Path I take to get to Anderson Ranch Arts Center

Snowmass and Aspen are ridiculously beautiful towns nestled among the pine trees and wild flowers in the summer and surrounded by mountains in the Roaring Fork Valley.  Many of the homes in the area are to die for and belong on the covers of Architectural Digest or a similar magazine.  There is a price to pay for all of this beauty, however, judging by the high price tags of real estate if you want to own a piece of paradise.

Studios and small condos start at $1,000,000+ in Aspen and if you dare to covet a single family home, a single family home starts at $1.65 million in Aspen for nothing special.  Snowmass, which is 10 miles away is slightly less expensive, but not by much.  I wonder who lives here, and if real estate is so expensive, where do the working class people live.  Surely, there has to be a working class – who cleans, cooks, delivers mail, drives buses, mans the ski lifts in winter, etc.?  I found out that many people commute 50+ miles to go to work and live in places like Glenwood Springs, Leadville and other less expensive towns in the environs.  I’m not sure I could do that – and if I have to ask how much something costs, than I really can’t afford it, can I?

Brush Creek along the Mayfly trail in Snowmass

Snowmass is blessed with a network of abundant of hiking and biking trails.  Our condo is about a half mile from Anderson Ranch and I’ve been walking to “work” everyday along the Mayfly trail which follows Brush Creek.  It’s a great way to start the day, and lucky me, it’s downhill on the way to work.

Mayfly sculpture along the trail

In addition to the beautiful wildflowers sprinkling the edges of the trail, roadsides, and valleys, Snowmass (and Aspen) really support the arts.  Art is everywhere, including art tucked into less trafficked places like the Mayfly trail.  When I first happened upon it, I thought it was a dragonfly – but no, the name of the trail is Mayfly.  A mayfly is related to the dragonfly and frequents aquatic areas like Brush Creek.

Imagine my surprise happening upon this guy!

A couple of days ago, I was merrily huffing and puffing my way back up hill along the Mayfly trail after teaching my class and I almost stepped on this snake.  I’m such a city slicker and screamed out loud then jumped over him – heart racing.  I was going to keep going, when I decided to return and take his photo.  I knew it wasn’t a rattle snake and I think there is only one other venomous type of snake in CO, so I carefully returned and snapped his photo.  Someone told me it was most likely a garter snake, but to me, a snake is a snake – unless it’s a rattler, which I’ve been fortunate to have never seen live outside of a zoo.

Now, I keep my eyes open on my walk to and from the Ranch.  Every single day, I manage to see one since they sun themselves on the rocks and live near the creek.  The only other wildlife to watch for are black bears and mountain lions.  Since this is near a fairly well traveled road, I’m fairly confident I won’t run into one of those.  Fingers crossed!

Metal Sculpture at the entrance of the Ranch

Tonight, we’re going to venture to the base of the village in Snowmass and go to see Bonerama, a New Orleans based Brass Funk Rock Band.  I don’t know anything about the band, but it sure sounds interesting and it’s free to boot.  While it costs money to do a lot of things in the area, both Snowmass and Aspen host a variety of free events encompassing all of the arts.  That’s part of the bonus of having wealthy patrons and supporters of the arts in a community.

Speaking of patrons and supporters, I forced myself attend the faculty and staff dinner hosted by one of Anderson Ranch’s board members, Sara Ransford who also happens to be a ceramic artist and supporter of many art’s organizations in Aspen.  I was very nervous about going, but knew it would be a good exercise for me.  I do have the gift of being able to gab to just about anyone about anything from my years working as a flight attendant for UAL (I do think that everything experience is valuable and you just never know when a certain skill will come in handy), but it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t give me the jitters nonetheless.  Mostly, I was afraid of making an ass of myself.

Many of the visiting and permanent faculty, staff and instructors met at the home of Andrea (looking for last name – she’s not listed on Anderson Ranch’s website yet), the new program director of photography and digital media at Anderson Ranch for a little get together before carpooling to Sara’s home in Aspen for dinner.  Apparently this happens every other week, so I’m lucky that the get together dinner happened to fall during the week that I’m here.

I met many of the permanent staff of Anderson Ranch and also some of the visiting instructors including book maker Dan Essig, majolica potter Posey Bacapoulos, wood turner Merryll Saylan, photographer and head of the photography department of Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design Gary Emrich, art historian David Brauer, RISD drawing instructor Jay Coogan, Director of Printmaking at Anderson Ranch Matt Christie, fellow children’s workshop instructor Kathleen Blake and photographer and DU instructor Roddy McInnes.  Almost all of the permanent faculty and many of the visiting instructors were present , though I didn’t get to meet everyone.  And then there was little ole me.  Yeah, I sort of have a complex….

I introduced myself to Posey and told her how much I enjoyed her slide show and lecture I attended on Sunday evening.  She doesn’t have a formal art education, but that hasn’t stopped her from becoming a world class clay artist.  While I do have an undergraduate degree in art, I started later in life and there’s definitely hope for me yet – I think you just have to have passion and the energy to make the work for the long term. 

What’s interesting is that for many of the people I have met, it was same ole, same ole.  They’re on the teaching circuit or have been doing this so long that it’s no big deal.  For me, it’s so exciting to meet them and to experience teaching at Anderson Ranch.

Sara Ransford was a gracious host with a beautiful home and dinner was fabulous – a catered spicy Indian meal.  Posey, Merryll, Kathleen and I enjoyed touring the public rooms of her home and we admired her art collection.  Many well known artists were represented in her collection which also included an abundance of recognizable ceramic work. All I can say is PINCH ME!  Am I really experiencing this?  Sorry no photos of the  evening – that would have been a little crass.  Though, I’m sure I’m barely above that right now by blogging about it and dropping names.

I returned home around 8:30 and collapsed in exhaustion since I imbibed at least 3 glasses of wine to help my nervous jitters.

Today, I’m hoping to wander into some of the adult workshop studios to see what the classes are creating after my kid’s class ends at 3:30.  I would love to take an extended workshop in the near future myself.

Feeling jazzed and inspired,

~Cynthia

It’s Wednesday morning and while I’m really starting to feel settled,  class is almost half finished!  My students are working really hard and I think we’re going to have some fantastic movable sculptures to show their friend’s and family for our Friday show.

Anderson Ranch is truly a magical place.  It was originally a turn of the century cattle and sheep farm owned by the Anderson’s, and was repurposed as an arts center in 1966 when Snowmass was first being developed as a ski resort to complement sister town Aspen’s burgeoning popularity.  Paul Soldner, whose background is in ceramics, was the artist founder of the Ranch and recruited other local artists to join in shaping the former ranch into studios and the development of the many art workshops available today.

Just inside the entrance

Today, there are 18 buildings on the 4 acre campus which include a gallery, library, woodshop, ceramic studios, print/drawing studios, painting studio, visiting artist studio, meeting hall, photography studio, dorms, residences for permanent staff, cafe,and finally a children’s studio where I am teaching this week.

Children visiting the area for the summer take classes here as well as local children who live in the Roaring Fork Valley area of Colorado.  I overheard one local girl telling another student how she wished she lived somewhere else and I responded that I thought she was super lucky to live in such a beautiful area.  Though, I do suppose if you live here year round, you might not appreciate it as much as those of us who are just visiting.

Siegal Children’s Building

The children’s studio is the  first building to the left when entering the Ranch.  I found out that it’s the only non-insulated building on the complex, so it is only open during the summer and otherwise becomes storage for seasonal items during the winter months.

Inside children’s building

The children’s studio is an L shaped building and supports 1 morning & 1 afternoon class a week during the summer.  Kathleen Blake, an art teacher from Oklahoma who has received numerous educational awards, is teaching a “Self Portrait” class in the morning.  And, while I originally wanted to teach in the morning, I am thankfully teaching the afternoon class from 1:00 – 3:30.

I even have my own kiln!

Yesterday, my students finished sculpting and painting their clay parts for their sculptures and I loaded their work into the kiln after class to speed dry overnight.  Normally, my assistant (a sculpture student from University of Colorado Boulder – who is also the children’s education intern, Gwynnie (I’ll have to find her last name) would load the kiln.  I offered to do it, however, since she hasn’t had a day off in 2 weeks since the Ranch has been busy with a special art project when the Dalai Lama visited Aspen last week.  YES, the Dalai Lama!  It would have been fun to be here last week, though I’m sure there would have been some crazy crowds.

At any rate, I’m so pleased to be here and am enjoying the experience.  I haven’t been doing too much sightseeing, but I am very relaxed right now and am enjoying spending some quality time with my family.  I missed the slide lecture last night at the Ranch, but have been invited to attend a faculty and staff dinner tonight at a board member’s house in Aspen.  I haven’t decided whether or not to go since I didn’t really pack any nice clothing and only have flip flops, tevas and sneakers along.  Oh well, who cares, right?

Till later,

~Cynthia

Hello friends!

My husband, Ron, daughter Jasmine and me

My family and I arrived safely to Snowmass Village, CO on Sunday afternoon after a 4 hour drive from Denver.  We decided to take the scenic route and exited the highway at Copper Mountain, drove through Leadville, CO (the highest incorporated city in the US at 10,430 feet above sea level) and on over Independence Pass into the town of Aspen and then Snowmass Village which is about another 10 miles.  Independence Pass is the highest paved pass in the US at 12,095 feet high and is not for the faint of heart since it is a very narrow 2 lane road with no guard rails and plenty of evidence of falling rocks.  It was much slower going, but worth the drive for its scenery.  All I can say is breathtakingly  gorgeous.

Independence Pass is just above the tree line

Back in Denver, we’ve been enjoying a heat wave in the 90’s and are on track to break some records for the most consecutive days above 90.  Imagine our delight when at the top of Independence Pass, we enjoyed temps around 48 – 50° F!   It feels gloriously cool in the mountains.  Even in Snowmass the high during the day is around 80° and lows around 49° at night which feels heavenly to our previously overheated bodies.

When we arrived in Snowmass, I dropped into Anderson Ranch to get the keys to our accommodations and to meet Sarabeth Berk, the children’s education coordinator, for a short meeting and overview of the facilities.  All I can say, is that I feel spoiled and incredibly lucky to be teaching here this summer.

After dinner on Sunday, I returned to “The Ranch” and attended a slide show lecture featuring artists Posey Bacopoulos and Daniel Essig, both of whom are instructing adult classes at Anderson Ranch this week.  I really enjoyed the lecture and slide shows presented by both artists.  It was a great opportunity to hear an artist give a talk, just in case I ever need to do one myself someday.  Both had different styles which were interesting and well presented.

It was super exciting to hear a well known ceramic artist speak in person about their work – I’ve seen Posey’s work in many books, magazines and of course other websites.  She works with low fire red earthenware in the maiolica tradition which I’m not necessarily interested in doing myself, but appreciate for its painterly qualities.  I enjoyed hearing about her process and evolution from hobby potter and former school teacher to professional artist with a signature style.  I really appreciated the challenges of setting up a studio in NYC and learning about the evolution of her pots too, since I feel like I’m sort of at a turning point myself.

Daniel Essig who hails from NC crafts some pretty darn amazing work too – he makes artist’s books that are really more like free standing sculptures.  He started out as a fine art photographer and slowly turned to wood working and book making.  Many of his books contain secret compartments and are just amazingly detailed from the Ethiopian stitching to the hand finishes and small details.  He has also collaborated on projects with other artists, including ceramicists and wood artisans.

Snow in summer – we even saw some people snowboarding on some of the larger patches

Overall, I’m incredibly inspired and this trip couldn’t have come at a better time for me!  I keep pinching myself that I was offered this opportunity to teach here – even at the children’s level.  I read the bios of all the children’s instructors and I must be the newest instructor with the least amount of credentials and experience.  Truly, it must have been a leap of faith for Sarabeth to ask me to instruct here.

I taught my first class yesterday afternoon and have 13 children ranging in ages from 9 – 12.  I wasn’t sure what grades this ages group represented, but found out that they’re 3rd graders up to 7th grade including 1 child entering 8th grade in the fall.  Most of my students are around 11 which is a terrific age since they’re fairly confident in their art making skills.  This allows me enough time to assist those who need more attention and I am feeling comfortable that we will finish our projects in a timely fashion on Friday.  As a bonus, the kids who take classes at Anderson Ranch are all really interested in art.  I have some local students and about half from out of state who are visiting the area.

We do have wireless internet access here at the condo we’re staying in, though at first I couldn’t find a reliable, reasonably fast connection.  This morning, I discovered that if I sit on the balcony, I get great reception and it’s fairly speedy.  So, hopefully, I’ll be able to blog throughout the week to share some of the scenery and my experience here.

I’m even going to visit some of my favorite blogs this morning while I finish my coffee and get ready for the day.

Until later,

~Cynthia

Anderson Ranch Entrance

Oooohhh, after my long discombobulated post last week, I realized that I had to shake the “oh my, what am I doing with my life” feeling and get cracking on my lesson plan and project for the kid’s art camp I’m teaching at Anderson Ranch Arts Center this coming Monday.  Needless to say, I had to stop feeling sorry for myself quickly.

My 2nd kid’s clay camp ended on Friday (printing on clay) which was successful overall and the kids gave me good feedback too.  We didn’t get to use our homemade stamps on the last day since one of the kilns with our stamps inside, shut off prematurely and had to be refired.  When I checked the kiln on Friday morning, it was way too hot to unload so we improvised and tried to do some bubble painting with underglazes on clay.  It was so-so.  Some kids did a great job and then it ended when all 3 bottles of bubbles were knocked over.  Eh, what can you do?

Wolf dog head, low fire clay and nichrome wire

My class up at Anderson Ranch is related to the marionette project I did a couple of weeks ago, except there are no strings and the body will be movable.  I’m always up for a challenge on how to make something work.  If we have time, we’re actually going to make 2 projects.  The first will have clay heads, hands and feet with a soft sculpture body and the second one will be constructed 100% out of clay and will allow the joints of the body to move sort of like the work of Michalene Walsh which resembles an old fashioned doll.  I don’t have a finished project to share because my clay bits are in the kiln right now – so hopefully if I have internet service in Snowmass, I can post some updates next week.

My models

I kept calling my dogs into the studio last week so I could see their features to help sculpt my clay pieces.  They are such obliging models provided I give them lots of scratches behind their ears.    Danzig (dog on the left) was the inspiration for the tongue.  His always seems to be hanging out the side of his mouth all willy nilly.

I wouldn’t really advise this, but I speed dried my pieces in my test kiln so that I could fire them in record time.  Not pictured are the feet and the all clay piece.  I guess that’s what you get when photographing work at 6 am before being fully caffienated.  I really like the feet too and put wing tip shoes on them for kicks and giggles.

I imagine that if Danzig were human, that’s what he would don since he’s a bit of an eccentric (not the boring single colored shoes, but the groovy 2 color ones).  I’m not sure if I can swing it in time, but I would love for my character to wear a zoot suit to compliment his snazzy shoes.  BTW, I think Zuzu (dog on right) would wear Birkenstocks if she were human.  She’s sort of old and crotchety and all about comfort.  That is of course, not to disparage Birkenstock wearers at all – in fact, I wear them myself in the summer.  Maybe I’m old and crotchety too….

Anyway, I’ve been getting ready to leave for the week.  I’m not sure if I’ll have internet service where I’m staying or not.  So I may be posting live – or will be absent for the next week.  My husband and daughter are coming with me – we’re hoping to get some hikes in and to explore the area when I’m not teaching.  I’m really looking forward to the cooler mountain weather too since we’ve been in the mid 90’s since mid June.

Have a great week everyone!

~Cynthia

P.S.  Thank you to everyone who commented and emailed concerning my last post!  I really appreciated it and struck a chord with many.  It’s good to know that I’m not alone with my occasional doubts.