Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die.
Life is a broken-winged bird,
That cannot fly.
― Langston Hughes.

In my teens I dreamed of a giant studio full of every art supply and tool I could possibly imagine. There would be a stone tower with wide windows looking out into the treetops and the vista beyond, which would preferably have snow-capped mountains and a lake. The tower would be a place to drink tea, read, dream, and draw. A place to plan new projects and ideas. To play guitar and sing. The dream evolved into a teaching studio, where I could work into the wee hours and, during daylight, share my love and knowledge of art with aspiring artists of all ages.

After finishing a graduate degree in ceramic sculpture, my first solo studio was in the (large) coal bin of a row house in Baltimore. LOL! Coal bin! No tower there! But there was art.

Then I moved to the Green Mountain State: glorious Vermont. I worked in the very chilly basement of a sweet but tiny rental on Lake Bomoseen in Vermont. Many clay goddesses were born there.

But I was still moving. My next creative haven was in the basement of my home at the Purnell School where I taught, in Pottersville NJ.

The first studio that was really and truly  mine was in the basement (again) of the home we built in the Vermont forest. Yes, it was in the basement, but built into a hill, with windows looking out into the treetops.

Getting closer to my tower.

But those were all places that I didn’t share with anyone else… Too small for classes.

My first, second and third teaching studios  were in Brandon, Vermont where I fulfilled the dream of sharing my knowledge and experience in the arts.  I taught workshops for kids and adults. Watercolor, Clay, Drawing, Acrylic Painting, Printing, Portfolio classes, etc. One of my favorites was Elementary Arts for Art Phobic Adults.
So much fun to watch skills and creativity expand!

Meanwhile, I painted. And made clay sculpture.

In 2016 I returned to Santa Fe where I had lived as a young woman. My first studio in “the city different” (as they call it) was on Maclovia Street. MANY students of all ages, including students from Castleton University in Vermont, all ages of Santa Fe youth and adults, even students from the Gill St. Bernard’s School in New Jersey shared the tools and materials.
(At different times, of course.)

And I worked with clay and painted.

Now, due to my health I’ve downsized. (I’m doing great!) My studio is on the east edge of town, on Upper Canyon Road, next to the Santa Fe River, surrounded by giant cottonwoods, with an occasional visiting coyote.

It’s exactly what I need right now and into the future.

I’m still waiting on the tower.

Hold fast to dreams!