Hello From Stourbridge
So, it's been a CRAZY week. Haven't had much time to blog, or to do anything really - my days have been packed with all sorts of glassy stuff. Tonight I am free and on my own, so I thought it was about time to drop in.
When I first got here last week, and met some of the other masterclass leaders, I was feeling kind of down... thinking to myself, what the hell am I doing here? All these people have been working with glass since before I was born. I don't really fit in.
Within a short while though, that changed to hey, all these people have been working with glass since before I was born, and yet - here I am. This is pretty cool.
I rock.
With Paul Marioni and Shane Fero
My masterclass started a couple of days later, and I spent four days teaching a group of bubbly beady blue-eyed blondes. They were a great group! This class was lots of fun for me, and it seemed like everyone else was having fun too. That's what really matters, right? Besides, we made lots of cool beads and stuff!
Me and My Girls
Some of the results!
The class ended Thursday, and on Friday the festival began. Wait... was that yesterday? I guess it was. I am totally losing all sense of time here.
I gave a public demo yesterday. That was fun too (besides some bead release troubles. ARGH. Next time I teach or demonstrate, wherever it is, I am SO bringing my own bead release - in hope that I won't have any troubles getting a bag of white powder through airline security). Lots of people showed up to watch.
Demoing (and making my "lampwork face")
Other highlights so far have been the Tempest Exhibition which is awesome, meeting up with some of the UK beaders at the Bead Fair (there were a few familiar faces, and some new) and of course, blowing glass with Galal from Egypt. This was the first time I actually got to blow glass! I kind of messed up by rolling it into something I wasn't supposed to roll it in (hence the fuzzy stuff on top), but still, it was a cool experience.
I blow!
I should also mention the opening of the Next Big Thing exhibition at the Red House Glass Cone. Glass and chocolate... lots of chocolate... what more does a girl need?
Me and Kinga
And now, it is almost 11pm here, and my much-dreaded lecture is tomorrow at noon. Am I prepared, you ask? No. No I am not. If they are giving out a procrastination award at the festival, I totally think I should win. I have most of what I want to say written down in a somewhat-legible format, and I guess that will have to do... as of now, I am still working on the stupid Powerpoint presentation that's supposed to accompany the whole thing. I'll be okay, I think. I just want it to be over so I don't have to think about it anymore. Seriously.
The festival runs till Monday, and then I'm off to Leicester to teach at Di's.
Unrelated (or is it?) - regarding Australia. Unless anything goes horribly wrong, I'll be visiting Oz again in January. But... I've decided not to teach this time. I wrote to a few studios in Sydney and Melbourne and haven't heard back from anyone, and I'm not much into chasing people around at this point. But the main reason is something I've come to realize while I've been here in Stourbridge: I'm exhausted. Not in a "I need to take a nap for a few hours" kind of way - more like, a "Goddammit, I need a vacation" sort of thing. It's been a crazy year for me, with so much going on... and there's still more to come. I just want to spend a few weeks with Russ and not have to worry about anything else. I'm pretty sure I'll be teaching in Oz again though - probably sooner rather than later, 'cause as of now, I can't seem to get enough of that weird place.
Okay. Now I REALLY need to work on my lecture. Wish me luck - I am going to need it.
See you soon! Don't forget to check out the rest of my pics on Flickr.
Thanks Sarah to tell and show us from your visit to Stourbridge. The Course with you last year in Netherland give me all day much inspiration
Greetings from
Susanne
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Hi Sarah from the other Sarah H. Just wanted to say thanks for a wonderful workshop. Hope your talk went well and that you get chance for a proper holiday soon, well at least a good rest to recharge your batteries. I learned so much and met some lovely people. I hope to do a workshop with Manda soon to improve the shape of my beads.
Sarah.
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The best pic of the day is the "Ho Shop", you were there at the perfect time since he had the letter "T" in his hand!!! Priceless!!!!!
Steph
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The last picture you have posted "untitled" is really nifty. She looks like she has wings and halo ... also interesting that she is practically wearing all white...
like some sort of angel or fairy caught on her lunch break
I dig it ^-^
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