularity of tanzanite. This stone is about a six
on the scale, thus not particularly suited for bracelets. But customers
ask, and jewelry stores provide, only to have rather upset customers
down the road when this brilliant precious stone is now glazed and
dulled on the surface. Other soft stones on the other hand can work
quite well. Turquoise of course has been used in bracelets for years,
but because it is an opaque stone, and not facetted to enhance light
penetration, is much less noticeable when the surface becomes slightly
worn.
Stones
like turquoise are generally cut as cabochons, a rounded dome, and
this also protects it from wear as opposed to the sharp edges of
a facetted stone.
A
well cut cabochon should have a uniform and even height and shape.
It should not slope more on one side then the other, it should not
have a flat spot on top, and should be relatively free of blemishes.
It is not uncommon for these semi precious stones to be filled with
epoxy and polished in order to give them a good even polish. There
are times however when the imperfections enhance the individuality
of the stone. This really is personal judgment.
I
made a move this year at the Tucson Gem show to seek out stone cut
by American craftsmen. Stones cut individually, by hand rather then
being machine cut. I did this for a number of reasons. A craftsman
who is hand cutting a stone will select the portions of the slab
that are really alive, will take the effort to make stones that
pair well together, and there will not be stones that are clearly
seconds. This of course means that there is waste of some of the
slab, and they have taken time and effort to make esthetic choices.
Machine cut stones will use the whole slab, leave little waste,
are often difficult to pair, and the best parts of the slab may
be lost entirely. This means that each stone may in fact be cheaper
to buy, but you may have to buy a much larger quantity in order
to get any pairs out of them at all. A perfect example was a batch
of Chinese turquoise I brought back from Tucson. One of my students
was so taken with them that she ordered some from a common supplier.
What she received was a batch of stones that lacked all the color
variances and veining that had made my stones so fascinating. Hers
lacked any variation or veining at all. She was clearly disappointed.
Often these commercial stones have sharp edges that make them difficult
or impossible to bezel set without chipping a stone setting it in
the bezel.
Though
the decision to use better quality stones, and pay a living wage
for the craftsmen who produces them means that much additional cost
to a piece I think it well worth the expense. Not only have you
purchase a hand made piece of jewelry, but the stone is worthy of
the piece it enhances. To say nothing of the ethical conflict of
paying bottom dollar for a stone cut by a worker in a third world
country. I applaud the many craft stores springing up around the
country whose whole purpose is to seek out craftsmen in third world
countries and request that they create their beautiful ethnic wears
at living wages. I am unaware of that practice being employed with
stone cutters.
Rochester
is a stunning place in the spring, and this spring has been extraordinary.
It takes all my will not to veer out to the garden and get lost
in its splendor. My garden serves another purpose I did not foresee.
Living in the heart of the city as I do, I am surrounded by some
rather marginal housing. Dreary would be an understatement. When
I first arrived here five years ago it was not uncommon for children
to yank up flowers, pull branches off of trees, etc. But through
the years, as the neighborhood sees me tolling over my labor of
love, I think I have gained a certain respect for my industry. But
the one image that will remain in my mind forever was a young girl
on her way home from school last year. She saw me in the front yard
weeding, and said, " I think your house and flowers are SO
pretty, I just can't believe it's on the same street I live on."
You
can't imagine what you have never seen... Plant seeds and watch
them grow.
Elizabeth
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| April
2000 
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Rochester
has a growing and healthy community of artists. A few years ago
a group of us assembled to talk about how to make this community
more visible. To that end the
Neighborhood of the Arts was formed. Though technically I live
a mile outside the boundaries of this neighborhood, I have continued
to participate in its growth and emergence.
Not
only do I have artist friends who work there, but it is the home
to the following: The Arts and Cultural Council of Greater Rochester,
our local arts organization; you can find me listed in their online
artists registry. The only alternative art space, Pyramid Arts Center;
they hosted my collaborative mixed media installation a few years
ago. The Gallery at Gateway & Company; a solo grant-driven exhibit
of my work was there last month. Last but not least, Rochester's
only art museum, The Memorial Art Gallery; where my work will be
for sale beginning May, 2000.
The
weekend of April 8th I was invited to participate in what has become
a wonderful tradition in the neighborhood, "Second Saturdays."
In one of the old factory buildings
referred to as Anderson's Alley, the artists throw open their studio
doors on the second Saturday of each month to allow the public to
see art in the making, talk directly with the artists, as well as
satisfy a universal curiosity to see just what artist's studios
do look like. As you might well imagine, they are pretty cool places.
Wearable
Art was the theme this month, and I was approached by Kris Greenizen
to exhibit my jewelry in the painting studio she shares with Pat
Trivino, Judith Zwald, and Peter Veitch. I want to thank them all
again for their very warm welcome, and a delightful afternoon.
These
open houses afford terrific opportunities for the exchange
of ideas between artists, as well as introduce the artist to the
general public. My conversations that weekend revolved primarily
around my new work in "Precious Metal Clay". I was flattered
by the overwhelmingly positive response to that work, and the interest
in my upcoming PMC workshops. (See Listings
in last month's newsletter.)
A
road trip with fellow artists to the Everson Art Museum in Syracuse
introduced me to the breathtaking paintings of Beatrice Wose-Smith,
(1908-1971). The painting you see here is Winter Night, Fayette
Park, 1937, representative of the paintings of her hometown, Syracuse,
New York.
Spring
is here, fill up your birdbath!!
Elizabeth.
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| March
2000 
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Here
is a list of upcoming events, for further information please email
me!
March
10-31, 2000. An exhibit of "Precious Metal Clay" by Elizabeth
R. Agte. At the Gallery at Gateway & Co. 277 N. Goodman Street,
Rochester, NY. Call 716-473-7330 for hours.
May
19, 20, 22, 2000. "Precious Metal Clay" workshop. I will
teaching this at Genesee Pottery, 713 Monroe Avenue, Rochester,
NY. Call 716-271-5183 for a catalog. This workshop will be repeated
August 11, 12, 14, 2000.
May
22, 23, 25, 2000. I will be an artist in the schools at Irondequoit
High School.
April
1, 8, 2000. Next scheduled "Precious Metal Clay" workshop
in my studio. Openings still available. Call 716-232-8317 for information
or email me.
Summer,
2000. "Precious Metal Clay" workshops at the Rochester
Museum and Science Center, East Avenue, Rochester, NY.
June 19, 26, July 10
July 17,24,31
August 7, 21, 28
I will be conducting these workshops for adults. Workshops
for children will be included if there is interest.
Until
next month,
Elizabeth.
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| February
2000 
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Hi
everyone! I am still reeling from all the excitement of the Tucson
Gem Show. This event is the largest of its kind in the world, and
people come from all over the globe to buy and sell gems. The energy
of something this large is pretty contagious. It's also not hard
to take the warm Arizona weather coming from Rochester. I took a
certain amount of pleasure leaving my car covered in three feet
of snow and flying to a comfortable 78 degrees.
As
usual, my imagination was ignited by the stones I found there, and
the conversations I had with the artisans who cut them. I came home
with a gorgeous array of stones that include amber, Chinese turquoise,
jasper of all kinds, Montana agates, fossilized palm, sycamore,
and dinosaur bone.
I
was again impressed and inspired by the many seminars I attended,
finding new and valuable information at each one about new products,
new methods, and time proven techniques that I can't wait to incorporate
in my own studio.
Thanks
to the helpful information and hands on work I have been doing in
my local lapidary club, I had an even better knowledge of what I
was looking at during the show, in terms of craftsmanship.
I
managed to find one day for sight seeing, and was inspired by the
missions at Tumacacori, and San Xavier del Bac as well as the Tubac
artist colony. I can only attempt to convey the other worldly experience
of being able to visit Tumacacori in the early morning before the
tourists arrived, roaming around the old ruins alone with no sound
but the pan flutes of a local musician. I came home with the taste
of chilies, a tape of local music, a jar of prickly pear jam, (a
remembrance of the homemade jam my grandmother used to send at Christmas)
a Navaho doll, and a purple prickly pear cactus.
I
am preparing for a pre-Valentine's day home party to show case my
work and to allow customers to view a private showing of the stones
I purchased, for special commissions.
This
is the Chinese New Year, and this is the year of the dragon. As
a dragon myself, I find the description fairly accurate, a person
whose life is full of passion and energy, and a certain amount of
chaos.. I feel that energy in this upcoming year!
Thanks
to all you who have visited my site and left me wonderful messages
about my work.
with
inspiration,
Elizabeth.
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| January
2000 
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In
memory: Roy Charles Agte, 1923-1999.
This month I want to pay tribute to my father. He had struggled
with Parkinson's disease for over a decade, and on December 21,
the winter solstice, he lost that fight. It is a hard thing to know
how to grieve for someone I loved so much, but could make no peace
with the suffering he endured. His life was a full and rich one.
As a minister and humanitarian he touched the lives of many people.
That was apparent by a church filled to capacity for his memorial
service.
He believed in the powerful potential of all people, and his faith
and generosity of spirit is evident in the all people who will continue
to hold him dear. He believed in holding on to one's dream, no matter
how difficult or unpopular. And it was his strength that helped
me find my own dream as an artist. His support was there, no matter
how far fetched my goal, I knew, through him, that nothing was impossible.
A man who didn't know his way around a screwdriver, he admired and
supported my love of working with my hands. It is to his credit
that he never said why don't you study something practical in college.
Instead he pulled strings to get me into the art classes I so yearned
for, when freshman weren't technically allowed to start their major.
He was the proud parent, present at all my art openings, taking
pictures of me at art and craft shows, boasting to strangers and
museum staff, "that's my daughter's work that won the award".
When I was in high school he asked me to design covers for church
bulletins, do block prints for brochures, create banners, and so
forth. Last year, as he sensed time was running out, he asked me
to create a necklace that he could pass on to all his "girls"...
I created six silver crosses that stylistically reflected his upbringing
in the west, with a centered bezel set quartz cabochon with a lock
of his hair underneath. But undoubtedly the most emotional creation
of my career will be the reliquary for my father's ashes.
Dad never was able to conceptualize this world wide web stuff...
though he did try. But he knew that my having a website was something
I was eager about, hopeful for, and proud of.
My father always presented an image of being fearless, and I guess
I inherited that from him. I saw his courage during the protest
marches he led during the Viet Nam War, as well as an ill fated
run for political office. But I got to see a fragile side too. A
side that the public didn't see. It was a profound and touching
realization that though he had raised his daughter in his likeness,
I often unwittingly provoked terrible and sleepless nights for him.
I am not much used to being rescued, but I will never forget those
gestures, reminders that I was still his little girl.
Daddy, I hope for you peace and comfort, and that there is a terrific
18 hole golf course wherever you are.
my love,
Elizabeth.
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