d. marie henderson

Weekend Wrap-UpdI spent last weekend in the Bay Area with a friend who was attending the Fancy Food Show (her family has created a wonderful authentic Hawaiian teriyaki sauce!).  While in the city I picked up a few new tools from Otto Frei, one of my favorite suppliers.

On Sunday I drove over to Berkeley to attend the first 2009 Metal Arts Guild (MAG) meeting.  Founded in 1951, MAG seeks to create a community of metal arts enthusiasts in and around the Bay Area.  Members have access to a variety of resources, including an extensive library and steel display cases that can be rented for exhibitions.  The organization sponsors workshops, social networking events, and scholarships for members.

After the business portion of the meeting ended, Italian master Davide Bigazzi shared some tips on chasing and repousse, an ancient technique for raising and embellishing metal.  I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting and appreciated the opportunity to introduce myself to such a talented and friendly group of metalsmiths!

Up-and-Coming dRight now I am preparing to drive out to Tucson, Arizona for the gem shows.  I am not planning to buy much this year, but I am really looking forward to getting out of town and visiting with my suppliers.  I signed up for a pearl-stringing class at Rio Grande Catalog In Motion, which should also be fun.  I promise to take photos and post when I return.

On each Tucson trip I usually take stock of my business and plan for the coming year.  However, I have already come up with a few goals for 2009:

ONE ~ Practice, practice, practice!  Spend time in the studio and make stuff!

TWO ~ Continue to build an online presence to introduce myself and my work, share ideas and experiences, and educate others interested in metalsmithing and sustainable business practices.

THREE ~ Become a more active MAG member.  Attend meetings when feasible.  Submit at least one article for the Guildletter.  Help organize and hopefully display some of my work in the MAG exhibition this November.

(We shall see what else I come up with in the next few weeks…)

More to follow,

~d.