Change
New season brings on changes. The weather, clothes, and even the food we eat.
Some people fear change and others thrive on change. It can be intimidating to some as some people fear change will disrupt their lives, which it usually does. But like it or not it is inevitable that change will happen. But there are many changes that are beneficial to you, and they will help you grow.
Change forces you to be flexible. Think of change as a growing experience-something that will make you adaptable and flexible.
When change hits you hard, look at the bright side. It as an opportunity to do some different or something new. The possibilities could be endless when change comes your way. Make the most of these opportunities and act on them!
Change is never easy, but it is almost always a good thing. If you have experienced change, embrace it and make it work for you. If you want to change something in your life, start by making small changes and don’t be afraid to fail! Success and growth are just around the corner when you stop rejecting change and start accepting it instead.
Happy Changing
The Divine Ms. N
Moving forward, the AZDCA newsletter will be published annually. Look for our next newsletter in Spring/Summer of 2023.
Board Members
President: Warren Norgaard
Vice President: Pat Glover
State Jury Chairperson: OPEN
Exhibition Chairperson: OPEN
Social Media: OPEN
Secretary: Sonia Irvin
Treasurer: Chris Eggers
Parliamentarian: Sudha Achar
Board Member at Large: Nancy Dorobiala
Board Member at Large: Barb Kingdon
Are you looking for fun? Then the board is looking for you!
Please contact us for information and positions available.
Art in Seclusion is a member online show that will start on October 1, 2022. This exhibit explored artistic journeys during the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 has impacted each of us in unique and unexpected ways. For some, it meant there was no time for making art, while others found an unexpected abundance of artistic time suddenly become available. This exhibition seeks to celebrate the art of creation and the execution of craft during troubling and uncertain times.
AZDCA is proud to present the following workshops and Demos for the 2022-2023 season. Visit our workshops page for more details, or to register!.
Lynette Andreasen “Beyond the Basic Bezel” In this class, students will learn to make creative bezels that are more exciting than the typical bezel wire variety, including castellated bezels, reverse bezels, heavy walled bezels, tapered bezels and more. Students will learn to make beautiful settings for stones and can expect to leave with at least one finished piece of jewelry! October 22-23, 2022, 9 am–5 pm Tucson, AZ In-Person AZDCA Member $225 Non-member $275 Jan Harrell “Cold Connections for Haute Results” For the enamellist who has already mastered basic metalsmithing skills, cold connections are a logical, and exciting next step. Consider sophisticated treatments that go beyond basic push-over bezels and prongs to provide elegant and secure connections that become an intrinsic part of an enamel design.
November 5-6, 2022 10 am-1 pm Online AZDCA Member $125 Non-member $175 Virtual
Carrie Iverson
"Images in Glass"
Explore this versatile printmaking method for transferring images from a Xerox or laser print. The technique uses principles from lithography and can be used to print drawings, photographs, found objects- anything that can be photocopied! This versatile method can be adapted to a variety of materials and requires minimal space and equipment- perfect for the home studio! Over the three-day class you will create a variety of samples exploring the potentials of the process, including using reactive glasses to widen your color palette. No prerequisites. All materials included.
Dec 02, 10:00 AM – Dec 04, 5:00 PM
Milkweed Arts, 1850 W Mulberry Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85015, USA . Member Price after Discount: $595.00
To expand the variety of workshops offered to members, AZDCA has partnered with Milkweed Arts to offer seats in this workshop, with an exclusive discount to AZDCA members. Simply register through our website at no cost to receive an email with the registration link, as well as a discount code for $100 off the registration fee. (Please note that registering through our website does not guarantee your seat. It only provides the link and discount code for registering through Milkweed Arts)
Fred Zweig
“Jewelry Scale Forging With Wire – Made Easy” Learn simple techniques using hammers to make jewelry that is more visually interesting and three dimensional. Make S curves, U curves, single and double plain curves, curls, twists, tapers and other shapes. December 3-4, 2022 9am-5pm Tucson, AZ In-Person AZDCA Members $225 Non-member $275 Becky McDonah “A Pressing Project: Making a Pendant with Hydraulic Press Elements” This class is for students who are familiar with or would like to learn more about the hydraulic press and the many ways it can be used to add elements to jewelry. With this piece of equipment and typical metalsmithing skills, the possibilities are virtually endless! January 7-8, 2023 9am-5pm Tucson, AZ In-Person AZDCA Member $325 Non-member $375
Nikki O'Neill
"All That Glitters is Not Gold: Magical Metals and Reactions in Glass"
Welcome to the fun, creative possibilities of fusing with reactive glass! In this workshop we will explore the unique beauty and versatility of imagery achieved while fusing with Bullseye reactive glasses and diverse metallic elements. The visual reactions between glasses as they melt and fuse together are incredibly varied and exciting. This workshop offers a thorough understanding of the basic theory and chemistries of fusing with reactive glasses.
In addition, we will expand the reactive glass palette by fusing with native forms of materials that are found in reactive glasses, that make these visual reactions possible. We will work with silver, tin, gold, sulfur, brass, mica, iron, and copper in forms that will include foil, wire, powders, and liquids. During extensive sample making you will find new ways to combine glass, reactive glasses, and raw metallic materials to create unique artistic effects and unusual color imagery. Finally, we will make larger projects of your own design that showcase the reactions you find most beautiful and interesting.
Feb 17, 2023, 9:00 AM – Feb 21, 2023, 4:00 PM. Milkweed Arts, 1850 W Mulberry Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85015, USA
All materials included. Member Price after Discount: $795.00
To expand the variety of workshops offered to members, AZDCA has partnered with Milkweed Arts to offer seats in this workshop, with an exclusive discount to AZDCA members. Simply register through our website at no cost to receive an email with the registration link, as well as a discount code for $100 off the registration fee. (Please note that registering through our website does not guarantee your seat. It only provides the link and discount code for registering through Milkweed Arts)
Nikki O'Neill
"Corallite Creations: Reef Life and Habitats in Glass"
The focus of this workshop is to give you a fundamental understanding of different fusing processes using glass powder, stringer, frit, and sheet glass, while making art forms that reference sea creatures and habitats.
We will be very busy exploring methods to layer powder, create spaces, and manipulate dry glass powders to make organic sculptures suggestive of the rich colors and forms of coral and reef creatures. We will make several glass elements that will be used to compose more complex sculptural forms. Some of these elements include stringer rod sea anemones, powder dough sea sponges, sgraffito with complimentary glass powder vessels, faux dichro sea glass, and segmented ribbon seaweed. You will have time to experiment with materials and methods, to make your own art creations.
During class, you will gain a thorough understanding of how heat, time, and surface tension work together with powder placement, gravity, mark making, and the physical properties of glass color and transparency. During the creative process, a little bit of magic always seems to occur, along with delightfully unexpected discoveries. We will make and modify some elements by flame working, use cold working processes to finish and then slump or sag our work. We will also discuss creative hanging and mounting techniques for your assembled Corallite Creations.
Feb 24, 2023, 9:00 AM – Feb 28, 2023, 4:00 PM Milkweed Arts, 1850 W Mulberry Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85015, USA. All materials included.
Member Price after Discount: $795.00
To expand the variety of workshops offered to members, AZDCA has partnered with Milkweed Arts to offer seats in this workshop, with an exclusive discount to AZDCA members. Simply register through our website at no cost to receive an email with the registration link, as well as a discount code for $100 off the registration fee. (Please note that registering through our website does not guarantee your seat. It only provides the link and discount code for registering through Milkweed Arts)
Lyle Rayfield “Metal Clay – Unraveling the Mystery” In this presentation, participants will learn the ins and outs of working with various formulas of metal clay, including both clay and powdered forms of silver, bronze, copper, and steel. The idiosyncratic nature of each of the clays will be discussed in relation to its ability to incorporate traditional metalworking techniques such as stone setting, soldering, and enameling. Saturday, February 25, 2023 10 am–12 pm (Tucson time) Virtual - AZDCA Member $0 Non-member $10 Alex Boyd “That’s A Paddlin Saddle-set Hinged Earrings” In this class, students will make a pair of earrings with saddle-set stones and cabochons. Techniques covered will include hinge making, riveting objects, making a safety catch for the ear wire, combining patination and many other tips and tricks. March 17-19, 2023 9 am-5 pm Tucson, AZ In-Person AZDCA Member $475 Non-member $525
Kelly Crosser Alge
"Telling the Story in Glass"
This intensive workshop will teach you to use glass powders to draw two dimensional imagery in glass. This is meant to be a ‘crossover’ course, joining elements of fine art and fine craft together. We will explore traditional ideas of drawing and using a very non-traditional approach; using glass to interpret line, value, contrast, texture, color, movement, gesture, narrative, and composition.
In addition to learning simple ‘tricks of the trade’ and improvised technical drawing skills, you’ll have the freedom and individual encouragement to experiment with ways to use glass to create drawn imagery that tell a story, evokes emotion, and expresses mood. Previous drawing experience is not necessary, but an open mind and some fusing experience is helpful. By the time you leave you will have gained a new awareness of the visual language that is possible with kiln-formed glass, as well as confidence in your ability to “see” as an artist.
Additional topics to be covered: Kiln-formed cane and murrini, collage part sheets for sgraffito drawing, tool making, incorporating color, reactive glass, volume control, firing schedules, and finishing.
April 21 2023, 9:00 AM – April 23, 2023, 4:00 PM Milkweed Arts, 1850 W Mulberry Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85015, USA. All materials included.
Member Price after Discount: $495.00
To expand the variety of workshops offered to members, AZDCA has partnered with Milkweed Arts to offer seats in this workshop, with an exclusive discount to AZDCA members. Simply register through our website at no cost to receive an email with the registration link, as well as a discount code for $100 off the registration fee. (Please note that registering through our website does not guarantee your seat. It only provides the link and discount code for registering through Milkweed Arts) Deb Karash “Drawing on Metal” In this 4-day class, you will learn to add more color and excitement to your jewelry projects. This class focuses on Deb’s special techniques for design, layering color, blending color, shadows and highlights using Prismacolor Premier pencils on metal. April 21-24, 2023 9am-5pm Tucson, AZ In-Person AZDCA Member $525 Non-member $575 Suzanne Williams “Creative Clasps” Participants will be introduced to many kinds of clasping methods and mechanisms for jewelry and will create 4 sample clasps in sterling silver: 2 versions of a rotating insert clasp (a basic and a more complex version), a rotating key lock clasp, and an interlocking puzzle clasp. May 5–7, 2023 9 am–5 pm Tucson, AZ In-Person AZDCA Member $380 Non-member $430
Lois Manno
"Modeling Glass™: Feathers and BEYOND!"
Traditional techniques of working with frit and powdered glass to create three-dimensional objects tend to be labor-intensive, messy, and require specialized glass casting knowledge. Lois Manno has developed an entirely new way to work with powders to create fully dimensional work without the undesirable features of casting. The results of her efforts are unlimited possibilities.
In this busy three-day workshop, students will learn how to work with Modeling Glass and will make a life-like feather with glass powders. We’ll do several other interesting projects, exploring various techniques like combining Modeling Glass shapes with sheet glass, painting images with enamels over Modeling Glass, and sgraffito carving. We’ll discuss display, mixing tricks, firing schedules, and the nearly limitless ways to work with this exciting new product.
May 19, 2023, 10:00 AM – May 21, 2023, 4:00 PM Milkweed Arts, 1850 W Mulberry Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85015, USA All materials included.
Member Price after Discount: $595.00
To expand the variety of workshops offered to members, AZDCA has partnered with Milkweed Arts to offer seats in this workshop, with an exclusive discount to AZDCA members. Simply register through our website at no cost to receive an email with the registration link, as well as a discount code for $100 off the registration fee. (Please note that registering through our website does not guarantee your seat. It only provides the link and discount code for registering through Milkweed Arts)
6 Things to Stop Saying in Your Artist Statement
I have heard many artists ask why they should write an artist statement when they believe their work speaks for itself.
I’m not here to disagree with that.
There is certainly an element of having others view your work that is out of your control. Everyone will approach your art with their own background, beliefs, and experiences, and as such, will take away something different.
But artist statements are not to tell people what to think about your work.
They should act as a guide, explaining aspects of your art that people might not immediately notice or appreciate on their own. In this way, people can have a deeper and more engaging connection with your work — hopefully leading to wanting to collect it!
If writing about this work in this manner sounds like a tall order, this article is here to help. Steer clear of these six things to avoid saying in your artist statement so that you can connect with your audience in a meaningful way.
1. "I’ve always been creative or I’ve been an artist from a young age."
Your statement is an opportunity for potential collectors and curators to get to know more about you, your work, and what inspired it. While it might seem appropriate to start from the very beginning, these overused phrases stated on their own are simply not unique to you and therefore don’t really add to the context of your work. Most artists can cut this information out of their statements completely.
If you feel a sentence like this is important for you to mention as part of your journey, however, then specifically explain why.
For example:
I’ve been an artist from a young age and some of my earliest memories recall creating watercolor sketches of family and friends, the precursor to my figurative work today.
Specificity turns these sentences into significantly more intriguing facts about you.
2. Other generalities about your artwork without evidence
Along the same lines, don’t make vague statements such as I love nature, I play with color in my work, or my work is about contrast, without supporting them with evidence. Again, many artists can talk about how their work relates to nature, color, or contrasts so it’s up to you to explain how yours does in its own distinct way.
Let’s use color as an example:
In what way(s) do you experiment with color?
What kinds of color palettes do you use?
Do you seek to convey certain emotions and, if so, why?
How do you apply color in your work?
Push yourself to write specific descriptions about your inspirations to make your statement both engaging and insightful. 3. Personal information not related to your art Statements that discuss other hobbies, jobs, pets, and family members not related to your art are confusing for your reader. If any of these subjects do not directly influence your work or career as an artist in some way, nix them. Usually, statements like this end up rambling on for longer than the typical two to four-paragraph length that will suffice for giving a concise description of your work and process. 4. Starting your artist statement with your inspiration It may be tempting to dive right into why you create what you do, but don’t forget to explain what you make. Remember that in some cases, people might be reading your statement before seeing your art. This doesn’t even have to take a full sentence. It could be a phrase like: My mixed media abstract drawings are inspired by… Or I’m a ceramic and glass installation artist who… 5. Any adjective to describe your art that you repeat more than a few times Your statement absolutely should include several adjectives that are descriptive of the kind of work you do. That said, by the time I get to the fourth ‘colorful’ or ‘moody’ or ‘expressive’ in the same statement, I’m thinking: I get it. One very simple way to avoid this is to open up a new tab and pull up a thesaurus to have handy while you write. This way, you can quickly and easily do searches to help you vary your language. 6. Artspeak Avoid 'artspeak' or IAE (International Art English) at all costs! Luckily, this is mostly found in press releases rather than artist statements, but I have noticed it every once in a while. Even if your work is heavy on conceptual theories and art world '-isms', always do your best to write for a general audience to ensure that you're not unnecessarily excluding people who wouldn't be able to follow along if you use too much insider jargon. If you're unsure about what constitutes artspeak, here is a line I pulled from an online artist statement generator (yes, they exist — but no, please don’t use one) that is meant to poke fun at this type of hyperbolic art writing. What starts out as contemplation soon becomes corrupted into a cacophony of temptation, leaving only a sense of dread and the unlikelihood of a new beginning. Confused? It's not just that this is taken out of context. I'm sure you notice that one of the biggest issues is introducing concepts without explaining them in more detail. What exactly does the writer mean by a 'cacophony of temptation' and why does it leave a 'sense of dread'? This sentence needs to be broken down into simpler ones with each phrase clearly defined — or if I’m being honest, completely rewritten into actually decipherable language. Final takeaways Writing your statement can feel challenging or intimidating at first. Remember to be specific and let the same creative voice that guides your work guide your writing too.