This week marks the first anniversary of SilverWorks, and it has been a wild ride. Roughly 150 students have taken a class, a workshop, or spent time in open studio. The gallery has seen numerous visitors and gracious patrons. I had a great show in July thanks to the good folk at Glen Echo Park and their Gallery, and have been granted another in the new year.The studio has become a great place for folks to come and discover their creative selves, explore their work in an inviting environment, and get inspired by fellow artists on a similar journey.

Shades of Exnihilo.

No, our Bahamas dream hasn't faded away. Far from it. As I put my nose to the grindstone last year it was with a whisper that SilverWorks would some how play a part. It was clear after the economy hit everyone so hard (including us) that there would be no way to begin our building plans within the timetable I originally imagined. After so much concept, research, buying of the land, and a year of getting the designs of the facilities just right, and up to rigorous code (hurricane wind potential), we had to put on the brakes.

That was excruciating.

Like getting some sort of psychological whiplash or stopping a boulder rolling down hill with brick wall, the momentum of the thing made it painful to set it aside out of necessity, and just sit...

and be content.

That was the hard part. Finding contentment in that void.

A cosmic door had shut and I was left contemplating what was to do next. Up to this point the steps had been clear.

What was also clear was that I needed a new source of income. Life transitions, Daniel moving out, my art progressing... there were a few sign posts that pointed to the studio. But it meant such a shift in gears and starting a whole new business, that once the decision was made, I was still extremely nervous about the success. But the studio door was open and I walked through it. And once you walk through a door like that there is no turning back. Like everything else Bryan and I threw ourselves into it completely. Designing the space, constructing it on the cheap, dusting off my teaching skills and my class curriculum, creating promo material, website, and all the rest around a loosely written business plan, was all like drinking from a fire hose.

Once invested it was all about hard work and putting myself in one of the most extraverted position I have been in in my life. Working long hours and fighting traffic, and weather... all wondering if Exnihilo was going to fade into nothingness.(ironic)

But I started to notice something wonderful.

Things and people were (and are) being revealed through SilverWorks. I marvel at the people that walk through my door that become my students and friends. Lawyers, scientists, authors, sculptors, activists, embassy folk (haiti, and the Bahamas) and others, and that doesn't even included the other artists' studios in the park and the folk that I have made friends with.

Like a giant pile of puzzle pieces started shifting themselves into position.

And in the last few months there have been whispers in the wind of holding Exnihilo loosely...

in the form of a non-profit.

That whisper in the wind is a voice I have heard before. It comes with a familiar feeling of fire in the belly.

Walking around in the cold, Bryan gave me a cashmere scarf ("you may need this")a gift he bought in Boston. Shopping National Harbor revealed a few little gems like the only Peeps store in the world. Yea, you heard me... Peeps.

After some shopping I was treated to a 90 minute massage at the Pearl followed by dinner at Iron Bridge. I came home to flowers and a card, champagne and a cuddle-up on the couch while watching Sex in the City 2.

Yes... completely over the top. If I knew where you could find another one like Bryan I probably wouldn't tell you, But I am pretty sure he is the only one.

Signed the contract with Glen Echo Park, as an artist-in-residence, one year ago today. Unbelievable that it has been a year. I have been on high gear almost non-stop since that day which doesn't exactly exemplify an artist's "life in balance"...

but sometimes you have to break the rules;-)

Yea, I am a little tired, gained a couple extra pounds and a few grey hairs (my first), but what a great reward for such a sacrifice.

To date, there have been 120 students through my studio doors in class, workshop, or private instruction. This year I have added an intermediate class and have requests for more advanced techniques. Although I have employed these things in my work, because I was mostly self-taught I struggle with teaching anything beyond the beginning level (I just expect everyone to pursue it trial and error like I did!) Clearly I need to get over it.

And it is time to evaluate how much of myself I make available for private instruction because apparently there aren't enough dates on the calendar. A nice problem to contemplate from a business standpoint. From the perspective of an introvert (who has definitely hit my ceiling) I have to decide where to draw the line. Those limits frustrate my entrepreneur side which always assumes that energy is an unlimited resource and should enable you to work seven days a week.

But my husband can attest to a semi-comatose wife on friday morning after a thursday night class (that followed a two-day workshop) where I have very little conversation to offer at breakfast due to being completely tapped.

My new normal.

For a while.

The joy of seeing students equipped with a new sense of creative purpose and realizing that I was the equipper is an amazing feeling. And justifies that new normal. It strikes me every day how much negative info people get regarding an artistic journey that by providing a little positive support is like an oasis in the desert. We all have amazing powers in us, but it is just as amazing how they can be diminished by one discouraging word.

So, as a rule there is no negative talk allowed in my studio. In fact when I encounter a student that talks down to themselves I actually reprimand them into some positive self-talk. (yea it seems like a double negative first, but it still gets the point across). But I have found that even a little negativity can seep into the rest of the class. I even locked the door on a youth camp and told them that they couldn't come in unless they brightened up. It was amazing to see the group transform from a trash-talking distracted band into a focused group that created some nice work (giving me hugs at the end... what could be better).

A little joy and celebration goes a long way, and I really believe this. The first person that breaks a saw blade in my class is honored not shamed. The first solder joint accomplished by each student gets a whoop and holler... it actually makes people make better art. And it helps a tiny bit in making them realize that they can be artists.

So satisfying....

And humbling, because I am just a fellow artist on a journey, just a little further down the road. But like my husband likes to say, "An expert is just someone who knows more than you do".

So I will continue to try to empower those who come through the door of SilverWorks with a new discovery or the honing of that discovery.

It has been a great year with tons of work, a great show, and a whole lot of creative growth of my own...

here's to another year.

Check out my student's gallery!

October Discover Silversmithing Workshop

Thankfully, It was much better... what you would expect from a place that serves burgers and sweet potato fries with sports viewing from any angle. The twist of this place was its faux "inside the belly of an old sub or ship" look.

Of course after lunch we managed just a few final slots before getting back in the car. Village People Jackpot Party was my pick for the moment... what fun.

So for tonight sister Marta cooked an amazing chicken parm (thank you) and we watched a chick flick and a drama.

movies...

It always amazes me the impact that these shows have. The minute the music started with the vocal talent of the woman who played the character Rifiki, I broke into tears.

Happens every time.

Something about excellence in art (in any form) overwhelms me and makes me cry. The performance tapped so many creative levels with full body puppetry, percussion, and so much color...

phenomenal.

Waiting for the taxi.

Three of us playing wheel of fortune, taking turns pressing the button. Mom's turn...
wins $100

Dinner at RM Seafood

A fine Pinot Noir; Educated Guess 2007

Seared Tuna

In our seats at Lion King

Rifiki

mom loves the slots.

The sisters...
not so much. (Qualifier: mom wins, we loose buckets)

So, planting mom in front of a new gold fish machine, we go off to find a little piece of heaven.

Spagos.

A little oyster action, appetizers and this fabulous dessert. And a little peace and quiet.

me with the oysters

sister marta with the oysters

peach yummy

marta's wine evaluation of a Semillion; Signorello, Napa 2006
slightly seet, warm citrus, good legs, not too dry.