Not an end but a beginning

With 2008 coming to an end, I look forward to a wonderful new year of creating and sharing.

I have spoken about the creative side of my family members, and I have not finished all of that... next year...

I want to take a few minutes to mention someone who helped nurture the creative side of my siblings and myself. He was our high school art teacher, Mr. Greene. A potter by trade (and a really great one at that!), he made a point of teaching a wide variety of things to us. We learned photography, pen & ink, charcoal, acrylics, oils, watecolors, pencil drawing, still life, figure drawing, sculpture, sterling silver jewelry, macrame, weaving, linoleum block printing, zinc plate etching, wheel thrown pottery, sculpture, slab building, photo silk screen, book binding, bronze stenciling (cutting our own stencils), calligraphy, architectural drawing and more. He paid for some supplies from his own pocket when the school budget was slim, just so we could still have that experience.

Although we disliked the deadlines of sketchbooks, we did understand their value and we all look back at our days in the art room with gratititude and respect for what one man did to try to expose us to so many aspects of creativity.

In a way, he is responsible for the passion my sister Terri and I have for sharing creativity with our students.

And as a note at the end of this eventful year, I again want to thank those in my life who encourage me and give me reasons to create. I want to thank those who love me and care about me. I want to thank my friends and customers. But most of all, I want to wish everyone a wonderful 2009.