David Hendley on sat 1 apr 00
Well, I guess I'll weigh in on the conference....
First of all, a big 'thanks' for your support at the Tool
Doctors session. That was some intimidating crowd to
see staring back at you, but even before Vicki finished
the introductions, I knew I was in the good and friendly
hands of dozens of my Clayart buddies.
It was also a real pleasure to meet many of you for the
first time.
I'm not about to complain about the actual running of
the conference. The volunteer board does a good job,
especially considering that everything is done long-distance,
and the location is new every year.
That said, I sure did attend some boring sessions. Am
I expecting too much to want a speaker to actually speak,
and not read a paper?
There were also some great sessions; the Julia, John, & Janet
demo was as good as it gets. Three good artists and presenters,
with the whole even better than the parts.
I was also excited to be able to visit with Gail Nichols in the
small breakout group on soda firing. The real kicker, however,
was to discover that the great soda-firer Ruthanne Tudball
was also in the group.
I stayed in Denver through the weekend, and saw many of the
shows, and there were some good ones. The stoneware show
at 'Show of Hands' was, for a functional (yes, functional, not
utilitarian) potter like myself, an incredible opportunity. Because
of the 'shop' rather than 'museum' setting, I was able to pick up
and caress all those rich wood-fired and ash-glazed surfaces.
Most all of the pieces were marked 'sold' by Sunday afternoon.
The porcelain show at Red Rocks College was just grand. Sure
wish I could have fondled a few of those pieces.
Now, about the Clayart room....it's was too small, or we're too big.
I guess we need a suite next time. Think the sponsors will go
for that??? I missed the first half of slide night 'cause I couldn't
get in the door. The mug exchange went off great, thanks to
great planning by Kathleen, but, hell, it was TOO organized and
efficient. It had to be that way because of the sheer number of
mugs, but it's sure a lot more fun to hang around rather than
be kicked out of the room after you get your mug. I never got
to meet the maker of mine, which is a disappointment, and I
know who got mine only because I was helping with the exchange.
--
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com/
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