Visitors and Guilds

        My studio is fun to work in but it is more fun when there are people to work with and I've had lots of visitors the past few weeks.  

     Besides the Designing Women from Tennessee,  Dorothy Psuty from Titusville, Pa. treated her daughter Ingrid to a mini-introduction to PMC class.   Check out Ingrid's website at www.ingridpsuty.com to see some of her fabulous pieces.  Her jewelry pieces based on the work of famous artists are my favorites.  (Must be influenced by all those years of teaching art history.)

   Yesterday, the Western Pennsylvania Metal Clay Guild held their November meeting at my studio.   Four members from Pittsburgh made the two hour trip up to Oil City (which I really appreciate).  There were six members in attendance and two guests.  We started out with show and tell, then eagerly heard about Jan Durkin's experience in her certification class with Celie Fago.  From then on we just played and had a great time!  The longer meeting gave us plenty of time to complete a project from start to finish.  Everyone brought such a variety of snacks that we didn't have to stop for lunch.  We did make a short trip to the gallery downstairs though but then it was back to work (I mean play.....  when work is fun it is called playing.)    A benefit of a longer meeting is that the extra time gave us more of a chance to get to know our guild members better.  

   For anyone doing metal clay, joining a guild is a great way to share experience, knowledge, tools and fun with other people who do what you do.  I recommend seeking out a guild in your area.  You won't regret it.