Creative Exploration – With the Heart of a Child

28 Sep Creative Exploration – With the Heart of a Child

Nothing beats the wonder of a child.

I joined two dozen other artists in my community this weekend as we opened our studios and creative spaces to our community. Visitors came to meet artists, observe creative processes, and purchase artwork. My hope is that those vistors all found what they were seeking in the studios, and then some.

I have participated in this tour many times, and because my studio is now in a downtown location in conjunction with a retail gallery, I am accustomed to welcoming vistors. I usually talk about a tool or two, show an unfinished piece and explain what the next steps will be, or even talk about the philosophies of creative work or the power of jewelry to capture a personal narrative. Rarely are there surprises for me in these encounters.

A image gift from the studio wall - given to me by a teacher after my visit to her first-grade classroom, anvil in tow.

Saturday was different.

A vistor was interested in a necklace in the gallery with a texturized sterling pendant  at the center. She had tried it on, touched it and turned in the light to see its interaction with the body. I began to talk with her about some of the techniques in the piece and offered to take her back to the studio to show her how the texture was created in the pendant. As we headed into the studio, others followed.

Young Bella was part of the group observing a demonstration of using a rolling mill and lace to texturize sheet metal. I pulled out my basket of scrap fabrics and laces, and she chose one for the demonstration. Instructed to ignore color but look instead at pattern and texture, her choice was careful and fitting for an elementary school student. I prepared the metal, set the rolling mill, and proceeded to roll. As the freshly textured metal emerged from the rollers, Bella was right there – the first to see its transformation.

Her eyes widened nearly as broad as her smile. She leaned forward and presented a tiny finger to further experience the textured metal. She touched the metal, looked back at the lace and began to mentally connect the undulations of the lace pattern with the sections of the metal texture. She looked up at me, still smiling. She had just seen something happen that she had never seen before.

This. This is it. This is the wonder of creativity in its purest form.

Energized by Bella’s intrigue with the simple process we had just completed, I suggested that we address the edges of the piece of metal, since they were sharp and “there are no sharp edges in jewelry – rule number one.”

We were off together to progress through filing, forging, drilling, bail-making, and more. Bella donned safety glasses and learned the results of various types of hammers, reasons to forge edges, and ways to sand and polish metal to achieve a desired finish. Every single time I presented a situation and a way to address it, Bella understood. She followed the mechanics of what I was saying and expressed an instinctive sense of problem-solving and aesthetics.

I was quite impressed by young Bella during our impromptu session. Our time together brought opportunities to talk about who and what an artist is, and how to cultivate the ability to see things that most people either cannot see or don’t notice.

We completed the pendant. She thanked me and headed off with her family to tour other studios. From there she could explore pottery, painting, wood carving, fibers, and more.

Later that afternoon Bella returned to my studio. I was happy to see her again. She had been to the crab house down the street for lunch. While there she had reserved a section of the brown craft paper on the table to make a thank-you note for me.  I promptly mounted the note on my bench, right behind my pliers rack. It is among my prized mementos.

When we started offering the Wake Forest Studio Tour to the community 16 years ago, the purpose was far greater than offering local artwork for purchase. The idea is to elevate the value of fine craft and original art by showcasing the processes by which art is created. By seeing a coffee can of filbert brushes, a large slab roller, an anvil mounted on a stump, or a spinning lathe, and talking with someone who knows how to use these things, one may better understand the wonders of the creative process and its role in enriching life.