Day 3: Treasures Abound.

In my travels I did something to my right hip. It is bruised. And after my 7 miles of walking yesterday both of my hips are just "we did too much" sore. So I decided to extend my morning walk to 4 miles and get a ride home. The weather here is absolutely wonderful, and the sights are beautiful.

Today was a great day. We started the morning with breakfast and conversation. The conversation ebbed and flowed between love-and-life talk and dulcimer and lutherie talk. Dwain really is a fountain of knowledge, and his idiosyncrasies only further endear him to me.

I was watching him work today, and I broke out in a big smile because I cannot believe that I got this opportunity. Really, how many people in life get the chance to learn to make art under a master of that craft? Well, I do. I will not squander this chance, either. Val and I are sacrificing much for this to happen, so I will not sit on my ass when I start creating in earnest. I will work hard!

Dwain is still working on a machine that must get out, so our energies and focus has been there. I think that coming in and watching this process will help me conceptualize better what I'm doing as I'm making my first instrument. And I will learn much of what I want and do not want to do while watching him make his machines.

For example, I know that I will probably not mess with banjo tuners--or any other tuners. I will use wooden pegs or Pegheds. Both will be more expensive, but I think that they are just prettier. Plus I'll be set up to do them immediately.

So there are some really important lessons I'm learning and it is only day 2 in the shop!

This is an amazing way to clamp a machine down. I said why not just use clamps. But once the go-bars were in place on the go-bar deck it was clear that the rest of the machine could still be worked on. So any glue could be removed, the top could be checked for alignment, and it is just easier to see what is going on. But the amount of pressure that can be applied is immense!

Then we had our afternoon meal. We had gouda cheese sandwiches. I put spicy mustard, tomatoes, and jalapenos on mine. We also had some fresh vegetables. And sometime in the early afternoon we had watermelon. I'm going to be in such good shape!

There was more conversation, and I'm not only learning about Dwain and the world through his perspective but I'm also repositioning myself as I voice my thoughts and ideas. I'm growing, indeed.

Later we went for ice cream at the "best shop around." I bet it is, too! I was so into the deliciousness of my ice cream that I didn't take a picture until it was at this point.

I've really been contemplating where I'm at in my art-making life. Ever since I was in graduate school I've known that I wanted to be authentic in my art making. My thesis turned into an investigation and exploration in just that--being authentic in my processes, subject matter, and the delivery of the work I made. But it was not until just last year that I really began to understand that I want to make folk art, like this rug I made in grad school. (Here is a link to it with more information.) I have learned to honor my bumpkin, and I can now even embrace it with much joy. For so long I fought the fact that I grew up a Cracker, wanting for so much that I didn't have. But I now realize that all of the treasures that I thought were out of my reach and others possessions were there all of the time, I just didn't understand their beauty or importance.

I learned to make from an early age. My dad taught me to build, and still encourages that today. I love to show him my gizmos and am so proud when he approves of my work. I'm in such a good place right now, and as much as I want to jump to the future to produce work I have to stay in the moment, lest I fail to appreciate the treasures all around me now.

My loaner while I'm here in Rochester. Oh boy is it different than my own.