Creative Musings

Czech it Out!

The Gang's All Here!

My husband Allen and I just returned home from a trip to the Czech Republic where I was a teacher at Petra Nemravova's Fimohrani Event in Prague. It was a mind blowing trip in the most beautiful city I've ever seen. I had heard much the same from others who have visited there, but only seeing it for yourself can do it justice. Out of over 2000 photos, I've posted some of my favorites here and in the Prague 2011 album on the blog. We had the chance to visit the Easter fair in Old Town Square, where we bought local crafts and even made some friends with the artists there. One egg vendor kept plying us with their homemade "moonshine!" Further explorations took us through the oldest Jewish Cemetery in Europe and area museums.   

Prague Castle

Our tour of Prague Castle left us surprised when low and behold, the Czech Republic's president Vaclav Klause, drove right by us (literally about 20 feet away at one point) in one of the courtyards. We knew something was up when several police officers suddenly appeared, but no attempt was made to push us back, but only a sharp eye being kept on the tourists standing near by. Like that would ever happen in the U.S.!

Sgraffito Villa Exterior

Along with the prevalence of the Art Deco architecture, were the medieval buildings that are beautifully preserved. Among my favorites were the ones decorated with Sgraffito (the art of etching or carving through contrasting layers of stucco or other materials to form designs) and a building outside of Prague Castle with Trompe L'oeil windows which were added to avoid paying window taxes hundreds of years ago. 

You couldn't turn around in this city without seeing something that would take your  breath away from architecture to art. Even the modern buildings like the Dancing House by architect Frank Gehry was amazing. It was directly across from one of our hotel while in Prague and so much fun to see outside our window.  

Above Left - Trompe L'oeil Windows, Right - The Dancing House

 

We left the city one day to visit the village where Allen's grandfather emigrated from, Uhersky Ostroh; nearly 4 hours Southeast of Prague. We stopped at a grocery store on the way, only to come out and see two identical cars to our rental, parked in a row. Needless to say we were confused, but picked the correct car on only the second try!

Which Skoda was ours?

The drive through the country side was breathtaking. The perfect way to spend a blustery day and rest our feet from the miles we logged in Prague the day before. We even saw a few castles from the road. Allen and I found the row house that belonged to his Great Grandfather, but we found that it was no longer occupied by relatives. 

 

 

Old Town Square, Prague

After several amazing days walking the city (the blisters were worth it!), we moved to a suburb of Prague in an historic hotel that was once part of the barn, stables and granary of the nearby castle. This is also where nearly 70 participants gathered for three days of classes with the amazing artists: Carol Blackburn, Christine Dumont, and myself. Some of the students hailed from other countries including Germany and Austria, but most were from the Czech Republic. Each and every one of the participants (including one Polymer Prince - Jan) were absolutely delightful to work with. Even with a language barrier for some of us, we shared tons of laughs and heartfelt moments. My favorite, being gifted along with Carol and Christine, with a gorgeous and huge strand of beads made by all the students. What a treasure! I hope to upload a photo of this to the blog vey soon.

Petra and her family were incredibly organized and gracious making sure no one wanted for a thing. They catered delicious meals and snacks throughout in a warm and inviting atmosphere.

I was lucky enough to be gifted with several books written by participants, including the talented Petra herself. While I can't read Czech, some things transcend translation. The same was true in the classes. I couldn't have done it though without the wonderful translators that Petra supplied each of us. My eternal thanks goes out to new friends Eva (from day 1), Lucie (from day 2, my fellow Swarovski Fan) and Eva (from day 3).

One Class' Pinwheels getting ready to bake for Spinner Rings

I taught kinetic construction with an emphasis on making rings using my "Smoosh Cane." Each and every student brought their own unique style to their project. The best part was the inspiration I gained from their designs. I'm still reeling with delight from my time in this lovely country. It was truly an unforgettable experience.    

 

An Icelandic Clay Adventure!

 

I was incredibly fortunate to be invited to teach in Iceland this year at amazing creative store: Handverkshusid. Last week was the experience of a lifetime in creativity, making new friends, and experiencing this breathtaking country. 

My host Thorsteinn Jonsson, put me up in the Hotel Leifur Eiríksson, directly across from Reykjavik's incredible Hallgrimur church. I was lucky enough to catch someone playing the pipe organ when I toured the architectural wonder.  

After a couple of days to acclimate and enjoy the sights and galleries of Reykjavik (where I saw some of the most innovative jewelry design work I've ever seen), I began teaching mixed media clay classes including work with my Pardo Pro polymer clays, Art Clay Silver, and my Magic Glos resin. During three days of classes with students dedicated to soaking up as much information as they could, many professional quality projects were completed. 

Being in Handverkshusid was like being a kid in the proverbial candy store! It was truly a wonderland of creativity with every imaginable tool and material for clays, jewelry making, metal work, wood and glass working. Need I mention my bags were considerably heavier on the return trip than when I came? It was also wonderful to see dozens of books carried in the store authored by many of my creative friends. 

I plan on jumping onto a series of Iceland inspired mixed media creations soon which I will showcase here on the blog. I will incorporate lava and ash samples collected during my journey in as many of these as possible. 

On the evening of the third class day, the store hosted a reception in my honor where I signed my latest book and was able to answer several questions from attendees, enjoy delicious refreshments and mingle with students, store employees and guests. Several of my newfound friends gifted me with heartfelt presents including my new friend and talented artist Olaf who is one of the most incredible glass artists I've ever met.

I spent the last days of my trip traveling the gorgeous countryside with new friend Ingolfur Juliusson, who is one of Iceland's premiere photo journalists (not to mention musician, and videographer). What a treat to experience the roughed beauty and history of this amazing country firsthand with someone so knowledgeable. Ingo is famous for among other things, his photography of last year's volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. That was the volcano much in the news in 2010, which paralyzed airspace over Europe for weeks. You can visit his website by clicking his highlighted name above. I spent one evening at the foot of some of Iceland's most famous glaciers. I was lucky to have Ingo's friend Gudmunder (a ranger in Skattafell National Park) as our guide. He raced through pelting sleet on narrow roads to get me to Iceland's famous Jokulsarion Glacial Lagoon just before sunset to see this phenomenon of nature. It has been the sight of scenes from movies and television shows including: Batman Begins, James Bond - A View to a Kill, Tomb Raider, and the Amazing Race.  

Amidst the darkness we toured an old Icelandic Earth house that hasn't been inhabited since the 1940's, but has been preserved as it originally appeared by the last residents. We only had the light from our cell phones and my camera display to guide us through the pitch black house. 

The chance to get to know so many incredible people was a highlight as well as the wonderful cuisine of the many restaurants we visited. Icelandic lamb is incredibly delicious and unlike lamb I've ever had anywhere! Among the culinary delights I experienced including lamb's head (thanks to Olaf) and dried fish (thanks to ), I also was treated to Mexican food, the best Indian food I've ever had in my life, Italian pasta and pizza. Having a huge sweet tooth, I stocked up on Icelandic chocolate which is so delicious but wished I liked black licorice since it's one of the most common and popular treats of the country.    

The only disappointment was that the weather didn't cooperate allowing me to experience the Aurora Borealis. I guess I'll just have to make my way back there, hopefully next year! Please enjoy the Iceland 2011 Gallery added to my blog site with more photos of my wonderful week in Iceland. I will be adding some more photos to the gallery when Ingo sends me some that he took so be sure to check back soon.