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Our neighbor's locust tree is dropping yellow leaves, flocks of starlings are chattering overhead, and the harvest is in from our pear tree. Sure signs that the Santa Cruz Open Studios Art Tour is just around the corner.
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Open Studios Art TourSanta Cruz, California
Its time to clean up the shop, bring pieces in from the galleries, and prepare for the Open Studios Art Tour.
This
year I've added something new. As usual, I'll be showing spec pieces
that I've made in the recent past. But I'll also have lots of handcrafted items priced under $50.
I'll be open during the first weekend (3-4 October), and encore weekend (17-18 October).
 I'll also be hosting my friend Albion Smith,
the talented silversmith from Smith Grade. He'll set up a booth in my
backyard, and in addition to his gorgeous goblets, flasks, and tea
sets, he'll be offering body adornments such as rings, bracelets,
and pendants.
If you've never been, Open Studios is a county-wide art exhibit hosted by the artists in their own working spaces. It always happens during the first three weekends of October, and it's sponsored by the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County.
To ease the logistics of visiting the artists you want to see, the tour splits the county in two. This year, north county artists are open during the first weekend, south county the second, and the third encore weekend is open to all.
Contact the Cultural Council for more info about Open Studios, including where to purchase Artist Guide/ Calendars for $20 (and get a chance to win $200 worth of Open Studios art!). |
James Krenov: Cabinetmaker
October 31, 1920-September 9, 2009
 My teacher, Jim Krenov, died this past month. He was honored by obits in the Times of London and the New York Times.
Fellow students have been posting remembrances on the school's website. Spend a little quiet time there if you'd like to get a sense of how this man has touched people's lives.
Jim had a unique way of expressing himself. When he thought a lecture had gone far enough he'd tap a finger to forehead and say, "Lets just go this far and not get too much in the attic."
Reaching back to his time growing up in remote Alaska he'd say, "When I was growing up and someone got hurt, god help him....god and my mother. "
One of my favorites, from a lecture on hanging a cabinet door - "My life has consisted of fitting a crooked door to a crooked cabinet."
Jim talked about the 'why' of furnituremaking, and admired work that was "far enough from perfect to still be alive. " His example encouraged many of us to follow our own path.
In the end he died surrounded by family, holding a small piece of wood in his hand.
Thank you, Jim. May you rest in peace.
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Hope to see you in October!
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