Thoughts from the Studio

Life has been flying by like an incredibly brilliant landscape past the window of a train. So much has happened this summer, I didn’t spend much time in front of the computer.

A huge garage sale, a shiny new bike, lazy Sunday afternoons gardening, a summer vacation, a daunting mosaic project, and the summer was over.

The original purpose of the westward road trip was a family reunion in Idaho. There were some raised eyebrows about the wisdom of taking my eleven year old Honda Civic. But I remember some interesting advise from Click and Clack to a father and son who were planning a similar road trip in a car of similar road-worthiness. They said what the heck, take the car, and if it breaks down, well it will just be part of the adventure. The first hint of trouble came in Chicago as we wended our way up to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin in Wisconsin. It wasn’t until I came to a screeching halt in the Badlands to avoid a turtle in the road, that we realized that we had blown a head gasket. That didn’t stop us from sampling the beauty of the Badlands, taking pictures, climbing the cliffs, and trading earrings for CD’s with a couple of folksingers in the parking lot. But then it was time to face reality, and we limped out of the park and landed in Wall, South Dakota.

This would be our home for the next two days and snuffed any hopes of making it to the reunion, and so our road trip took a twist of its own, and we started on our unexpected journey. While Ed worked on the car at the only garage in town, I had the liberty of exploration on the micro level. I suspect one could land themselves anyplace and make adventure of it, given the luxury of time. I got acquainted with the librarian at the smallest library I have ever seen where I went to send emails. A grizzly rockhound wanted me to dump my boyfriend and go rock hunting with him. I took a rainy afternoon to read and drink Moose Drool beer at the Cactus bar. The rangers at the grassland museum decided that since they had a captive audience, I should be introduced to all the available videos on grass. While walked miles in the grasslands around the town I feel in love with the subtle beauty of well, grass.

I toyed with thoughts of taking a sabbatical from my life and becoming a cowgirl, that is until I saw the signs warning of rattlesnakes. I was thinking more of a Hollywood version myself, wearing those $300 cowboy boots they sold in town, driving a beat up vintage pickup truck that would never break down, living in a picturesque, unpainted ranch house, that had a well that never ran dry… you get the picture. A book I bought about a frontier woman from the area painted a picture of incredible will, perseverance, and grit. No water, burned out crops in the summer, frozen livestock in the winter, overwhelming isolation, fatal accidents, bank foreclosures, and lots and lots of rattlesnakes. Perhaps one of the most startling things I read was the persistent presence of moochers. Another Hollywood veil removed, not all homesteaders were rugged individualists. This woman recounted endless tales of homesteaders who took shameless advantage of anyone else who appeared to be keeping their head above water. Usually without even saying thank you. I guess bad manners are not just an epidemic in our times.

Our eleven days went by much too quickly. We came home with a carload of laughter, memories, pictures, and a few rugged South Dakota cacti.

August brought a much narrower focus, the start of the remodeling of my bathroom. This was prompted by Ed’s find of the summer, a carload of ceramic tiles, found curbside. Since of the tiles were not particularly appealing in themselves, I decided to break them, and mosaic the floor. But first, the below-the-floor plumbing had to be addressed, and as if this was true convergence, we discovered that the 115-year-old pipes were paper-thin. After replacing the plumbing, correcting floor pitch, laying down sub-flooring, and stripping a million coats of paint off the wainscoting, it was finally time to start getting creative. I passed too lightly over the wainscoting. This a job one only takes on because they are clearly out of their mind, or entertains visions of beckoning insanity. Give the job to a jeweler who sees everything at a micro level, and it becomes as endless as the universe. Books on tape helped some, but maybe Steven Hawking’s Universe in a Nutshell only magnified the insanity, certainly the black hole correlation started to seem fit. I had been all noble and sure-minded that a few weeks without upstairs plumbing and no shower would be no big deal, but, by the last weekend, I was decidedly cranky, and admitted it. But the floor is awesome, the claw foot tub is returned to its rightful place, and all is well with the world.

The rush to get the bathroom up and running, with a shower that is not three miles away, is that this fall brings lots of changes in my life. I decided this summer to go back to school and work towards starting my master’s degree in metalwork. In another moment of perfect convergence, I was called by Craft Company #6 to come work for them in the jewelry gallery until Christmas, due to Allyson’s arrival of a new jewel, Sarah Chase. They have a wonderful array of work at their gallery and at www.craftcompany.com. I was also delighted to be asked back for a return visit to Fairport High School as artist- in-residence. I am excited by these new opportunities to look at my life and work in a new light, and gain some new perspectives. It was time to shake things up a little.

I will continue to teach Precious Metal Clay workshops on a limited basis, but have for the time being discontinued my private instructions in my studio. I will attempt to keep my web updates more current then I managed this summer. Don’t forget to look at my workshops page for upcoming workshops, I have limited the number I am teaching this fall, so make sure to register early.

I’m hoping that wherever you are, your fall is bountiful as the harvest.

Don’t forget to vote, it’s not just a privilege, in a democracy it’s an obligation,
Elizabeth.

The minute spring weather arrives I’m itching to get to the lake, and that we did last night, for our first official picnic of the season, and, of course, to collect beach glass. The other item not previously on the agenda, was going to take a peak at the new Fast Ferry that arrived this week. I think we reacted exactly as everyone else did upon first sight, it’s just HUGE! It really feels impressive to have a craft of such an ambitious size and capacity docked in our city. Its very presence promises future.

This ferry will travel from Rochester to Toronto, thus greatly enhancing trade and traffic between our two cities. Rochester has been doing a lot of building and renewal around the shoreline of the city for several years in preparation, and it looks exciting and energized. The Canadian American Transportation System or CATS has been kept us posted on the progress of the ferry from its building site in Australia to its final destination in Rochester, a trip of over 15,000 miles. Progress was slightly impeded by a “slight mishap” in NYC when it was steered into a pier, and received a 25 foot gash. There goes its resale value. You know what they say about the blue book value the minute you drive your car out of the showroom…

I’ve written an article about some of my favorite places in Rochester for a new on-line Fast Ferry newsletter. I’ve also included examples of my line of local beach glass jewelry, made from pieces of glass I’ve collected along the shore of Durand Eastman Park. For this upcoming issue you can log on to www.portofrochester.com.

It’s going to be all about Mother’s Day gifts at Second Saturday’s May 8th, (12-4 p.m.) Come to Mary McMahon’s weaving studio on the second floor at Anderson Alley for an incredible selection of earrings, bracelets and more. Sale items will be available, and I’ll even gift wrap for free.

Spring is also about getting the garden in shape. My first full garden day sent me to get a massage the next day, it’s just too hard to stop. Once the garden comes alive, it’s really hard to stay inside and work, so I drag work, meals and reading out with me, and watch the cats posture, but never actually get up the nerve to attack the squirrels.

The magnolias peaked this week, and they rained their sensual, soft, fleshy petals down on our heads as we walked the length of the Oxford Street Boulevard, which has had the city’s most spectacular display of magnolias for a hundred years. I found antique postcards that show the same vantage point I have photographed from many times, but with model T’s in the picture instead of my Honda Civic.

In Rochester, as in other places around the country, another true indicator of spring is the overnight proliferation of garage sales. This year I am going to join in the mayhem. Want to see what this artist collects, stop by May 29th. I have an old garage on my property that is actually too small for contemporary cars, and thus it has become my “shed”. My penchant for collecting stuff, has impeded its function as a fair weather workroom, and since I am anxious to regain that space for painting furniture and experimenting with mosaic, I must be radical here. If I put it in my newsletter, I finally have to go through with it…

With dirt under my fingernails,
Elizabeth

Spring is a magical time of year. And maybe one of the reasons we Rochestarians stay to duke out winter. Because ultimately, there is nothing more astounding and beautiful then seeing the coming of spring when all hopes are lost. We feel as if the world will always be simply black and white, and we adjust, we cope, we endure. But, if we have been brave, and strong of heart, spring does come again, and we feel as if we have been the midwives to its arrival. It’s our reward for being strong, having faith, and trusting. It does come. It’s a time of rebirth, a time to realize you are never too old to rejoice in the magic of new beginnings.

In May, I will once again be the guest artist at my generous friend’s second floor studio for Second Saturday’s at Anderson Alley. Mary McMahon is always delighted to demonstrate on her loom. For those of you who have missed my past newsletters, Anderson’s Alley is a group of artist studios on the second, third and fourth floors of the Fabrics and Findings building in the Neighborhood of the Arts. On the second Saturdays of each month, except in the summer, I think, artists open their studios for you to wander, observe, and buy artwork. This event runs from noon to 4 p.m. If you need more information feel free to email me.

In May, I am also excited about conducting my second workshop at Art and Soul, in Fairport. Joanne Sharp has been working at a feverish pace to open her new and expanded space at 135 Packetts Landing. Joanne is a power house, and her workshops in all media and formats have been a big success. She booked my last workshop to capacity, and we had a ball. Check my workshops page for more information.

I realized the other day,that many of you do not know much about the workshops I teach, “What is this precious metal clay stuff?” Precious metal clay, invented a few years back by Mitsubishi, is an astounding material. Its name is truly misleading, because it has no clay in it at all. Made of pure silver, organic binder and water, it has the “feel” and workability of clay. Precious metal clay does work just like clay, easy to manipulate, no special tools required, yet once it is kiln fired to about 1300 degrees, and the water and binder have burned off, and you are left with a creation that is pure silver. Working silver in this way allows for incredible spontaneity, and a much shorter and more relaxed workshop schedule then learning how to become a metalsmith.

The price of PMC per ounce is much more expensive then silver. That often puts people off, before they stop to consider that with few or no metalsmithing skills, and no need to invest thousands of dollars in tools, they can effectively create true masterpieces at their kitchen table, in a very short period of time.

The only stumbling block to launching out on your own after a workshop is the prohibitive cost of the kiln, which I have eliminated by offering firing services at very reasonable rates, and 24 hour turn around. Check the workshops page for more information.

What can you make in PMC? What can’t you make? Jewelry of course, buttons and embellishments, small figurines, pet tags, charms for bracelets, small masks, icons, Christmas ornaments, there is no end to the imagination, as I certainly have witnessed in workshops. Each person, with the same material, will produce markedly different work.

My latest web development is the addition of pictures of students and their work. Don’t forget to look for YOUR brilliant creations after attending your next workshop.

Time to find my dance shoes,
Elizabeth.

You know it’s been a long winter when it’s 37 degrees outside, and everyone is gleeful about the “spring” weather. There are still feet of snow pack, but people are adamant that the trees are budding. I’ll admit to my own fantasies, I purchased sandals today, now how delusional is that? We are a little giddy and hallucinatory, from so much “quality” time with our cats and quilts I think. I have shed my long underwear, and have been greeted a number of times this last week with inquiries about how much weight I have lost! Gotta love it.

I have had some exceptionally wonderful students in my workshops so far this winter. They have been full of great ideas and enthusiasm. I have to wonder how anyone could have a better job, when at the end of a workshop I get hugs and kisses from my students. What’s not to feel warm and fuzzy about that?

This picture by the way is from my first workshop at Joanne Sharp’s “Art and Soul” in Fairport. Her workshops have been so popular and abundantly populated that she’s looking for a larger location. We have a tentative date for another workshop in her new location in May. Stay posted.

I’m looking forward to being a visiting artist again at the Anderson Alley Second Saturday’s. It’s March 13th from 12-4 p.m. and I will be in Mary McMahon’s studio on the second floor. For all of you who have been petting my gorgeous woven scarves this winter, they are hers.

I continue to receive a steady stream of repairs, and I am delighted to be of service. Look for updates to my repair page coming soon, to include some categories not listed. I’ve been asked several times about classes in jewelry repair. I have decided to refrain from offering these for a number of reasons. Granted, some repairs are extremely straight forward, and don’t take a rocket scientist to see and correct the problem. But other repairs require the training of a metalsmith, and therefore, it just makes more sense to simply learn how to make jewelry. I guess in my mind, it would be like asking a seamstress to teach you how to darn socks instead of learning how to sew. I personally enjoy repairing jewelry, but, it requires an instinct that comes from learning how to make jewelry in the first place. I can teach you to make jewelry, I can’t teach you instinct.

The second problem to consider is that tools make or break a job. It’s a dilemma many homeowners understand. How many times will I actually use an extension ladder, where will I store it in the meantime, and once I get up on the roof, can I actually correct the problem? Do I plan on amortizing the cost of ladder by taking on a part-time job getting cats out of trees? Do I really want the to take the time to learn how to fix my own roof, or do I just want to know it’s been done right the first time, and put my limited spare time to more creative use? I had to laugh, because as I was thinking about all this I overheard a gentleman laughing at himself about doing repairs he had neither the training or tools for. He said “When something breaks around the house, first I try to fix it, and then I hire a professional who then charges me twice as much to correct my mistakes”.

Look for robins,
Elizabeth.

Happy New Year everyone! I started out the New Year on the right foot, first by having a delightful dinner at a friend’s house, that included the most heavenly curried lentils on earth. We pondered over the myth that lentils in the New Year guarantee prosperity, so I had a second helping, just to seal the deal. Then I put on my dancing shoes and spent two aerobic hours contra dancing.

My resolutions for the New Year include dancing more, reading Jimmy Carter’s new novel, getting the garbage out early enough so that the garbage man sees me less often in my PJ’s, and going through fewer yellow lights. I also resolve to stop playing chicken with my gas gauge, buying Pringles, and waiting for elves to clean up my paperwork.

This month the PMC workshops are filling nicely, and if you glance at my workshops page I have a wide selection to choose from for the upcoming months. I have a few new locations and am eager to see how they work out.

I am going to be adding some new features to the website in the next couple of months so stay posted. I may even consider adding a web-cam in my studio so you can watch me work. Although, come to think of it, when people have watched me tweaking and messing with tiny details, they say watching a jeweler work is about as exciting as watching grass grow, so maybe I should just put the web-cam in the backyard?

I was pleased to listen to dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp being interviewed on the Diane Rehms show on New Year’s day. She was talking about her new book “The Creative Habit.” I know she was preaching to the choir, but for me, it was refreshing to have someone, with such considerable talent, talking about the habit and daily ritual of working in the arts. It’s a misconception that creativity just arrives, one has to coax it with ritual, practice and planning. It’s always important for me to remember, for instance, that things go wrong even for professionals, and that the process of creation can never be compartmentalized in tight, cut and dry time frames. A custom order that basically has all the elements of something I already make, may seem like a done deal. If I don’t allow myself the time and planning for those slight changes, they can, in fact, change everything, and I find myself sweating the deadline instead of enjoying the learning process of adapting a piece of work to something slightly different. Problem solving is perhaps the greatest joy of creation, if I plan for it.

I want to thank all of you who have checked in with really wonderful comments about my work and my website in the past year.

Watching Mars for signs of intelligent life,
Elizabeth.