Work Life

Bright and early on Sunday morning there was a knock at the front door.  I considered not answering, but was glad I did.  There on my doorstep  was the flower delivery guy with this beautiful bouquet from great friend, Stacey.  She wanted to wish me well on my first day of work, and the gesture really made my day, and now here I am, already half way through week two...

Yes, I miss my studio and flower garden a lot, but the Capitol grounds are beautiful, and every day, I stop and smell the abundantly fragrant and lovely magnolia blossoms...

I have also spent time with over 130 lovely quilts, watching as the artful ballet of hanging them for display unfolded over a series of several days.  Now I get to walk through them everyday on the way to my office and admire the fine craftsmanship.   Other interesting things I've done this week include watching  the taping of ARTWORKS, our public television show which features in depth interviews with WV artists, from the control room.  I will be interviewed and introduced to WV artists, letting them know I am available to help them make their way through the grant application process.

While reviewing previous funded grants, I am  finding all sorts of interesting people, like Tatiana Rakhmanina, who is busy making fancy hats in her Hinton, WV studio.  She wrote a grant to study with Queen Elizabeth's milliner and I think she made good use of her time.

Tomorrow, I will meet with the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.  They are interested in finding a sculptor to design a memorial for the miners who lost their lives at the Upper Big Branch mine explosion...

Yes, it is odd being away from the studio everyday for eight hours, but it's also stimulating in a way and I think my 9 to 5 work will have a positive impact on my ceramic life.