Thoughts from the Studio

What a whirlwind summer it turned out to be. You know, anyone who knows me might think that one of these days I should get over being astonished at how busy my life is! I confess I am one of those methodical calendar keepers. So when I glance at my book and I see everything neatly plugged into assigned time slots, I still think that life is going to be just that orderly.

After an absolutely fabulous Precious Metal Clay Conference in July, I came home in a glow. I so enjoyed all the lectures and people, and returned with a full notebook of information and emails. My marketing presentation went better then I could have hoped for, and all the kind feedback that poured in really humbled me. (Many of the presentations are posted on the PMC Guild website.) I had the additional bonus of getting to fly the first leg of my journey home with the keynote speaker Bill Daley, who inspired all of us the entire weekend. His reputation as a ceramic artist is unsurpassed, and I was extraordinarily fortunate to be able to converse with someone who holds such a wealth of knowledge, creativity and humanity. A day does not go by that I don’t reflect on our conversations. Tim McCreight and Jeanette Landenwitch did such a fabulous job of organizing the conference at Purdue University, there was not much more we could have asked for. They did such a seamless job of being in all places at all times, I began to wonder just how far cloning technology has advanced while I wasn’t looking.

As soon as I got home I found my email box full of exciting orders, and several inquiries from new students, and that got my feet quickly planted on the ground. I also had to prepare for my third year as artist-in-residence at Fairport High School, which I started a few weeks ago, and I love every minute. They have an art “department”, not just an art “room”, and I admit I feel jealous when I think back to the meager offerings when I was in high school.

I am looking forward to exhibiting at the Artist Row event at the Public Market, October 1, from 10a.m.-2p.m. I attended the first event last October, and it was a fantastic experience. There was fresh new work in a new venue, it seemed like everyone I knew turned out for the event, and, to a person they were genuinely impressed with the show.

I got a phone call from the folks at the Canandaigua Continuing Education Department, requesting a few enameling workshops during the fall and winter. And I confirmed dates with the Rochester Museum and Science Center for more PMC workshops there as well. See the workshops page for listings.

Just when I was feeling lucky that my summer air travel had occurred before all the new “no liquid” regulations, I got a call from Jewelry Television based down in Knoxville, Tennessee. They wanted me to come down and audition for a series of instructional DVD’s they are planning to market in the near future. I quickly pulled together a demonstration, and spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out if I could, in fact, pack all the tools I would need, (the TSA website is not exactly “transparent”) and I was off. It was an experience of a lifetime, and I had a blast. The folks there were wonderful and gracious hosts, and they all took really good care of us. They picked four people to audition for the PMC segment, and two wire wrappers from across the country. As we sat over a glass of really over-priced wine at the airport, we all felt extraordinarily honored to be considered, no matter the outcome.

I got home and found a package of material in my mailbox, and discovered my work has made the cut in Tim McCreight’s upcoming book that catalogs the first decade of PMC. I am not sure when the book will come out, but you can be sure I will let you know!

I find myself constantly trying instill in my students, (and remind myself) that learning is about unexpected discovery. It’s not about confirming what we already know. I read a quote recently that I am in the process of trying to unbury, (I have too many books by the side of my bed). It said something to the effect that learning and successful creativity is about going down a path, and then being willing to take a 90-degree turn. In my work and in my life, I find that to be consistently true. Being available to veer off your planned course allows for adventures you had no idea were in store for you. For example, whenever I get too lost in my thoughts while driving and have to wend my way back, I often consider, what am I going to experience by taking the “wrong way”? There is always a gift, a street with amazing houses I have never seen before. A cherry wood chair sitting on the curb, a breathtaking tree in bloom. I scold myself when I perceive that a successful journey is one that is predictable, without incident, or where I beat my travel time from yesterday by two minutes. The metaphor so aptly applies when creating work with your hands. A “mistake” is hardly ever a failure, as long as you look for where it leads you next. The times I am most bereft about a mistake in the studio, are when I assume I can out-maneuver chaos, and cut my time too short to allow for growth instead of simple production.

It’s a little of letting the chaos of the universe turn in the small fields of our lives, releasing control, free falling, and observing instead of freaking out, and missing the adventure. If you have never seen “Danny Deckchair” rent it. It’s based on a true story I heard on NPR, talking about free fall…

Spreading wings,
Elizabeth.

It's lazy, hazy summer time, when there is always a jar of sun tea on the steps. It’s time for evening reading on the back porch, I’m currently engrossed in “The Life of Pi”. Long meandering bike rides taking in garage sales, used bookshops and iced coffee along the way. Days where I find the cats tucked in the coolest, darkest corners if the house, and birds are arguing about who gets the first swim in the birdbath. A daily walk out to the backyard for a large handful of black raspberries for morning cereal reminds me of my grandfather. And quick scans of the newspaper on almost any given day can led you to an free outdoor concert, like “Donna the Buffalo” just the other night at the Public Market. Balmy evenings are the perfect time to gather with friends around the fire pit on the patio and drink chilled white sangria.

It’s actually been a busy and exciting summer already.  I participated in a casual Saturday afternoon ARTwalk tour in early June. People strolled along the ARTwalk route with artists and musicians at every corner. It was a really nice neighborhood event, for more information about upcoming events, www.rochesterartwalk.org.

At the end of June, I made a trip to East Aurora, New York to set up shop in the pottery studio on the Roycroft Campus. My friend Janice McDuffie had been the master potter at the Roycroft for the past 31 years. You need to treat yourself and take a look at her work at www.roycroftpotters.com The Roycroft hosts a huge annual craft show and sale on their grounds. The weather was perfect, and the entire town was buzzing. If you have never explored the historic Roycroft campus, it’s worth the trip. Roycrofter’s were renowned for their superior Arts and Crafts furniture, copper work, bookbinding and pottery during the early part of the 1900’s. While you are there, plan on having a meal at the lavishly furnished Inn. While you are in town you can also stop by the Fisher Price store right at their manufacturing site. Word of advice, don’t take the thruway from Rochester. Take 490 to LeRoy, and take 19 down to Warsaw, and follow 20A right into East Aurora, it’s a beautiful drive through rolling farmland.

I attended the opening for “Made in NY 2006” at the Schweinfurth Art Center, June 24- August 26. This amazing art center is in Auburn, New York, where it’s easy to get sidetracked wending down streets admiring Victorian homes. A pair of my mixed-media gloves using clothespins, rags, wine bottle sleeves, “O” rings, and safety pins were one of the 83 pieces selected from a total of 481 pieces submitted to the jury. I love their new “Because” membership campaign. For reviews of the show, and driving directions go to www.schweinfurthartcenter.org.

Last week I conducted a workshop for teens at the Wood Library in Canandaigua, New York. It was the first time I had presented an enameling workshop, and it was an overwhelming success. The mothers, librarians and even a few boys who saw the stunning bracelets the girls had made, all said, “Hey, I want to do that!” I have already had several requests for a few summer workshops here in my studio. Email me if you would like me to send you pictures of some of the sample bracelets.

Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana, is hosting the third bi-annual Precious Metal Clay Conference, July 20-23. I've been asked to give a presentation “The Relativity of Marketing” during this four-day event, which I will be giving both Friday and Saturday mornings. The invitational exhibition “Revolution / Evolution” there at Purdue has a number of my pieces, and runs through August. Tim McCreight and Jeanette Landerwitch are really smart. They made sure we turned in our presentations a month ago, so we aren’t busy rewriting on the plane! Actually, they will be posting the highlights of each presentation on the PMC website as future information resources. I can't wait to see old friends, meet new friends, talk shop and tour that impressive campus. If you would like more information about the conference, it's not too late to register, go to www.pmcguild.com.

I hope you all enjoy your summer, and enjoy it slowly. Take time. Move in slow motion when you can.

Elizabeth.

Each week at the end of yoga, we put our hands in pray posture, bow to each other and say “namaste”. Giving thanks to the others for being there. It is a wonderful gesture. It helps us to realize that we are all enriched not only by the experience of yoga, but by the people we are sharing it with. It can feel awkward to look directly at someone who is a stranger, and announce your thanks for them. But the reality is, the experience would be less without them, even though you don’t know them yet. As the weeks go on, our reasons for being there may still not be transparent, but we slowly start to bond. Faces become familiar, names are finally exchanged, and when we run into each other at the grocery store, our faces light up, our circle has widened. The joy of fellowship, embracing other people whom once were strangers to us.

It’s not unlike my experience when I meet new students or customers. They arrive at my door or through my email box as total strangers, and soon enough we have established bonds that may last for years.  Through the years that I have been in business, I have, almost without knowing it, turned it into a partnership with these people I meet. They come to me for so many reasons, and each encounter gives me something. This was not the case when I was making strictly wholesale work for galleries. I was running a small manufacturing business. Though I sold to notable galleries that always paid on time, I didn’t know my customers, or what their impulse was for wanting my work.

These days, whether people find my website, or come to me by word-of-mouth, we join forces to find an answer to their need. It can start with “ This was my mother’s…” and end with a piece they can wear and remember her by. Or it can be “I want you to make a necklace for my girlfriend using this piece of beach glass.” Whatever the motivation is, one thing is common, it’s the connection. While we work on the project, we find out interesting things about each other, and those things go into the piece. I have told many of my customers, that while I create a piece of jewelry just for them, my mind circles around them the entire time I am working. Trying to place in my mind what this piece means for them, and downright spiritual about being a link in their chain of connection. Making this an experience, not merely a retail transaction. I feel blessed by their choice to seek me out, and take a risk on not being ordinary.

I am looking forward to another really special weekend at the artist studios at Anderson Alley, May 12 and 13.  It’s their last Second Saturday for the season, and so they will be having a gala on Friday night from 5-8. And will be open again on Saturday from 12-4. I will be in Mary MacMahon’s weaving studio on the second floor. (If you are not familiar with her work, you are missing a real treat. I have a few of her scarves, and I can’t wear them anywhere without someone adoring them.) I will be there with lots of items that have been reduced, as well as a great selection of things for the Mom in your life. Print out my home page with your email written on it for a 20% discount on any item that weekend. For those of you new to town, just give me a holler, and I’ll point you in the right direction.

I also have a workshop coming up at Genesee Pottery, on Monroe Avenue. This three-week workshop on starts Sunday, May 7, from 1-3 p.m. This is a great Mother’s day treat. Over the years I can’t tell you how many mothers and daughters have enrolled together for a little quality time together. If you want more information check the workshop page or email me.

I am honored to have been asked to give a presentation at the third Precious Metal Clay Conference at Perdue University this summer. For those of you who have taken my PMC workshops and got hooked, this is the event for you. You will be surrounded by others who really get excited about working in PMC. For more information you can go to the PMC website, www.pmcguild.com Click “enter”, then “Conference Information”, click “Conference Brochure 2006”. My presentation is listed on page 7.

Glorious spring is here. A friend called on a workday last week urged me to tear up my to-do list and go out with him on a bike ride. And I did. I shut down the studio, gave up trying to find my sunscreen and went. We covered 20 miles, I had my first ice cream cone of the year, came home a little sunburned and comfortably exhausted. Hope you are celebrating spring too.

Namaste,
Elizabeth.

Winter 2006

The start of the New Year is upon us, and I feel excited about what lies ahead. I’ve started my list of Resolutions, and one was to stop being a wimp and put rings on the website. Though I often have strangers grabbing my hands to examine the rings I am wearing, I admit to freezing up when it comes to marketing them. For one thing, having enough rings in the right sizes is problematic. This is especially true when my rings usually tend to be fabricated and one-of-a kind. When I use stones they also are limited in quantity, many of them I cut myself. But I realized I was looking at all the hassles instead of offering people the advantages of having truly unique creations. So this year I will be focusing many of my “What’s New” updates on rings. I’ve included a chart on my repair page for ring sizes, which I should have done a long time ago, considering the number of ring repairs and sizing jobs that are sent to me. I’ve measured in metric, since jumping from eighths to sixteenths to thirty-seconds of an inch is just the kind of mathematical mess that makes me a little crazy… If you don’t have a metric ruler it’s easy to Google up a conversion chart.

I thought I’d share some of my other Resolutions… Start yoga class again. Remember to take my camera everywhere I go, photo opportunities are not planned events. Come up with a sure-fire method of training myself to turn my car lights off, the folks at AAA now know me by my first name, so this may be a tough one. Make my doctor happy and get a colonoscopy, on second thought, scratch that. Throw out old paperwork, it’s not like I am preparing for a presidential library someday. Stop putting off making those Thai recipes that call for lime leaves. Start practicing my Italian on the cats. Figure out how to burn CD’s. Remember that even though I don’t use my TV, I still need to dust it once in a while. Be louder about my anger with this unjustifiable war. Don’t bring Pringles into the house. Dance more. Stay out of the dollar store, OK, that’s a little extreme.

I know there are a number if you who have been waiting patiently for me to start Precious Metal Clay workshops again. Good news! They are back. My first one will be at the Genesee Pottery on Monroe Avenue. The unique aspect of this workshop it that it will be on Sundays, I’ve never done Sunday workshops at the Pottery before. Check my workshop page for more information. As usual, I still conduct one-day workshops out of my studio on a request basis.

I leave you with this thought. I, like all of you, struggle daily to find an appropriate response in my life to external stress. Sometimes I think that artists are especially thin-skinned, who knows. All I do know is that the worries of the global world feel like a constant pain we can’t ignore, and we can’t remedy. Feeling enormously helpless in the wake of all the immense tragedies that have beset the world and our nation this last year, manmade and otherwise, I felt myself struggling with a sense of lack of purpose. While on a walk one day, rejoicing in the beauty of the sky and my surroundings, I realized that I simply have to do what I can. I can live the most peaceful, justifiable existence I know how to live. Take care of my neighbors. Give blood. Buy free-range eggs. Protest against the war. Smile at sullen-faced cashiers. Don’t buy into someone else’s road rage. Keep track of my friends when they are struggling. Buy locally. Conserve. Live intentionally and not by accident. Volunteer for every cause I believe in. Make choices based on courage rather then fear. Take risks, put myself in places that are outside my comfort zone. Will these little actions change the world, probably not, but they change how I am able to look at the world. Heck, it beats listening to the news in abject misery. I can’t change the world, but I can change my world.

Happy New Year.

Elizabeth.