Spring Beauty…March Sadness
Spring is here in Atlanta with the trees in my backyard budding, the few flowers that have survived our dogs blooming, and the splash of purple from my neighbor’s redbud tree making me do a double take every time I look out the kitchen window. I love that color prevails! We are so fortunate to have groceries delivered. After months of denying myself the pleasure, I began clicking ‘add to cart’ on whatever reasonably priced, cut flowers I could get. They are part of what keeps me sane in captivity.
Spring also means the return of Sketchbook Revival! It’s fabulous, inspires me to get out all my squirreled away art supplies, and is free.
As I continue on this journey of Shiny Online Workshop Syndrome, I’m amazed at just how much is out there. Some of it has been around for sometime, but never has it felt more accessible or more needed. I’ve just finished up another series of private lessons with my amazing teacher, friend, and near twin Heather Victoria Held. I’ve delved into the exquisite, highly flourishable script of Italian hand, a 16th century style of writing that is the first script that resembles our own cursive writing. It’s definitely not ‘italic,’ if that’s what you’re picturing. It’s also one of the first styles to be hand engraved onto copper plates for printing. It’s characteristic ‘blobs’ and ink blots in unexpected places, contrasted with whispery hairlines make it my new calligraphic happy place. That I’ve found purple and peacock iron gall inks doesn’t hurt either.
For my own endeavors, online teaching is going extremely well, and I’m not likely to go back to in-person teaching for anther couple of years or so. I miss the fun of being with people in person and those times of getting to know people beyond their metal skill set when a class would go out to dinner together. There is something amazing happening in online classes too though that I would not want to give up. It turns out that people often level up more quickly when they get to try things in their own studios.
My Eastern Repousse & Chasing class in May, hosted by Silvera Jewelry School is now full with a waiting list just started. Last week’s Rotating Bezel Ring workshop hosted by Metalwerx went fabulously with lots of good work from enthusiastic students.
March is not without sadness, however. Last post, I shared a few of my memories of my art-mom/godmother Bobbie Crow who passed away March 4, 2017. This week, my favorite great aunt Delores Edens, whom my son always called “Aunt D,” passed away peacefully and, mercifully, from old age. My thoughts are with her son, daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandchildren and with all of us who have spent the last year mourning that it wasn’t possible to see people we love, one last time.
