My first pick was to go and spend a week with Andy Cooperman (one of my favorite metalsmiths) and do his popular "Zengineering" class, (which pares down stone setting to a Zen-like simplicity)
I've been lucky enough to know Andy for years, as he comes down to the Yuma Symposium on a regular basis. The thing is, I've never been able to take one of his workshops- I was either out of the country, pregnant, or chasing after Cosmo in his toddler years..so I thought his Haystack session was my chance!
I received the acceptance letter in late spring..Congratulations! -it said- you have been accepted for session 4, Metals....(which was my second choice) with Fred Fenster and Hiroko Yamada...
"pewter for the table"..OK, I thought..steady now...
You see, I've never done any tableware before (having been mostly self taught) and Pewter?
well, I did read Johnny Tremain when I was a kid, and I knew someone who did some cast pewter here in Tucson...So I guess you could say that I was a complete and total Pewter virgin.
I had a question in front of me....do I accept? YES YES YES!
It only took a few hours of contemplation...I decided to go based on a few things...
one- Fred Fenster is a hugely popular instructor, one might even go so far as to say legendary (although Fred would scoff off any accolades) I usually get nervous when I meet such admirable people, but my friend Kristen assured me that Fred was as genuine as they come- both and Hiroko gave great demos and are phenomonal instructors.
Two- Pewter made me nervous....I just didn't feel comfy with reaching for a soft metal...and wasn't sure that I would enjoy it..but then I remembered Haystack- what better place than this sanctuary of creativity to try something new and reach out of your comfort zone?
Three- Place...I mean really, what Tucsonan wouldn't give their eye teeth to spend 2 weeks in coastal Maine in the summertime??
Pewterpalooza 09
So- when that first bill came, I paid in full.. held my breath and jumped into the deep end...
to be continued....
(next installment=Love)
5 comments:
For all the reasons you cited, you'll have such a wonderful time. Very nice that you get to go. Plus, the fall colors. Who can resist.
WOOT!
I can't wait to see what you make! Enjoy your time at Haystack.
Hi folks- I went to Haystack in July- have posted a few images of my new work on my flickr account
( http://flickr.com/coamosmoonjewelry ) and yes- it was a super blast!
I'll be finishing my Haystack story in this blog in the next few days...
oops, that's http://www.flickr.com/photos/cosmos_moon/
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