Long Studio Day

Had and extra long day in Ocean Grove today, all part of working.

Nellie, one of my current woodcut students had been in touch last week via e-mail. During the first class meeting she mentioned she might have to miss a day of our 4 weeks while away, and it turns out that it's this week.  Week 2 is usually when I do the cutting and safely demonstration, so not a good week to miss.  Plus neither of my students was ready to get wood just yet last week, so missing this week would put her even further behind schedule.   I've done quick meetings for Belmar woodcut students who had to miss a class for unusual reasons, so I agreed. Besides, she specifically mentioned Tuesday, when I am there anyway to teach drawing, so I agreed, selecting a time of 11:30 am, just a little before I might arrive anyway.  She agreed.

Didn't have as much woodcut stuff to bring in as last week, but had a lot of drawing stuff today, including props for two classes and example value drawings that my advance student wanted to see again.  So of course, weather predictions were for a giant storm to arrive near the start of the class. By the time I left home today they had changed the path of the storm to probably turn south and miss us.

Got to the building around 11:00, no rain falling. Not sure what would come today, I decided to go ahead and unload my car first, carrying everything to my Studio in the basement.  I had been told yesterday that I would be able to use room #3 for my drawing class, but work might be going on up until 12, so I prepared to do my demonstration for Nellie downstairs. However, I had told her to meet me by the room upstairs, since I knew she knew where that was.  Besides, I've seen way too many people wandering the basement lost.  So having finished my unloading, I took a seat in a chair in the hallway near the classroom. She showed up on time, but had a problem- she said she was sick and wondered if we could meet next week.  I pointed out that she still needed wood and should get that today, and she agreed.  She had also brought in some borrowed tools to show me what she had. I was familiar with the brand, come 10 for $10, not too good.  Told her if she was able to get anything from them, fine, but don't count on it.

Went down to my Studio to get the wood and all that, then carry it to the cafeteria, but I figured since everything I needed was there, why not just take care of it right there?  Let her look at a few blocks and prints while I put a blade in my saw.  I knew she had some linoleum experience, so she understood the basic concept.  For now she wanted just one block, about 4x6, so I quickly cut one off a scrap I had.  She had some curiosity about the tools, so at her request, I tested each type on the back of her block and labeled what it was, and let her try them out as well.  Gave her a few more bits of advice regarding designs, then sent her on her way. But she didn't leave right away, asking me to guide her to the exit, probably a safe bet.  Took about a half hour all together.

Around 1 pm I started moving stuff into room 3 and setting up for class.  That included carrying my wooden chair upstairs (on the elevator) for the negative space exercise, plus all the stuff I had brought  in for the day.  That included a pile of value drawings from past college students.  Suzanne, my advanced student who was most interested to see these seemed surprised that I had so many, as I had explained that what I had was because students never came back to reclaim them.  As someone who has been teaching a while, I know this is all too common- all the drawing students were required to bring in all the work from the semester, and about a third never came back to get anything.  I'd hold stuff for another semester, but eventually it had to go to the trash to make room for a new semester's worth of student drawings, and I would take things that might be good to demonstrate ideas to students.  Which was essentially what I was doing today.

All three of my enrolled students were there today, which may be the first time that I had the same number two weeks in a row.  My two beginners did exercises in negative space, while my advance student drew from a mixed value still life in charcoal.

Class ended at the regular time, I took a few trips to load the car, and left around 5 pm.   It was a long day.  More woodcut class tomorrow.