I have some really good news!! I’m so excited about it that I just had to post it.
First, I’m taking a class this summer at Arrowmont with Gretchen Goss called ” Captured in Glass: Photographic Transfer on Enamel”. I’m really looking forward to this workshop, which specifically mentions using gum bichromate processes on enamel. And, as if that wasn’t enough, I was awarded a scholarship from Arrowmont and by Pi Beta Phi to attend! I’m really excited about that, since funding is always an issue.
And, secondly, I’m all lined up to start my M.F.A. at SUNY-New Paltz this fall! I’m really excited about working with Jamie Bennett and Myra Mimlitsch-Gray (who did a stint teaching at Purdue years ago). I’ve been awarded a scholarship for fall!! I can’t wait to start working again…like, really working.
This week is finals week here, but after that is over, I’m switching gears into maker mode. I hope to start posting images of work in progress again soon.
YAY! 
I had a great time meeting Jessica Calderwood this Sunday, and getting to work with her for awhile this past Monday. She was wonderful! Very open about every aspect of her artistic process. She gave a great lecture covering some work from her undergrad, her residency at Kohler, and her grad work at ASU. She also talked about how she has survived as an artist post graduate school, and had many students asking her, “What am I going to do when I graduate?” 
We have already mentioned to her that we would love to have her back for a longer workshop at some point.
The students really enjoyed working with her…it was a perfect topic for the enameling class, which had yet to do much with painting/drawing with enamel. (I’m not incredibly well versed with this) The students asked intelligent questions and, I think, really gleaned a large amount of information from Jessica. I’m excited to see how my students integrate what they learned from Jessica into their last two class projects.
Interestingly enough, this was my first time at Purdue that I’ve had the opportunity to go to a lecture and workshop by a metalsmith. Come to think of it, we never had anyone in to even do a lecture in photography the entire time I’ve been at Purdue! I know I’m not the only person here who feels this way, but, one of the huge things that we lack is a strong visiting artist program. It is really so important for the students to get opportunities like this one during their formative years in school. It is even important for the faculty! All of the faculty who attended Jessica’s lecture and demo yesterday, including myself, learned a lot and felt excited about this new technique that we could teach and/or use in our work. Yesterday was awesome….and as excited as I was I also felt like I had missed out; that my students miss out because of a lack of funding for visiting artists at Purdue. Maybe one day. I think this was a step in the right direction.
Well, the spring jewelry sale is over. It was a pretty busy week, but, all in all we had a TON of work and had pretty good sales.
Today I spent the day at Spring Fest in the College of Liberal Arts tent in 40 degree weather…windy…rainy…talk about cold. Three cups of tea later I’m still not warmed up!
Despite the crap weather, Spring Fest had pretty good attendance….although we didn’t really sell much jewelry. The laminated paper brooches were a hit though.
At any rate, tomorrow, a WARM dinner with Jessica Calderwood. I’m very much looking forward to her talk. And, if all goes well, we are going to shoot for having Kiff Slemmons in during the beginning jewelry class this maymester. Fingers crossed!
A few pieces of my spread for the spring jewelry sale–my last one here at Purdue. I managed to compile 41 pieces to sell, which might be a new record for me.
We have 2.5 weeks of school left here and between that and the sale I’m pretty much a grumpier version of my normal self. I am really excited to report that this coming Monday, April 14th, Jessica Calderwood is coming to Purdue to give a lecture and demo on her work processes. I REALLY like her work, so I’m looking forward to meeting her (and letting the enameling students learn from someone who knows what she is doing…) This is the first time since PAJAMA’s formation that we have brought in a visiting artist from outside the university to work with us. Very exciting, since this is mainly what PAJAMA was made to do.
Tonight I spent some time pursuing the new online show hosted by Ethical Metalsmiths called “Composting Good and Evil”
As I was browsing, I paused at this piece by Kerianne Quick:
Of course, the teeth, but there is also the idea of matriarchal heritage in this piece, which really draws me in.
I just have this mental image of a woman moving through her life, and as one mother figure passes, the ring is given to the next in line…an act of passage to a new stage if you will…and that at some point in her life, one woman might wear all these rings for a moment, before passing them onto the next generation…I want these rings to be a performance piece…
