Sunday, July 20, 2008

PMC Conference....

My own private cow patch
So I have to start this blog with my adventure getting to Purdue University. I am usually Sacagawea and study maps and have things all routed out before I go on a trip. This time I decided to let technology guide me and programmed Lou's Tomtom for the trip. It took me pretty much in the direction that I thought I should be going. Somewhere west of Fort Wayne, "Tom" told me to turn off the interstate and took me on the back country roads. I'm thinking this is strange but maybe this is a back route into West Lafayette and I'll come up over a crest and there it'll be. I'm getting closer and closer and "you are here" pops up. I had come to a house in the middle of BF Indiana. I mean it was cute but I didn't think it was the University Plaza Hotel. I coasted up the road a bit trying to find a place to turn around and I looked up to see a herd of dairy cows across the road. WTF....as I'm trying to reprogram Tom, the farmer came out and cleared a path for me to drive through. So nice of him...but I had to turn the car around and get back on the highway. Turns out I was still 70+ miles from Purdue.



When I finally got there, Tom had me driving in circles trying to find the hotel. Not really his fault since the hotel lists their address as being on Northwestern Ave when in fact they are on Cumberland. DUH. My bff Cris came in later that afternoon after her own problems with the shuttle company showing up at the airport. At that point the gab fest began. There is some kind of alchemy that happens when the two of us get together. We talk non-stop and giggle like 12 year olds.

Bronze Clay
Class was amazing for a number of reasons. First, it was being taught by Celie Fago who is by far one of the best teachers I have ever had. Second, it was filled with people who had skills. It was an amazing combination of award winners, artists, and teachers. Third, we had this opportunity to work with the bronze clay. I can't explain the thrill of being able to be amongst the first students to work in a new medium. They haven't figured out all the quirks about the clay yet which is what makes it to exciting. As we work with this we'll be helping to figure out just exactly what this clay is capable of.

Cris in the classroom

Pieces ready to fire

Pieces out of the kiln with just a quick swipe with a high grit polish cloth

The patina is variable depending on the type of carbon used

Lisa Cain playing the cymbals that she made

Unfired and fired pieces show the shrinkage

Celie and Jen strike a pose


The class...Bill Struve, the inventor, is second from the right in the middle row

1 comment:

Stella said...

I really miss our BRONZclay Class with Celie! It was totally AWESOME! ;-)