Dave Finkelnburg on wed 23 jan 02
Hi all!
I'm just back home from a visit to north Georgia. Mark Issenberg was a
great host and a good teacher, Lana Wilson's workshop in Atlanta was
enlightening for me, visiting some great ClayArters was grand and I just had
a wonderful time.
If you ever have a chance to visit Mark's Lookout Mountain Pottery, do
go. Besides his great pots and teaching skills, the setting is incredibly
scenic. Mark's in a genuine tourist destination, only two miles from
Cloudlands State Park on Lookout Mountain. I'd be hiking there yet but Mark
dragged me out of the woods Monday afternoon! :-)
We drove into Atlanta Friday and visited galleries, then had dinner with
Billie Mitchell and her husband, Greg. They treated us so well! I was very
impressed to see some samples of Billie's two-D work from the past, and that
training shows in her creative and original pit fire and Raku sculptures and
carved bowl forms. She's doing great work!
Lana Wilson is a skilled teacher as well as artist. I got a lot of
inspiration to try new things from her very relaxed approach. I think she
brings the casualness that comes from great control of her work.
Knox Steinbrenner hosted a wonderful dinner from some of us Saturday.
I'm afraid I drooled over her collection of pots. Cat Jaroz put on an
impromptu handle-making demo for me--patiently explaining how she makes
those wonderful, gorgeous pitchers. And yes, the process is as labor
intensive as it looks!
This is already way too long and I haven't mentioned half the great
people I saw. Let me just say that none of this great trip would have ever
happened if it weren't for ClayArt. I'm convinced more than ever that
technology and the internet, rather than isolating us, is really bringing us
closer together.
Thanks for a wonderful week, Mark, and all you other Georgia and
Tennessee potters!
Dave Finkelnburg watching the snow sift quietly down in Idaho
| |
|
