Vince Pitelka on tue 1 nov 05
My apologies for sending that message to Clayart. It was a personal message
and I meant to forward it directly to Kathy Chase. That was careless of me.
- Vince
> So great to see your post on Clayart. Initially I didn't recognize the
> "Earth n Fire" but then I saw the mention of UMass Amherst and thought
> "I'll
> bet that's Kathy Chase."
info Earth n Fire on tue 1 nov 05
Hi- I have been reading with interest all your postings in regards to higher
education. At 24 I decided to go "away" to college at UMASS Amherst, a 4
hour drive from Cape Cod. I was the oldest student in a lot of my classes,
except for the ceramics program. I had 6+ years of production experience
behind me, a great job in pottery production, and I gave it up to get a BFA.
Up until 1989 I had never thrown a pot, fired below cone 4, or even knew
what raku was! Almost all of the students that were close to my age were
grad students seeking MFA's in different art concentrations. Do I regret
going to school-NO! I do wish I had gone earlier in my life, for 4 years
instead of cramming it all into 5 semesters & winter & summer sessions
(Thanks Vince for your leadership on my independent studies!). But it was a
great learning experience for me to be able to take my time & learn many
more things than factory production.The diversity of the people I met and
the experiences both good & bad I wouldn't trade for the world. I never
wanted to get a MFA, I just have always wanted to "make something." I did go
back to factory production work for another 8 years. Now I am out on my own
(for 10 years) and loving almost all of it! The few workshops I am able to
attend usually floor me with the great ideas , and the wealth of knowledge
that fellow participants bring into the circle. My Mom always told me that
education & anything learned is never wasted, you never know what gem of
information you'll take away from a workshop & use later in life. The older
I get the smarter she gets! At 40 I am still going to school and taking
classes that I never would have in the past. Luckily part of the tuition is
paid for by my employer. Now if I can only figure out how to get them to pay
for all the workshops that I want to go to....
Regards-Kathy Chase-Jones www.earthnfirepottery.com
Vince Pitelka on tue 1 nov 05
Hi Kathy -
So great to see your post on Clayart. Initially I didn't recognize the
"Earth n Fire" but then I saw the mention of UMass Amherst and thought "I'll
bet that's Kathy Chase."
Years ago we talked about getting me out on the cape to teach a workshop.
It would be fun, if there is a venue interested in hosting. But it couldn't
be before 2007. If you have been following Clayart, you may know that I
broke my leg in February - a very bad break and healing was going
frustratingly slow. My surgeon in Cookeville finally sent me to an
orthopedic trauma specialist at Vanderbilt University Hospital, and as of a
month ago I am sporting a 18" by 1/2" titanium intramedullar nail inside my
right tibia. Things are happening fast now, and the forecast is that I will
be on a cane with a few weeks, which is going to be a delightful change
after nine months on crutches. If you have an interest in such things, you
can see the whole broken leg photo journal (with x-rays!) at
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/Digital/digital_photography.htm
I had to cancel all workshop and travel plans through the spring, summer,
and fall, and everyone wanted to reschedule, so all the summer of 2005
workshops simply got pushed back to summer of 2006, and I am booked through
fall of 2006.
Sounds like you are doing well. Do you have images of your work on a
website?
- Vince
----- Original Message -----
From: "info Earth n Fire"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2005 2:06 AM
Subject: MFA's, degrees and other musings
> Hi- I have been reading with interest all your postings in regards to
> higher
> education. At 24 I decided to go "away" to college at UMASS Amherst, a 4
> hour drive from Cape Cod. I was the oldest student in a lot of my classes,
> except for the ceramics program. I had 6+ years of production experience
> behind me, a great job in pottery production, and I gave it up to get a
> BFA.
> Up until 1989 I had never thrown a pot, fired below cone 4, or even knew
> what raku was! Almost all of the students that were close to my age were
> grad students seeking MFA's in different art concentrations. Do I regret
> going to school-NO! I do wish I had gone earlier in my life, for 4 years
> instead of cramming it all into 5 semesters & winter & summer sessions
> (Thanks Vince for your leadership on my independent studies!). But it was
> a
> great learning experience for me to be able to take my time & learn many
> more things than factory production.The diversity of the people I met and
> the experiences both good & bad I wouldn't trade for the world. I never
> wanted to get a MFA, I just have always wanted to "make something." I did
> go
> back to factory production work for another 8 years. Now I am out on my
> own
> (for 10 years) and loving almost all of it! The few workshops I am able to
> attend usually floor me with the great ideas , and the wealth of knowledge
> that fellow participants bring into the circle. My Mom always told me that
> education & anything learned is never wasted, you never know what gem of
> information you'll take away from a workshop & use later in life. The
> older
> I get the smarter she gets! At 40 I am still going to school and taking
> classes that I never would have in the past. Luckily part of the tuition
> is
> paid for by my employer. Now if I can only figure out how to get them to
> pay
> for all the workshops that I want to go to....
> Regards-Kathy Chase-Jones www.earthnfirepottery.com
>
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