- Date started working in metal clay:
- I first got to try PMC in early 2000. I’d read about it in magazines and wanted to try it, but had sold my kiln intending to purchase another some day. At that time kiln firing was the only option. A ceramic artist friend offered a class in PMC so I jumped at the chance. He was fairly new to it too, so we all learned together. I was blown away by the possibilities.
- Certified: (what clay, year and with whom)
- Rio Rewards PMC Certification, 2003 with CeCe Wire. After working with metal clay for several years and finding the Certification classes offered locally were canceled for low enrollment, I decided to travel. I drove to Brookfield Craft Center in Connecticut to get Certified with CeCe Wire. It was a great experience and I made friends that I’m still in touch with today.
- Accomplished at what media in addition to metal clay:
- I have been making jewelry since Jr. High school in the early 70’s when I spent 3 years in lapidary club learning to cut and polish stones. In high school I took silver classes at the Cleveland Institute of Art and in college, earned my BFA in metals and enameling. My favorite techniques are probably forming and piercing metal (especially silver), and definitely enameling. Helen Worrall, my instructor at Miami University, was an accomplished enamellist whose work was known for its impeccable attention to detail. While I’m hardly a perfectionist in every area, I like to think she inspired the level of detail I put into in my jewelry work. The best part of my study was the opportunity to raise a vessel and then enamel it. After college, a friend and I worked for a goldsmith casting his pieces in gold and silver, doing some repair work, and occasionally fabrication.
- While in college, I also studied graphic design and illustration. For many years I worked as a graphic designer and jewelry took a back seat. And I did scores of technical illustrations for catalogs and spot illustrations for magazines. I was the art director for a local start-up magazine for about a year. Now, although jewelry is again the focus of my “work life,” I still do some freelance graphic design.
- When my children were young, I sewed a lot of their clothes and created several original designs. Friends wanted to make the clothes and convinced me to produce and sell the patterns. Fortunately my background in graphics and technical illustration helped me to do this. “BearWear” patterns were sold though SewBaby Pattern Catalog and SewNews Magazine. My jewelry business competed for time and eventually I gave up the pattern business.
- Website and short bio:
www.cdpdesigns.com - I have always made some sort of art. I’m very fortunate that creativity was valued, appreciated, and encouraged in my family. As I child I spent many hours drawing with my artistic grandmother. In the 60’s and 70’s, regular trips (with that grandmother) to Potter and Mellen, Inc., a wonderful jewelry store, exposed me to some amazing work. It was owned and operated by artisans from the Cleveland School of Art (Cleveland Institute of Art) and the work created there won many national and international awards.
- Other experiences have contributed to my creative life – building and fixing things with my father, crafts and cooking with my mother and grandmothers. I love to cook and believe that cooking is just “art you can eat.” I spend a lot of time creating new recipes and am fortunate that my husband and children will gladly share in these adventures… and cooking for a crowd is an absolute joy.
- Teaching is a passion and I have been teaching classes and workshops in metal clay for many years. This fall will mark the 7th year teaching at The Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. They have embraced a metal clay program allowing me to offer up to 4 regular weekly classes in Metal Clay (and workshops as I can fit them in). Enthusiastic students who return session after session have made this experience wonderful. I’ve been honored to present seminars at several PMC Conferences and to serve as the president of the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the PMC Guild for many years.
- Writing articles for magazines is another form of teaching, and doing this helped me find that I love to write. I wrote a little book on my favorite technique of water etching and a try to keep up with my blog “About art and other stuff…”
- These days, I’m also working with Metal Clay Artist Magazine, selling advertising. It’s a great magazine and I am excited to contribute to its growth.
- What is your inspiration now?
- Inspiration comes from many sources. Sometimes it seems really random, though often the so-called random things seem to fit with whatever direction I’m headed. And nature has always inspired me, though it’s not always entirely apparent in the finished piece.
- Do you have a muse?
- It’s hard to put into words. Can one’s muse be seeking and spreading joy? It’s a subtle, spiritual sort of thing. Whenever I get the chance, I like to walk a Labyrinth or use Mandalas for meditation. I also like to create Mandalas from drawings or photographs too. And when creating them, sometimes patterns or ideas emerge.
- What is currently on your bench/workspace?
- Right now it’s some carving projects for a workshop in PMC Pro and several pairs of earrings for a gallery.
- What project/direction are you working on now?
- I’ve been working with PMC Pro and exploring the possibilities of this material – looking at ways to take advantage of its strength. I’m also trying to incorporate other materials into my work – partly because of the price of silver and partly for variety. I joined the Flickr Ring A Week group, but quickly found I didn’t have enough time to fully participate. The rings were fun because I don’t make many rings, so it reoriented my thinking process. That’s always healthy for your creativity.
- How much time do you average at the bench per week?
- Not enough… and it varies. Unless I have a deadline, it’s project driven. When I’m preparing for a show or filling a gallery order it might be 30-50 hours. Other times, it’s less because of teaching time or doing things for jewelry making that don’t happen at the bench.
- What’s the average time you spend on a piece?
- Some pieces, like earrings, might take an hour to make, while other pieces may take days – especially those that have a long process time – like something that’s water etched and enameled.
- Do you sell your work? and where?
- Yes, at shows and in galleries. For more than 10 years I did about 6 or more shows a year but eventually found I didn’t have the energy for that – especially the outdoor shows. I still do one or two shows a year because I really enjoy connecting with customers.
- Where do you get your new ideas?
- Ideas come in “fits and spurts” from “everywhere and nowhere” and some of the best ones come as I’m falling asleep at night. I have to get up and sketch the idea because long ago I learned that no matter how hard I try to remember a design as I’m drifting off to sleep, I need to put it down or it’s gone. I also develop ideas from my regular drawing practice.
- Do you keep a sketchbook and how do you organize it?
- I have several sketchbooks going at once and usually have one with me. If I don’t, I use backs of envelopes, receipts, whatever is at hand. I’ve tried to be more organized, but that’s not my strong suit. I try to draw every day, but it doesn’t seem to last when life gets busy. When I did humorous illustration (cartoons), I had to keep drawing all the time to keep my skills sharp so when that idea comes, you can express it. Drawing for jewelry isn’t really much different.
- Are there places or things you avoid that zap your creativity?
- Negativity is the worst. I try to avoid people or situations that have that energy. I’m a very positive person, but I try as I might, I can’t make everyone think that way. I’m getting better at knowing when to remove myself from negativity.
- Do you have a ritual before you begin to create?
- When I’m headed to the studio to work for a while I like to make tea and put on music according to what I’m doing. When I’m in mass production mode it’s something like The Beatles, Paul Simon’s Graceland, or NPR talk radio, while more creative times call for jazz or classical music.
- What do you collect?
- I collect tools (I probably got that from my dad) and small “objets d’art” handmade by other artists – particularly glass and ceramic items.
- How do you rejuvenate your creativity?
- I like to do something that’s creative but entirely different from jewelry making. Last summer I tiled my back porch floor with ceramic tile, cutting each piece and creating a pattern that echoed the feel of the tile in our front hallway. The more physical the project is, the better. It’s good energy.
- What would your perfect creative day be like?
- A long morning dog walk, followed by a leisurely breakfast (with tea of course), then some time for drawing and meditation. I’d have lunch with an artist friend and visit The Cleveland Museum of Art. In the mid or later afternoon I’d go to the studio and work for several hours. Around 7 or 8 pm I’d like to make a simple, creative meal for my family (though it will just be me and my husband soon as our children are all college-age), and go back to the studio to work until the wee hours of the morning. My favorite time to work is late at night.
This is a wonderful interview!!!! So glad to know we all kinda have the same goals!!! Cath is coming out to do a workshop in her Enameled Fibulas in October here:))) So much talent and energy!
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:)-ann
I enjoyed reading this interview since I grew up in Rochester. But I was appalled to read that Elizabeth Agte collects bird nests. Please tell her that collecting any bird part, which includes eggs, feathers and bird nests is ILLEGAL!
Sorry, this was supposed to be posted under the Elizabeth Agte interview.