Art/Horse finding balance

I must admit, my Art must share my passion. It’s ok. I’ve come to terms with the challenge of balancing passions...I had to.Having chronic health issues has forced me to take a good look at how I spend my time. It’s always been a tug of war between Art and Horses. ( I know I’m not alone in this... many riders are also artistic and vice versa)

I was #horsecrazy from the moment I first knew what a horse was, I cherish my horse time. I think my parents finally bought me my first pony just to have some peace and quiet and not always have me pleading to go to the stable, go on a trail ride. 

Who could resist this face?

In my opinion We needed a horse in our family in the most desperate way!

 I mean, I gave them plenty of opportunities too...( for one, I always “took a nap” on my BD to give them the time to sneak a horse into the yard while I wasn’t looking... etc) 

I had to take a break from riding and horses after having a life threatening medical emergency which almost killed me. Having a near death experience is a powerful thing which really puts life in perspective. You take stock. You know mortality. Taking stock of my life as I recovered, I knew I had to hang up my saddle for a while- I was spending so much time at the stable that I wasn’t able to even THINK about my artwork. 

In the end, my artwork won. I knew I would never have a chance at a horse career- I’m a good rider but not talented enough to be able to make it into a career, plus I didn’t have the funds to start a riding school. Art was another story. I do have “the right stuff” to make a career, and so that’s what I ultimately chose.

So, for 20 years, my art had my “full” attention. But not all of my heart. Something was always missing, and it wasn’t hard to figure out what it was. I had a horse shaped hole in my heart. 

Last November, when I found the new barn I’m riding at the hole started getting filled again. And with each week, I’m regaining my fitness and skills. I always have something to look forward to as well. 

My husband is preparing for the inevitable... and I’m trying to be practical and patient. I’m not sure if I want the responsibility of owning another horse, but a half lease may be in my future...

Just be prepared for more horse posts in the future 



 #horseloverforever #beggingfortreats #horsesofinstagram #sweethorse #hellosweetie #boop #velvetsoft #carrotlover #backinthesaddleagain

My PCC Metalsmithing Classes are filling fast!

I'm so Excited to see that my Fall Semester Metalsmithing Class at Pima Community College is 2 students away from being FULL!!

If you ever thought about taking metals lessons from me, here is your chance!

click here to go to my Metalsmithing course description in the PCC Fall 2016 course catalogue

I run a fun class with lots of demonstrations and assistance; my students are from all walks of life with a variety of experience in the arts/metals. From "never worked in metal" to "I used to have a jewelry shop" and Art Majors to Hobbyists, with fresh out of High school to Retired wanting to play..

my metals classroom is a welcoming and exciting place to learn a lifelong love of metalsmithing!

One of my last demos for the beginning class is how to set up a simple home studio so students can continue playing with metals at home.

Over 55? Get a HUGE discount! A Lifelong Learner discount of 50% on the base in-state tuition for credit courses has been implemented. learn about the cost of taking classes at PCC here: https://www.pima.edu/paying-for-school/costs/index.html

To qualify for the Lifelong Learner discount, you must be 55 years old on or before the first day of classes in the semester for which you are registering. So there ARE advantages to my greying hair!

Classes are Held at Pima Community College's West campus, the Art building in the Metals studio is remarkably well stocked with metals tools and big benches. Students registered in the class can take advantage of the many Open Studio hours during non-class time.

As I said, Only 2 spots remaining! (and then you get put on the waiting list) This is really exciting, because if the administration sees that this class is filling (with wait list) the school will most likely add another class for the Spring 2017 semester! 

again, find the course description here: https://bannerweb.pima.edu/pls/pima/az_tw_subcrse_catalog.p_subjcrse_list?p_subject_code=ART

After years of uncertainty with a new teacher every semester, (due to their restrictive application requirements I never applied for the job) Pima Community College was in danger of losing it's Metalsmithing department forever! 
Thankfully, I have been given the chance to revive the class and return it to a thriving and exciting place for creative people to explore the art of small scale metal work.

 For the next two years my goal is to work on the re-building the metals department.
I'm creating new projects and demos this summer to share with my students next Fall- I hope that you are there to join the fun!