i just got home from the penland school of crafts where i spent a relaxing couple of days. the spring concentration finished up on friday and i went up to attend the scholarship auction. many of the students and instructors donate work for this event which happens at the end of every session. all the money raised is used to fund work/study positions and various scholarships. i have bid on a number of things at past auctions, but this time i said i was not going to because i am going to greece. i should be saving all my money for the trip. well, i ended up being all talk because as soon as i saw the charm necklace the metals' class made, i changed my mind. as you may remember i was their visiting artist a few weeks ago. it was a wonderful experience and i definitely feel a connection to those students and their instructor, robert dancik. the necklace they made was one of the best class collaborations i have ever seen and i was immediately drawn to it. so i bid and bid and bid again and finally won. i definitely made the right choice.
earlier in the day i had a lovely visit with instructor and resident artist david chatt. david makes incredible bead work which i have admired for years. while we were talking he mentioned that his father, orville k. chatt, had been a metalsmith and showed me a book he authored titled "design is where you find it." it is a wonderful book that shows how ideas can be found anywhere and everywhere, one just has to look with an open mind. chatt shows a picture of something interesting , a leaf, an old barn, a mushroom to name a few, and matches each image with a piece of jewelry inspired by the image. the ideas were so thoughtful and inspiring. this book is a real treasure if you can find a copy for yourself.
thanks for reading.
