Don’t you find how people get to where they are in life fascinating? I particularly love to hear how artists and makers arrive at their current artwork. For some it’s knowing that you’ve always loved designing fashion or working with clay, and it’s been a relatively straight path. But for many the path has been less obvious and more random until they “click” into the medium that fits their talents.
I was a grasshopper leaping from one media to another throughout most of my life. Many of the media that particularly fascinated me combined manual and design. I was also attracted to reuse of some discarded items that could be reborn with design and color. In my 70’s an unplanned random class introduced me to polymer clay and I loved it. At 75 a random choice of a class on using alcohol inks in order to fill out my schedule at a conference, led me to become hypnotized by the color, intensity and movement of these magical inks. Now at 79, I’m working on pieces that combine both media and have never been happier. Mine is definitely a stumbling, bumbling path. And it hasn’t ended yet.
One of the joys of being part of the Over the Mountain Studio Tour is watching our fellow artists on their road. Some will continue to make what they make now but with ever-greater skill. Others will morph - change what they make or what media they use or add totally new skills.
I’m watching my granddaughter who definitely has art making in her blood. At 16 she’s already tried many media and seems to have currently settled on working in clay. She chose her current high school because it has a clay studio and she works as a teacher’s assistant for children’s clay classes. Where will this take her? I have no idea. But I’m excited to find out.