A Nice Way to Spend the Day

"A loyal friend laughs at your jokes

when they're not so good,

and symphathizes with your problems

when they're not so bad."

- Arnold H. Glasow

I can't believe it's already the 22nd of November!!! Where has the time gone? Even though the sun was shining brightly today, the air was crisp and cold outside. The river in our backyard has frozen over, and there were 3 people behind our house ice-skating for a good portion of the afternoon. I would've never believed the ice was thick enough to walk on yet, but obviously all that blustery weather we've been having has thickened the ice very quickly. I must admit, as I was watching those people having so much fun, I was thinking I should figure out where my skates are so I can goof around on the ice, too, because the river looks as smooth as glass. When I told that to Kim as we were observing the skaters from the worktable in my studio, Kim just smiled at me and told me she'd much rather be making artsy stuff inside where it's warm. (Party Pooper). I must say, I guess Kim was right...we spent the day having fun inside, each working on some jewelry projects. Kim wanted to make a necklace that she could attach all of her charms onto from the swap at her Retreat last month, while I was working away at repairing a pair of earrings that I had broken a while back. I love it when Kim comes over. The time just flies by, and we never run out of things to talk about and laugh about when we're together. I'm hoping that we can get together again before Thanksgiving. Perhaps then we'll do some metal-etching or work with PMC. It's about time I try out that kiln I bought back in August!!!

(The necklace that Kim made)

...I'll Get By With a Little Help From My Friends...

"Friendship"

A friend will give you comfort

and hours on the phone.

A friend knows when you need a hug

or want to be left alone.

A friend knows when you need an ear

to just sit there and listen.

A friend helps you to calm your fears,

and cheers on your ambitions.

A friend can make you laugh out loud

even when there's no one around

A friend is someone who makes you proud

of the friend that you have found.

- Gina Marie Lauchner

When I started out on my artistic journey four years ago, I have been very blessed. I have made some wonderful friendships with very, very talented and caring individuals. These friends have stuck up for me when they feel I've been wronged, and have been so very supportive of me and my artwork. I am not going to name specific people individually in this post, but I'm sure they will know that I am referring to them when they read this.

I am very thankful and grateful to have friends like you, who continue to stay in contact with me, and who go 'above and beyond' when you feel I've been wronged in some way.

Thank you all, for your care and concern for me and my work!!! I am sooooooo grateful that you have all come into my life, and that you are all so supportive of me! You are all the best friends that I could ever ask for!!!!!!

Hugs to you all!

Jill

xo

The End of a Busy Month

"Life is to be

fortified by many friendships.

To love

and be loved

is the greatest happiness

of existence."
- Sydney Smith

(The Raevn's Nest 'Elite' L to R: Bernie Berlin, Kim Nugent, Judy Wise, Michael deMeng, and Laurie Mika)

October was certainly a busy month for me. For three weeks in a row, I was busy travelling to different workshops that I had signed up to take, oh so many months ago. It was unfortunate that these classes all fell in such close proximity to each other date-wise, because I felt like I couldn't fully enjoy them. When one workshop was ending, I was already contemplating what supplies I would need to get packed for the next one. It all began with my Thomas Mann workshop the beginning of October. I was at Valley Ridge for 6 days...came home...and then 4 days later had 2 Michael deMeng workshops and a Laurie Mika workshop at Raevn's Nest Retreat in Cedarburg. The following week I went back down to Valley Ridge for 3 days for my Lynne Perrella workshop. What really sucked was that I literally had to unpack all my supplies from my metalsmithing workshop, and repack totally different supplies for each remaining class. I'm proud of the fact that I actually put away my tools, etc., as I was unpacking before I began dragging out a bunch of other stuff for the next class supply list. I couldn't bear the thought of letting the studio get out of control again...(not to mention the wrath of Kim Nugent , since she was instrumental in organizing the chaos!).

(The 'Michael Lisa' at Raevn's Nest)

Raevn's Nest Art Retreat in Cedarburg was a wonderful experience. My good friend, Kim Nugent, made her dream of hosting a gathering of artists a reality - using the quaint community of Cedarburg, Wisconsin as the backdrop for her venue.

(Bernie and Judy -- Bernie is taking a pic of me while I'm taking this photo)

Thursday evening was an informal get-together, where people could get to know each other, participate in the various swaps which were held throughout the night, while listening to
the gritty, bluesy sound of the Alex Wilson Band, a local favorite of Kim's.

(Michael and I striking a very studious pose)

She had assorted inks and feathers available in the center of each of the tables, so you could draw and doodle while listening to the music and chatting with friends.

(We're enjoying each other's company Thursday evening)

I had the privilege of spending the evening chatting with Michael deMeng. I have taken several workshops with him over the past few years, so it was nice to be able to just relax and catch up with each other. (Michael critiquing our Morpheus Box Shrines)

The workshops began on Friday morning. My class for the day was the Mosaic Shrine class with Laurie Mika. I have never taken a workshop with her before, but I very familiar with her work, as I purchased her wonderful book way back when it first hit the bookstores.

(Everyone's Morpheus Boxes ready for Michael's critique)

I love Laurie's unique style, coupled with her wonderful choice of color and design. She was a great instructor, and everyone in the class

enjoyed working on their own, unique tiles. I have to admit that conditioning the clay was rather tedious...Laurie loves to work the clay by hand. (I would much rather prefer to use a pasta machine and soften it faster).

(Here I am frantically assembling my Matchbook Reliquary)

The class ended around 4:30 p.m., and many participants got their pieces finished, or nearly finished. Mine, on the other hand, has a long way to go before it is complete. I am pleased, however, with how it was turning out. (The Shrine I was working on in Laurie Mika's Class)

The other two workshops I had signed up for were both with Michael deMeng. Friday evening was making Matchbook Reliquaries, and Saturday was the Morpheus Box. I didn't get either of those projects finished either, but I got a good start on both of them, and hopefully sometime this Winter, I'll get the motivation to finish them.

Kim's retreat was a huge success, and I look forward to attending it again next October. I admire her determination to make her dream of hosting such a huge undertaking a reality!

A Busy Week!!!

It's been a busy week for me. Last Tuesday morning, I left for Valley Ridge Art Studio in Muscoda, Wisconsin, to attend "Metalsmithing Basics," with Thomas Mann. It was a 3-day workshop, and was focused on honing our skills using the jeweler's saw, and different soldering techniques using an acetylene/oxygen torch. We all were taking extensive notes as Tom was explaining in detail the mechanics of what we were going to be doing, and giving us our instuctions for assignments we had to work on during the class.

The workshop was very intensive, and I think a few people were beginning to get a little overwhelmed with the abundance of information given, coupled with a bit of frustration if their assignments weren't turning out as they had hoped they would. However, Tom was an excellent instructor, and went out of his way to really work one-on-one with anyone who was experiencing any glitches or problems with their techniques. And we really needed to hear all the information we were given to properly learn the background of what we were going to be doing. I've never soldered with acetylene before, so the whole soldering experience was new for me, and I can now sweat solder and also attach wire to a metal plate, as well as attach metal balls and jump rings to the end of a piece of wire, which will be extremely useful when making jewelry. I'm certainly going to need to practice a lot, so I get the hang of it better, though.

I loved the workshop, and learned so much! I even 'passed' Tom's test on sawing and soldering!!! So much so, that he approached me the evening before the last day of the workshop, telling me I am a very talented artist, and asking me if I would be willing to stay on for the next workshop he was teaching to be his assistant! I was in total shock! I felt such a sence of pride and honor that he singled me out because he feels that I have what it takes to go to the 'next level' with my abilities. So...after calling my husband to make sure it was OK with him, I eagarly told him I'd love to stay. Kathy, the owner of Valley Ridge, was kind enough to let me do a batch of laundry in her house, so I'd have clean clothes to wear, and I also had the privilege of staying in the 'Artist Quarters' in the main house!!! Their home is indescribably amazing!!!! And Saturday evening, Tom cooked us an absolutely fabulous gourmet dinner!!!

The workshop I assisted Tom with was the "Sandwich Brooch Pin." It was a 2-day workshop, and I had taken that workshop with him last year, so I was familiar with how to create it. The gals taking the class were all very nice, and I found it a lot of fun to help them with all their questions as they began to create their pieces. I think everyone gave me a hug when they left, thanking me for all the help I gave them, and telling me what a good job I did. Tom told me I did a fantastic job assisting him, and said I have a good way with working with others. Who knows, maybe down the road, I'll be able to teach a workshop of my own down at Valley Ridge!!