Peter's Valley: a photo journal

Here's a look at what I was up to during my time at at Peters Valley Craft Center in Layton, NJ.

The workshop I took was entitled "Amulets and Talismans: making meaningful objects," taught by the incorrigible and insightful Robert Dancik.  I learned an entirely new "language" of cold-connecting (no solder allowed!), and got down to the serious work of playing.  I learned to work with fauxbone, concrete, papermache... learned some new riveting techniques... learned about powdered pigments and alcohol inks... learned some new and very interesting things to do with epoxy resin.

But beyond the techniques, I learned the importance of play... that being different is not only ecstatically fun and but incredibly important.  I am they only person who can make the things that I make.  I'm not saying that to be grandiose or puff myself up... plenty of people have the exact same metalsmithing skills that I have (there are even plenty of people with skills that surpass mine), but none of those metalsmiths have my exact experiences as a human being.   That is a very important bit of learning.

Which Thunder Mountain came first: Peters Valley or Disney?

The Prius had to do some semi-off-roading to get to the metals' studio.  Good job, Little Prius.

Robert brought SO MANY samples!  Every object I picked up was more incredible than the last.  For like three solid hours, the thought track in my head was "Oh my God, that's amazing!""Oh my God, that's amazing!""Oh my God, that's amazing!"

This was one of my favorite of Robert's samples, a "book."

One of my other favs: a magnifying glass set in concrete.

Sunset on Thunder Mountain Rd.

The view from the art studios.

Seriously, awesome mailbox.

One of the pieces that I made during the workshop: fauxbone, concrete, sterling silver, finished enamels that I had brought with me.