Monday, post SOWA and a handful of favorite artists

Slooooooooow morning...
I'm recovering from a wonderful day at SOWA yesterday where I met my new customers and made new friends with artists exhibiting there.

Is there anything that tastes better than love? Well, as far as I'm concerned, yesterday morning nothing tasted better than warm and kind words filled with excitement about each bead in my display. It all began with a Mom-and-daughter pair. They each started picking up beads one by one and talking about them as small sculptures, small stories. I loved listening to them.

Beads...Sculptures...Stories.... This morning, while engaged in a conversation with my neighbor Anka, I was telling her about my encounter with these two women and their reaction to my work. As the conversation went on I heard myself speak to the idea that has been developing in my head for a while. You see. when I got into making beads I also joined a long tradition of people stringing beads and using them mostly as component parts of a larger design, a bigger plan. With years passed and more experience designing and creating beads, the value I placed on a bead as a component diminished - I started viewing each bead no matter how small on its own terms, i.e. a creation which is an apogee of a process, intention, skill.

Back to the story. The daughter, who is an adult woman with a beautiful head of red hair, ended up choosing three smaller beads with intricate designs each brought together by a complimentary color palette all strung on a silver chain. The finished piece looked like a melodic conversation and she was thrilled.

Later in the day two women and little girl, about five years old, came by and the little girl couldn't take her eyes off the beads. After looking at a few individual ones she asked, "Why is it that you start a lot of them with white?" I was struck by her intuitiveness and intelligence and ended up giving her a small bead to which, quite distressed, she replied, "Why don't you let me choose one?" I started laughing, her companions were embarrassed and encouraged her to just say "thank you." I told her how I had chosen that bead and she seemed satisfied: the bead looked like a bubble that the mermaid on her dress was blowing in the water.

Each bead can be your story: tell it and wear it in great health and wonderful spirits!

I'm thrilled when vendors become my customers. I am consistently a vendor who purchases from other vendors. To appear somewhat constrained and business-oriented, I like to wait till I can spend the money I make at the show... And sometimes we barter...

That's what happened to me yesterday. Anna, who promotes and helps sell her partner's work, stopped by my table and fell in love with a Berry. Later in the day we bartered and with Boyan's approval, I picked two great mugs. But you see, after I went back to my table I sold a few more beads and went back for more pieces to complete my new set of mugs, bowls, a sugar and a creamer set. I've already used my new pottery and am very happy to own some of his pieces. The style is archaic in its form and lines but the bright colors of his glaze give the pottery a whif of modernity. Check out his work by clicking the link below. I'm also including a few more links for you to click as you commence a journey sprinkled with beautiful arts and crafts made by artisans living in your midst.

• http://www.boyanstudio.com/

• http://www.stonehouse-studio.com/

• http://wellerwishes.com/

• http://nancyrosetta.com/

• http://meanandwroughten.com/

• http://tobyandrei.com/

• http://ericawalker.etsy.com/

• http://hotaling.biz/

• http://www.whistlingsparrow.com/

• http://newduds.net/

• http://filomenashouse.etsy.com/

If you'd like to add to this cool crowd of talented artists, please let me know and I will create a special section for online links to your favorite handmade stuff. Use the Comments section. Can't wait to hear from you!

Back from Snow Farm

I'm back from Snow Farm and missing my students, my fellow instructors and the campus staff.
However, I will be back on September 20 for another week of teaching and looking forward to a new class and energy.

I have to say that at the beginning the energy in my classes is quite well-balanced and full of preparedness. The students are attentive and respectful toward each other and the teacher.
As the class progresses, my students develop multiple identity syndrome, oscillating from quiet and driven to joke-making, uncontrollable glass addicts. I love it and can never get enough.

My favorite thing about teaching is watching each student develop her (sometimes his :) ) own relationship with the process and the glass. While caution and/or enthusiasm make time pass and glass melt, mutual trust helps members of the class learn to watch for each other and even create together. The resulting beads are wonderful, each like a pearl encapsulating a journey rich in understanding and representing layers and layers of experience...

In addition to spending a lot of time with my students, I enjoy my time with fellow faculty. Some of them I run into quite often and there are always a few that I have yet to meet. One whom I see a lot and whose work I admire very much is Alexandra Sheldon. Check out her website to see her mind-blowing collages. I'm contemplating on taking a class with her just to see what collage can do for me...

No Open Studio Hours in My Showroom in August

Well, I didn't make it to the studio today.

I'm going to take August off and keep my Saturdays open.

There is too much going on in my life right now including
1. It's the last month of summer.
2. I want to spend more time with my family and friends.
3. SOWA keeps me busy on Sundays.

If Saturday is the only day you can or would like to come and see me in my studio, please don't hesitate to contact me and I will coordinate a time to meet you.
Thanks :)