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,
I am excited to kick off my term as your President. I am fortunate to follow Lloyd Whannell into this position, because Lloyd did a great job and has left me a finely-tuned machine to run. I have enjoyed working with the association as a board member and look forward to more interaction with members over my term. If you are similarly looking for more contact and involvement with other sculptors I encourage you to contact a board member or me.
As a volunteer organization we flourish only because of the involvement of people like Bill Brayman, who coordinated our recent successful Flower and Garden Show exhibit. As of the closing night of the exhibit we sold four pieces. Of course the real reason for the exhibit is to educate the public about the magic of stone sculpture. But as an artist I cannot help but to get really excited about our members exhibiting and selling their work. It is still early, but we will be doing this exhibit again next year, and hope to arrange another group show with the Kirsten Gallery. If you enjoy coordinating this sort of event please contact me and we can put you in touch with the Exhibition Committee.
Similarly, if you have an accounting background, the Finance Committee has an opening. This is a low-demand position that requires some expertise in the workings of balance sheets and income/expense statements. We have a bookkeeper but need someone to ensure continuity of our expertise as committee membership rotates.
Now to some association business. The board is considering a motion to amend the bylaws to change our fiscal year from January 1st - December 31st to July 1st – June 30th. We are considering this because the largest part of our financial operations revolves around Camp Brotherhood, held in July each year. We continually struggle with a number of issues that we believe would be simplified if we were on a July fiscal year. At the same time we want to amend our bylaw-mandated annual membership meeting from February to July (at Camp Brotherhood). Look for a full discussion of this in the next newsletter and at Camp Brotherhood.
As a wrap up to this column, I want to encourage everyone to consider attending the Whidbey Island symposium. It is the first symposium of our season and is a great place to connect with sculpting friends, both old and new. The symposium focuses on hand-carving and promises some good instruction.
Carve well, have fun and wear a good respirator,
