Sculpting a Life:
Susan Gallacher-Turner’s turn in the Pacific Northwest

Sculpting a life can be scary. Whether or not the economy is up or down, the art process itself is a roller coaster ride of hills and valleys. In the past two weeks, I’ve had a few of my own.

The hills are easy to talk about, aren’t they? I sold some of my art work at a mask show and my own open studio event. I picked up a kiln that a kindred art supporter gave me. As a result of owning a kiln, I can work in clay again and I dreamed up new ideas for clay figures. I made some new sculptural vessels, worked on a new screening piece and my copper repousse’. I taught a new class through the Museum of Contemporary Craft. And met a lot of wonderful, kind art supporters.

The valleys are not so easy to face. I had a show and nothing sold. I heard other artists sold much more at their open studios than I did. I don’t have any other classes or openings scheduled for the next two months. I had doubts about my work, my direction, my creative ideas. I spent more time cleaning my home and studio than working in it. I sweated about my finances, and wondered if I should get another job.

But then, this weekend, teaching a class, I saw the students go through similar hills and valleys. Excitement and fear. Creative visions and expectations. Inspiration and resistance.

I guess I’m not alone. It helps to know that. I know valleys are a chance to face my fears and use my creative dreams, talents and work to climb up and out. I know that hills give me a chance to show my work, see my progress, share my skills with others.

Even knowing all this, I'd like the ride to be easier, smoother and less scary. But that’s not the way it works, is it? What can I do? I can acknowledge my fear and let it be. Then I can ride the roller coaster instead of letting it roll over me.

Read Susan’s blog at http://sculpturepdx.blogspot.com/ or visit her website at http://www.susangt.com/

Read more!

Sculpting a Life

Susan Gallacher-Turner's turn in the Pacific Nothwest.


For two weekends in a row, I've been part of the Portland Open Studios Tour. That means from 10 am to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday, I open my studio to the public. But it's more than an art show and sale. It's more like art show and tell.


Remember when you were in kindergarten and you brought something to school to share with the rest of the class? Well, this is something like that. As a participating artist, my job is to show people where, what and how I work. It's been an interesting process.
.When people come to my studio, I show them how I bend, shape and pinch window screening into sculptures of animals and people as well as push copper sheeting into masks and landscapes. I tell them how color is added and answer questions about where I get my materials. I let them wander through my home looking at my some of my other pieces explaining how the original stories and found objects give the pieces unity. I listen as they tell me about their experiences with art and sometimes, show me some of their artwork.


I must admit, I wasn't sure what this experience would be like. Opening up my studio to strangers seemed a little scary at first. Not to mention, putting many of my sculpture pieces on display in my own home for people to see and touch. Talking to all the people for 7 hours each day was both invigorating and exhausting. It was a lot of work, more than I expected. And it gave me an even greater appreciation of all the work that gallery owners put into every monthly show.


But I'm glad I did it. They learned about my art process and I learned about their art experiences. I told them about how my work evolves with each piece and they told me how they felt about the sculptures. It was a wonderful exchange of appreciation, knowledge, creativity and ideas. And isn't that what show and tell is all about?

Read Susan’s blog at http://sculpturepdx.blogspot.com/ or visit her website at http://www.susangt.com/

Read more!

Sculpting a Life
Susan Gallacher-Turner’s turn in the Pacific Northwest.


This weekend in Portland, Oregon, I went to Art In The Pearl, a Labor Day weekend art festival with music, food and kid’s art activities. It’s a gathering of local and regional artists showing work from ceramics, paintings, sculptures, fused glass and photography to hand-crafted leather goods, jewelry, baskets, felted coats and hats. It’s also a gathering of artist guilds and groups doing demonstrations and giving out information to anyone in the community interested in learning more about art. This year, instead of just watching the demos and admiring the art, I was able to have a small part in the event.

As a new member of the Pacific Northwest Sculptors Guild, I was allowed to hang one of my copper repousse’ pieces in the guild tent. Every year that I’ve gone to Art In The Pearl, I’ve always checked out their tent, admired the art and picked up a brochure telling myself I’d join. Last year, I finally did it. It’s been an eye-opening experience. I’ve met many talented artists. Learned about a wide variety of sculpture media. Gotten some really helpful advice. And participated in group shows and demos all over Portland that I wouldn’t have had access to without the guild.

I’ll admit I’ve never thought of myself as a ‘group’ person. I’ve always been comfortable working on my own but I have to say that joining this group has been a great experience for me. And although, I don’t feel that I’ve done much for the group, yet, just a newsletter article or two and a contact list for the president; I look forward to doing and learning more.

Because I think that although sculpting in my life is, at times a solitary process, there’s a need to share, to open up and to learn from other artists and how they sculpt their own lives.

Read Susan’s posts every other Friday in the Joy of Living Creatively. Visit her website at susangt.com or blog at http://sculpturepdx.blogspot.com

Read more!

SCULPTING A LIFE

Susan Gallacher-Turner’s turn in the Pacific Northwest.

When I wrote the proposal for this blog with Eric Maisel, I was dreaming of what my life ‘after kids’ would look like, feel like, be like. My reality at the time was more like a series of bad dreams.

I’ve shown my work in galleries for years in a row, then, this year, I didn’t get into the show that I wanted. I broke my wrist. I had unexpected family changes that shook my nice, secure studio world upside down.

But within and around all the pain, physical therapy, upheaval and fear, my new life took shape. It grew and formed itself in spite of my efforts at the time to keep to my old, familiar, comfortable routines. I see now, that I needed those old routines to be the armature to help me sculpt something new.

It all started innocently enough. I joined the Pacific Northwest Sculpture Guild and put a few pieces in a group show at SE ArtWalk. Went to a few meetings. Met a few new people. Took the risk of applying to Portland Open Studios Tour. Did three demonstrations at the Museum of Contemporary Craft. Met a few more people. Got accepted into Portland Open Studios Tour. Met a few more people. Volunteered to write artist profiles for the Portland Open Studios Tour blog. Met even more people. And so far this year, I’ve shown my work in Art&Design online gallery, The Nipple Project show in Santa Anna, California, and the Justice Center July window show. I’ll be showing work in August and opening up my studio for the tour in October.

For the fourth year, I taught my mask workshop at Llewellyn Elementary school in May. And now, I’ve got workshops scheduled for July, September, October and November in four different places.

Then, there’s writing. I’m doing artist profiles, author interviews and investigating freelance opportunities. Ok, so my novel has taken a back seat, but, well, a few things got put on hold so I could prioritize and get new work done.

I’ve finished and framed 3 new copper repousse’ landscapes. I’m doing patina finishing on #4 and starting #5. My screening triptych is moving along. And a new artist friend is going to help me learn a finishing technique that I can use on some clay pieces that have been sitting in my closet for years now. Because, you see, I thought I was done with clay. But yesterday, I bought some clay to start sculpting again.

So, I guess, this really shows the power of intention, doesn’t it? I wrote about sculpting a new life, not knowing what, where, when, or how it would happen. Yet, just like I sculpt one of my pieces, starting with a dream or an idea, then, day by day, mark by mark, it forms itself like it has a life of its own. Now, I guess, so do I.

Susan Gallacher-Turner
Mixed media sculpture
www.susangt.com
http://sculpturepdx.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/sgtsculpture

Read more!