Candie's Story
A story of personal transformation
in "The Creative Enamel Color Adventure" Course
Ricky's Note: Candie had previously taken a 1/2 day "immersion" enameling workshop with Barbara Lewis and then an "introductory" 5-day workshop with me in my studio. After the week in my studio she returned home and did not touch her enamels for a year until she took the online Creative Enamel Color Class.
Her previous art experience was 20 years of glass bead-making and silversmithing as a hobby to go with her professional career in horticulture.. Candie did not make one "finished piece" in the whole 6 week course. She made lots of "enamel sketches", experiments, and color samples. After the class was finished, here is the manatee enamel that she made! |
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Read what Candie shared with me about her experience in the Creative Enamel Color class...
"I wanted to share with you my successes and struggles with that class and how your teaching method was transformative for me as both an enamel technician and an artist.
It wasn't always easy, or even pleasant to keep up with this class. I was a beginning enamelist with only a week-long class to my credit. I had a barely functioning studio; my setup was not optimal for hitting the ground running. I don't generally enjoy online classes and am sometimes baffled by Zoom and Skype yet charge forward tapping keys until I'm either linked in or shot into space. I also find it too easy to hide in quiet non-participation. At this point, you're probably curious about what I actually managed to get out of this class.
I thought I was out of my league about a week into the class and considered dropping out. Yet I kept going, struggling through concepts that made my head ache. Finally, I felt comfortable after week three. Now I look back at old lessons and see we all received what we needed at the time. Each artist from beginner to advanced came out better than when they started. The interaction of all of us was magical and I learned something from each participant. It brings to mind the Japanese concept of “Ichi go, ichi e.”
Yet, despite all of that, the class brought me forward beyond anything I could have anticipated. Yes, I learned dozens of enameling tips and tricks that I didn't know before. More importantly, I did not make anything that looked like anyone else's work. I expressed myself in enamel and enjoyed seeing the work of others, while learning from their tutorials, or getting inspired to do something new myself.
The practice of asking so many questions was often frustrating. Perhaps that's the part I liked the least and needed most. Questioning why I did this or that, or what if I did this and not that, eventually led me to be more expressive. All that digging; talking to myself through each seemingly insignificant part of the process got me primed to make those tutorials. Instead of liking or not liking something, I was pushed into exploring with no answers except what I could devise. Now, looking back, I see the skilled directing you provided for each completed project, each answer you gave us in the form of a question. Maddening, absolutely, but necessary to get us so far so fast.
The freedom to experiment gave me the biggest push. Finally I wasn't stymied by the fear of not making something I liked. I was allowed not to like it at all; just practice and learn. And so I learned…week by week until I loved turning the kiln on and looked forward to playing, actually playing, with my colors. Me, who is so often afraid to begin because I know I will fail, was day after day, turning on the kiln, and just having fun, observing, adjusting, smiling, and creating. I was able to make my own tutorials. That assignment was one of the biggest breakthroughs. I experimented with something and shared that with other, more accomplished artists, and felt they had benefited too. What a marvelous feeling.
Shapes – what do I see – asking and asking that repeatedly, felt like I was staring into a Dali painting trying for an alternate image to appear. Looking for smaller and smaller pieces, by breaking it all down in bite-sized chunks, then putting it all together again to build a group of small parts into a whole. Another brain cracker, another way to move forward faster, if I just humored you and kept an open mind long enough. Sweating in front of the kiln in a studio/garage without AC, continuing to put in time there until it all became muscle memory. Fun Fact: There's the trick to getting the most from this course – just let go by giving up old formulas, likes, and dislikes. If you break open your self-imposed internal cage, you may just find a freedom of expression, along with the technical abilities you need, to create things that you want/need to express, and probably never knew you wanted to express, and ultimately find great joy in that expression!
Now you join the list of a wonderful group of great, generous, teachers I've had in my life – and I've been fortunate to have many. Thank you for the most wonderful artistic journey. I wish you joy, health, and many talented students who “get” and embrace what you give."
Candie
It wasn't always easy, or even pleasant to keep up with this class. I was a beginning enamelist with only a week-long class to my credit. I had a barely functioning studio; my setup was not optimal for hitting the ground running. I don't generally enjoy online classes and am sometimes baffled by Zoom and Skype yet charge forward tapping keys until I'm either linked in or shot into space. I also find it too easy to hide in quiet non-participation. At this point, you're probably curious about what I actually managed to get out of this class.
I thought I was out of my league about a week into the class and considered dropping out. Yet I kept going, struggling through concepts that made my head ache. Finally, I felt comfortable after week three. Now I look back at old lessons and see we all received what we needed at the time. Each artist from beginner to advanced came out better than when they started. The interaction of all of us was magical and I learned something from each participant. It brings to mind the Japanese concept of “Ichi go, ichi e.”
Yet, despite all of that, the class brought me forward beyond anything I could have anticipated. Yes, I learned dozens of enameling tips and tricks that I didn't know before. More importantly, I did not make anything that looked like anyone else's work. I expressed myself in enamel and enjoyed seeing the work of others, while learning from their tutorials, or getting inspired to do something new myself.
The practice of asking so many questions was often frustrating. Perhaps that's the part I liked the least and needed most. Questioning why I did this or that, or what if I did this and not that, eventually led me to be more expressive. All that digging; talking to myself through each seemingly insignificant part of the process got me primed to make those tutorials. Instead of liking or not liking something, I was pushed into exploring with no answers except what I could devise. Now, looking back, I see the skilled directing you provided for each completed project, each answer you gave us in the form of a question. Maddening, absolutely, but necessary to get us so far so fast.
The freedom to experiment gave me the biggest push. Finally I wasn't stymied by the fear of not making something I liked. I was allowed not to like it at all; just practice and learn. And so I learned…week by week until I loved turning the kiln on and looked forward to playing, actually playing, with my colors. Me, who is so often afraid to begin because I know I will fail, was day after day, turning on the kiln, and just having fun, observing, adjusting, smiling, and creating. I was able to make my own tutorials. That assignment was one of the biggest breakthroughs. I experimented with something and shared that with other, more accomplished artists, and felt they had benefited too. What a marvelous feeling.
Shapes – what do I see – asking and asking that repeatedly, felt like I was staring into a Dali painting trying for an alternate image to appear. Looking for smaller and smaller pieces, by breaking it all down in bite-sized chunks, then putting it all together again to build a group of small parts into a whole. Another brain cracker, another way to move forward faster, if I just humored you and kept an open mind long enough. Sweating in front of the kiln in a studio/garage without AC, continuing to put in time there until it all became muscle memory. Fun Fact: There's the trick to getting the most from this course – just let go by giving up old formulas, likes, and dislikes. If you break open your self-imposed internal cage, you may just find a freedom of expression, along with the technical abilities you need, to create things that you want/need to express, and probably never knew you wanted to express, and ultimately find great joy in that expression!
Now you join the list of a wonderful group of great, generous, teachers I've had in my life – and I've been fortunate to have many. Thank you for the most wonderful artistic journey. I wish you joy, health, and many talented students who “get” and embrace what you give."
Candie
