We are now in the “tween” period for the organization. It is likely that by the time you get this, we will have clebrated at our annual Holiday Party, and will have some new Directors on board. There is nothing to do but wait until Whidbey Island.
That is how I used to view it. Now I regularly get to talk to sculpting buddies, even when no event is imminent. Part of that is due to my role as President, which gives me a good excuse to talk to many of you. But the rest is due to my recognition that this does not have to be a symposium-only organization. I enjoy the support I get from fellow sculptors 12 months a year. The energy we all feel at the symposia seems to reside in each of us, every day.
What do you get from this organization? What do you want the NWSSA to grow up to be? We are working towards a survey of our members to determine which direction we should move as the group matures. Drop me a line if you have ideas about direction, or have questions you would like included in a survey.
In the mean time, carve well, have fun, and wear a good respirator,
All reports from Camp Brotherhood and Silver Falls were quite good. Our visiting Camp Brotherhood artist, Michael Naranjo, was so charged-up by his experience that he is returning to stone carving after nearly a decade of clay work. He had quit carving stone due to the physical and tooling challenges of sightless stone carving.
Silver Falls was reportedly a very nice symposium. The setting is marvelous and the participants were pleased with the event.
The Board of Directors has given approval to the Grants Committee to develop a member survey. We are an organization for the members, and we want to make sure we understand how the members want our organization to mature. Be thinking about what you want in this organization in the future.
The next generation of NWSSA leaders is in the wings. The Board of Directors annual election will be held at the Holiday Party in December. Look for your ballot with candidate statements and scratch in your vote.
Carve well, have fun, and wear a good respirator,
I finished the basalt piece I was complaining about not touching in my last column. I have not been able to get far enough from it yet to determine that it is really “done”, but the chalk marks have been replaced with negative space. And my huge project to reorganize my studio progresses, though of course the sole reason to get more efficient with my space is so I can fit in more stuff. Ultimately I’ll be more cramped, though hopefully more efficient.
By the time you get this newsletter we will have had our annual Camp Brotherhood symposium, and we will all be hyper from the new ideas, friends, stone and tools we saw at Camp B. The whole organization is just abuzz in late July. One of the best ways to share that buzz is through our e-mail distribution list and newsletter. So please make sure we have your correct contact information.
Carve well, have fun, and wear a good respirator,
I was so disappointed to get the message from our editor that it was time to write another president’s letter. On the one hand I had yet another reason to put off my tax return. But my disappointment came from the realization that yet two more months had passed without my chisel or grinder touching much stone. I was still excited about a very recent break-through I had with a basalt piece that had stalled for the last year. But I had thought I could have turned the break-through into a finished piece by now. Instead it languishes in my studio, still covered with chalk marks and stone dust. It’s not that I have not spent time in my studio, I have just been distracted by the “craft” part of sculpture.
Suz Gentiluomo first highlighted the craft part of art to me several years ago. I was in the midst of a home remodel and was complaining about not getting much sculpting time. Suz laughed heartily and said “Ken, sculptors are ALWAYS remodeling something, whether it is their house, their studio, or their equipment.” Sculptors are such a combination of conceptual and craft that it is easy to visualize and then undertake many projects, the more at the same time, the better.
I recently learned to weld so that I could make some needed custom brackets and equipment mounts, all in the name of better space utilization and new tool possibilities. Of course I will have hundreds of hours into this project by the time I am done, all to save a few minutes and a few square feet here and there. But I love it. The process, the journey, is one of the best parts of sculpting. If I am temporarily distracted from my basalt but still get to wallow in creativity, I am as happy as a pig in stone dust.
On matters of organization business, please read the notice of a vote to change the bylaws regarding our annual membership meeting date. It is now in February, and we believe it should be held at Camp Brotherhood in July. We have placed the notice directly below, so that we can get members’ feedback at the Camp Brotherhood membership meeting. After feedback, the board will vote on the issue at the following Board of Directors meeting.
Regarding the previously discussed fiscal year change, we have decided not to change our fiscal year to July through June. We do believe it is in our best interest to change the dues period, but we do not believe we need to change the fiscal year in order to change when dues apply.
Carve well, have fun, and wear a good respirator,
