Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Summer endings, fall beginnings


Sacred Heart perfume bottle.
I've done several variations of these and I think this is the best one so far.

I just returned home from the first night of rehearsals with the Palomar Symphony Orchestra. Sibelius, Borodin and Mozart are on the bill for our fall concert. I've got my work cut out for me.
This has been a challenging summer on so many levels but I still managed to have a good amount of fun in spite of it all. Bead and jewelry business has been almost non-existent for me and I was let go from my part-time job. Fortunately I've been teaching at the Crafts Center and instead of being totally bummed out about my situation, I've had a chance to experiment and play with glass a whole bunch. Nancy Nagel was in town taking a break from Tucson and I was able to spend time with her and work on my borosilicate tubing skills. She really knows how to work with color and her pieces are so much fun. Her work can be seen in Contemporary Lampworking and Formed of the Fire, both books by Bandhu Scott Dunham. It was a real privilege to get to hang with her and while I'm at it, I have to say that I feel so fortunate that I've been able to keep company with so many fantastic artists and musicians over the years. I've learned so much from those who I consider to be tops in their areas of expertise. I would never even consider myself to be a maestro or virtuoso in any of the things that I do but I like to think that I am fairly good at some of it. I can be very focused but I don't have the temperament to focus on just that one thing always. I must have some sort of artist ADD! Whatever, it doesn't stop me from continuing to learn as much as I can about whatever interests me.



I've posted my fall class schedule and some other upcoming events on my website. Things are picking up and stuff keeps getting added to my calendar. I'll have additional updates soon.