Wednesday:) Words of Wisdom

“The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become.” ~ Jim Rohn***********

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of joining a few local artists at SPARC. Artist/potter, Laura Canfield has been hosting clay pot throwing and creative glazing in preparation for next year’s Empty Bowls fundraiser. I enjoy the impromptu process of decorating a bowl with glaze, knowing that it will find its way to good home, and the money raised will help,feed the hungry.

  
Laura has been donating her time and talents to the community for many years, as have dozens of local artists. I feel blessed to know these fine folks and be part of this creative and sharing community. They all love what they do and always happy to share.

   
 
These bowls will be bold, beautiful, and shiny once they have been kiln fired. 

Here’s one that I glazed last month.

   
 
I love being an artist and a writer. I get to create beautiful works of art, then I get to write about it. Doubley blessed. 

  
“The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become.” ~ Jim Rohn

What have you become?

Tuesday: Time Together as a Community

One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn’t as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.~Jean Vanier, Community And Growth

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When you share your love, time, and talents with others, you help to build a community stronger than any fortress. 

~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis 

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Another second Tuesday of the month. Time for our monthly McKinney Creative Community Pot Luck gathering at SPARC. Did I “SPARC” your interest?

McKinney has blossomed into an amazing artist community right before my eyes. There are so many talented artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and creative people in our midsts, and these monthly gatherings offer a venue to meet, make friends, share, and learn from one another. 

I always make brownies, but being the goofy creative person that I am , I usually make a funny face in the mix before stirring and baking. Doesn’t everyone?

  
Last month when we met, the group joined hands like they do before at sporting events before taking the field, or starting a game.  This was a perfect photo op to show our support, strength, and solidarity. This is such a cool picture. Many hands joined together in friendship.  
SPARC is located at 405 N Sherman, easy of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church north of McKinney square. We meet the second Tuesday evening for a pot-luck 5:30-9. A great way to meet people. You don’t have to be a professional artist. Everyone has a talent. Mine is making faces with my brownies. 

  

Friday: Friends Who Play Together Stay Together and Throw Clay at Each Other

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
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You know what’s even more fun than playing all day? Well, I’ll tell you. It’s playing with your good friends, sharing food, ideas, chatting, and learning new things.

Yesterday was a fun play day for me. It started out with an exhilarating Zumba class with Diane, a long walk in the chilly afternoon, dinner with my friend, Lynne, and a fun clay class in the evening with friends.

(L to R) Wendolin, Sherry, instructor Laura, Terree and Lynne.
Several girlfriends met at SPARC, a fantastic artist facility that offers pottery and many other art classes in the historic district of McKinney. Laura Canfield guided us through several clay hand building, glazing, carving, and playing with clay techniques. We are all artists, but none of us experienced in clay or pottery. It’s always fun to create something new and broaden our horizons. And no, we really didn’t throw clay at each other. Maybe next time.

What I love about the art community in McKinney is that so many talented people offer to share their talents and experience with others. We learn so much from each other, but most importantly, we have so much fun. We have become good friends.

Here are some of our playing with clay photos. Thanks Laura.

My 3 tiles on the left and Sherry’s trees on the right.

We all worked on some larger projects. I forgot to take pictures of them all, but here is the cross I made. It has to dry and be fired. Now, how to glaze???

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tuesday: To Be or Not To Be…Creative

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”
― Albert Einstein
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A great Tuesday. An early chilly morning walk at 7:15 am, followed by Zumba at the YMCA at 8:30, some errands and home to bake brownies for Creative Community. Of course, I had to make a funny face with the mix.

I went over to Sweet Spot Bakery on the Square to celebrate Miss Elizabeth’s birthday.

Then, off to McKinney Creative Community that meets the second Tuesday of each month at SPARC, a fun studio space for potters and sculptors. It’s a wonderful networking group of artists, writers, musicians, teachers, or anyone looking to meet other creative people. It’s a potluck venue and the food is always wonderful. After chatting an hour or so, we sit in a big circle and share what’s new and good. Always interesting. Here we are. Say “HI.”

To be or not to be creative?

Tuesday: Time for Brownies, Old Friends and Making New Friends

You meet people who forget you. You forget people you meet. But sometimes you meet those people you can’t forget. Those are your ‘friends.
Martin Luther King Jr
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I had a fun morning at Zumba, dancing my cares and worries away for an hour. Did I ever tell you that I love Zumba? I do. (I did a little dancin’ in the kitchen later, but that’s for another day.) Then, yes, work on a little more unpacking, and then bake some brownies for McKinney Creative Community meeting at 5:30.

I’m slowly getting back into my old routine, and making and baking brownies means making a funny face in the bowl with the mix. It’s a tradition. Silly, but tradition, none the less.

Being in Texas, what better props than a cowboy theme.

Then, off to SPARC, just north of the Square, for McKinney Creative Community, a lovely group of talented artists, writers, dancers and all around fun people. We meet the second Tuesday of each month for a potluck and sharing “new and good.”

What’s nice about this group is, there are the same old regulars, but then always new and interesting people to meet. “Sometimes you meet those people you can’t forget. Those are your friends.”

OK, I couldn’t pass this up… Here is “A MUG SHOT” of Alyssa and Jill. They are holding handmade mugs made at SPARC.

Friday Fire and Brimstone

“There may be a great fire in our soul, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke.”
― Vincent van Gogh
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I’m not sure what brimstone is, but if it is anything as spectacular as the fabulous raku pottery that was being fired this evening at SPARC (St. Peter’s Artist Run Community), then you can see that “there may be a great fire in our soul.”

SPARC celebrated their grand opening this evening with guest potters, including Kym Owens from Sunset Canyon Pottery, Steve Macias, Laura Canfield, and other local potters.

Steve, with the help of other potters, demonstrated outdoor raku firing all evening, while inside, beautiful pottery was on display, and potters were on hand to share their creative expertise.

It was a warm McKinney night, the kiln was crazy hot, the company warm and friendly, but the artists, potters and friends enjoyed a wonderful evening of creativity.

SPARC is located at 405 N. Sherman Street, McKinney, TX 75069 and can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sparc405. There offer weekly hand-building, private wheel and pottery classes, workshops, parties, date nights and girls night out.

Steve Macias is an amazing potter.

Local artists display their work.