WHO DOES ART AND WHY?

These are some of the people in my glass and clay classes. They all come to art for different reasons and backgrounds. So why do art at all? Why do these people choose to drive from different cities and communities to come to our community center weekly.

Some are from other countries, as my friend Monica. She is from Peru and has a masters in Latin American art history. It is one thing to study other artist and have an appreciation of art as a subject and it is another to become the artist. And that is what Monica has done, and is doing...becoming the artist. Her works are charming and colorful and burst forth with hints of an ancient culture. She will you on any given day centering clay is the hardest thing she has ever done! Anyone who has thrown clay knows that frustration. But she is winning the battle!

In the photo below you see one of my classmates who is such a wonderful glassmaker...she can do everything, cut wonderfully, use frit on great images, and combine fantastic combinations of glass. She drives a long way to come to our class. She bring a professional, organized approach that is wonderful. She loves the craft of doing glass. She applies herself in learning and perfecting techniques. I think the craft of learning and perfecting is her calling to glass and art.
My classmate Maryanne is an amazing person. She is a full time Mom, a stewardess for an airlines, a teacher, and a person who loves doing art for herself, but I think more for others. She is constantly giving to others:knitting scarves for holocaust survivors, working on something for a friend of school. So I think she comes to art for the love of giving and the love of expressing that giving nature.

And here is one of the most beautiful on poignant relationships in our class. Carole and her Mom. Carole, works at the local university and her 89 year old Mother has painted all her life. They come together, share time together, and caring flows easily. They love art and making with their hands, they love spending time together, and they love supporting each other. Art makes all these things possible for Carole and her Mom. It makes our class richer in the warmth they share with us.