Sharing the sandbox

[offcntr]

Denise has been going to the Newport Paper Arts (later Paper & Book Arts) Festival for over a decade; she's even taught paper-making there twice. I've never gone.

This is mostly because of my pottery commitments. Their end-of-April date was always too close to the late-April/early-May date for Ceramic Showcase. At least once, the two events overlapped, and Denise had to forego paper to help me with the pottery. This year, though, is different.

I've decided to stop doing Ceramic Showcase. So I've done a firing to stock up for the first few weeks of Saturday Market, my next show isn't until the end of June, so, unusually, I actually have a little free time. I've also been increasingly involved in our local book arts group, so have become more interested in paper and book processes. And frankly, I just wanted the opportunity to hang out with Denise and play a little. Make art that doesn't have to go to a show and sell.

So last weekend, I got to share Denise's sandbox. Literally. Look at that classroom: two full walls of windows overlooking the beach and the Pacific Ocean.