Art at the Mill 2009 a Success! Upcoming Classes!

Good morning everyone! I'm spending a lazy Sunday morning in bed with my laptop. Catching up on emails, paying bills, etc. I decided I deserved a little bit of time to unwind before jumping into cleaning my house I've been neglecting for awhile. So, what have I been up to? Mostly, Art at the Mill 2009. It was my third year organizing an event that brings in local artists to my son's elementary school for the day. I think I know a little bit about what it would be like to a professional event planner now, and I'm pretty sure I don't want the job. But, I do love the payoff of the smiling children's faces in the hallways.

This year was reportedly the best ever! We had an amazing drumming trio we found through the Young Audiences/Woodruff Arts Center Showcase last fall, Ritmo Blu. I didn't get to see the performance at the school as I was leading art demonstrations for the kids myself, but I heard great things about them.

Another favorite was Balloon Guy Mike. He wowed the kids with his amazing balloon sculptures. He was nice enough to make an alien for me to take home to my sick son who had to miss the day's presentations.

Other artists/performers were:

Peggy Still, pianist/composer of The Peggy Still School of Music. She trained the actress/pianist in the movie, Benjamin Button.

Erwin Sateler, guitarist from The Woodstock Academy of Dance and Music

Jimmy Hopkins, metal welder/sculptor.

Patricia DiBona, mixed-media artist, who came in with under 24 hours notice (we had one cancellation) and made 244 collage kits for the kids! wow!

Vanessa Sebastian, manga artist.

Rhythm Dance Center, dance.

Yvonne Dauria, basket weaver.

Lena Adams, loom weaver.

Diane Kovach, glass lampwork bead artist.

Dianna Murphy, wheel potter.

Mary Akers, watercolor and batik artist. (an amazing artist and good friend)

Carol Daniels, puppetry.

Tina Wilson, KidzArt.

Publix cake decorators.

It was an amazing day. All of the guests were so talented and all so friendly and giving of their time and talent.

I've also been slowly but surely completing work on pieces that have been in the works for awhile. Most notably a liturgical stole that I completed earlier this month. I stilll don't have photos to share, but will hopefully get around to scheduling a photo session with the owner of the stole this week. I worked on it on and off for 6 months. I find this work very rewarding as it is so personal. I think this is an area where I will continue to take orders and commissions. Here is some of the feedback I received:


"It is exquisite, intricate, beautiful, and so many more superlatives. Heidi, I absolutely love it. It is a very miraculous creation. I want to have a sort of consecration ceremony before I wear it, just between God and me. It feels holy and sacred to me as to what you built into its fabric as well as a sacred honor to wear it. I will wear it as example of the creative and colorful Light forces which flow through all of us in such individual and unique ways, just as the Creator intended it....and as you, the creator, so clearly demonstrated in your crafting of it. "

"Today I held my own consecration service for the stole. Since Saturday, I have been looking
at and imagining how I wanted to celebrate putting it on. I knew I did not want to just "try it
on", but to wear it after certain words had been said and a ritual done to impress the wearing
of it with a sacred resonance. Having done that, I can only say that it feels that if I can
represent its sacred colors in the ways which God intended, I will be a better person for the
wearing of them. Part of what I read today was the verse from the Gnostic Gospel of Philip:
"God is a dyer. The good dyes, true dyes, dissolve into things dyed in them. So too for things
god has dyed. His dyes are imperishable because of their colors." Thank you Heidi for creating
a form to display God's imperishable colors. "

Lastly, I have been working really hard on finding places to teach my classes and have had success! I am determined to make a go of teaching as much as possible. The economic situation has started to take it's toll on our household and I've started collecting the statistics and math job postings in my area, but am praying that I have a few more months before I have to go down that path. I want to find a way to make a real living at what I love. Before taking on a math position, I am open to math tutoring for high school and college students. Contact me if you are interested. I have a BS in Math from MIT, and a MS in Biostatistics from Harvard.

But let's get back to my passion, ART!!!!!! Many more classes and venues are in the works/talks, etc including art classes for children. But, for now I am very excited to report that I have at least two upcoming classes at Red Hen FAbrics in Marietta, GA.

This coming Saturday, February 7th, I'll be doing a demo of mixed-media scarf with an actual hands-on class coming in March.

Also, in March, I'll be teaching my Watercolor Crayons on Fabric on two different occassions at Red Hen. Be watching for the dates (I left my day planner out in the car. :))

Gotta run. My 16 year old kitty is having a rough weekend and apparently it's getting worse while I'm hiding up here in the bedroom. Looks like it will be a trip to vet hospital today. Say some prayers for her.

heidi