I went to Arrowmont as an assistant to my professor Becky McDonah for her class, "Pressure and the Hydraulic Press." It was so fun to meet everyone in the class and spend many hours a day working along side such great people.
Becky covered SO much material including, creating surface textures and volume using the hydraulic press, creating and using dies, embossing to deeper forming, anticlastic and synclastic forming, how to create hollow forms using the press, and even more! 
Becky covered SO much material including, creating surface textures and volume using the hydraulic press, creating and using dies, embossing to deeper forming, anticlastic and synclastic forming, how to create hollow forms using the press, and even more! (These bracelets are the work of Chris Legaux)
Mostly, people in the class created small samples of all the various different techniques. Not everyone left with a completed piece, but all left with a huge new library of techniques! These are some of the pieces created by class members...
Becky also asked me to give an etching demonstration, so that people could learn how to use etched surfaces in conjunction with the hydraulic press. I taught various resists such as asphaltum, paint pen, nailpolish, and the PNP photo transfer technique. I think people had a lot of fun experimenting with etching for the first time!
Becky also asked me to give an etching demonstration, so that people could learn how to use etched surfaces in conjunction with the hydraulic press. I taught various resists such as asphaltum, paint pen, nailpolish, and the PNP photo transfer technique. I think people had a lot of fun experimenting with etching for the first time!(Annette Leeuw created this piece above.)
I like how people creatively combined techniques to create really interesting forms. This piece was etched, fold formed, and then a matrix die was used to form it in the press. 
(This bracelet the work of Chris Legaux.)
This nickel bracelet was created by etching, forming, and then nickel rings were added for decoration.
(Annette Leeuw)
This was one of my favorite etchings that came out of the class!
I didn't have as much time to work as I thought, but I decided that I wanted to make something small to give to a few of the people that made my experience at Arrowmont so great. I wish I could have made something for everyone that I met, but there just wasn't time!
I made a die for these small copper scalloped forms, and then embroidered differently on each one. 
On the last day of class, after the studio cleanup, we had a little critique. I really think everyone got a TON out of this class, and I very much enjoyed working with everyone.
Most of all I am grateful to Becky and everyone at Arrowmont for giving me this opportunity. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It was so hard for me to leave arrowmont when the week was over. I met so many amazing people and had such a great time! I will go back someday, there is no doubt. I hope it will be soon.
Well, I knew it would be, but 
This is the metals studio. It has 3 rooms and so much nice equipment. It also has big bright windows that look out into the lush greenery outside. I could stay here forever...
I had the opportunity to come to 
Here is Becky giving a demo... I am pretty sure I was supposed to be assisting her and not taking spy photos from the balcony, but I don't think she noticed.
This is our class admiring Becky's piece in the Faculty show.
This is the outside of the studio. It is surrounded by the Smoky Mountains. The last couple of days we have had a few big thunder storms, and I now know why they call them Smoky! When it rains everything starts to steam. The whole area just fills with a smoky haze. It is really pretty and far from anything I have ever seen in Arizona!
This is looking into the metals studio from outside during the downpour. 
I am especially envious of this friendly yet necessary sign, and have already vowed to Becky that I am making one for our studio as soon as I get home.
Another one of my favorite parts of the studio was all the sample boards, especially this one by Charles 
I have lots more to post, but this is all for now. 
I will leave you with some more entertainment from 
See, I told you there was a 
I love all the little candy shops. I stopped and bought way too much old fashioned taffy. It was so yummy!
And, just in case you thought I was lying about the airbrushed 
There is also an aquarium, which I may get sucked into seeing. I am so weak when it comes to aquariums...they just mesmerize me! I never get enough...
This was BY FAR the funniest thing I saw. It is a Hollywood Wax Museum with a huge King Kong holding a lifesize woman in his hand. Can you hear the twilight zone music? Its just weird to have this many stramge tourist traps in one small town!
So after amusing myself, and sweating about 3 gallons in the 200% humidity, I decided to go back and walk around the 
This is an image of the Faculty Summer Show in the gallery. I love the stained glass windows.
This is the hall that I am staying in.
The Famous Red Barn, which is another residence hall.
And I think this is where the studios are. But what made me really happy to see was the small sculpture on the side of the building. Do you see it?
It was made by Dave Pimentel, who was the Metals Instructor at ASU for many years before he passed away in 2003. Seeing his work makes it seem like he will always be here.
These are some found object totem poles that I should have gotten better pics of. Maybe tomorrow.
And this is the deck where I am blogging at this very moment. Ok, when I took the picture it was light outside. Blogging takes me forever. But, now its dark and I just saw the first firefly I have ever seen in my whole life. I can check that off my list of things to do before I die now. Haha. Seriously though, fireflies are pretty amazing, and mesmerizingly beautiful...
