Another successful private lesson!

This isn't actually my student yesterday... but this is how they feel after a lesson. My recent student has taken stained glass before in a group setting. There were supposed to be 8 students maximum and their were 10. That is not a bad thing, a lot of people teach group lessons with that number of students, but what you learn with a large group decreases due to the lack of time the instructor has to help each student.

When Audrey came yesterday, she was having difficulty cutting glass, spending a lot of time grinding, and not at all feeling comfortable with her level of work. By the time she left my studio after a 2 hour private session, she had her project successfully cut out. She had to do very little grinding to make her piece fit. And... she was ready to take it home and foil the edges so she could solder when she comes back for her next two hour session.

At the rate she is progressing, I know we will finish soldering and framing the piece she started and have time to have me help her with some other projects she had started at home. That is the advantage of private lessons. You learn a whole lot more. What you learn is exactly what you are needing help with (not what the whole class needs to know). You are able to finish more quickly and work on other projects if you would like.

If you're looking to learn stained glass and are considering taking classes, call me to find out how we can work private lessons into your schedule. I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Pat Deere

Link: Stained Glass Class Information

Internet Issues In The Country

Finally, I am up and running again. I am OK with the computer and learning more every day... I was able to get on to face book, manage to get a few friends, update my profile, and add a few pictures. I feel good about that.

My studio, shown here, is a wonderful place. If you haven't visited, stop by. The downfall is, I am in the country and our internet service is limited. It worked great for a couple of years until a piece of equipment failed. It took about 6 weeks, and as many trips to Ann Arbor, two trips from our computer guru, and a lot of patience (that some people may not have called patient a few times), to finally get up and running like we were before.

So, I am back and will be updating this blog again. I have had a lot going on in my studio... I have recently been approved for a fifth window at the Flint Bus Depot, have gained customers from Georgia, Virginia, and Rhode Island, have given several private lessons (a new thing for me), made a business trip to New York, and have been busier than ever in my studio.

But updating this site helps me to focus and it is good to be in a position where I can do it with relative ease. My new newsletter should be out shortly!

Enjoy the day,

Pat

Day one in Chicago did not disappoint.

Actually, I am in Warrenville, which is a suburb of Chicago. After driving 5 hours on a perfectly beautiful, sunny, 28 degree day, I checked into my hotel and decided to see what they had for entertainment. Not really wanting to drive into Chicago by myself after driving all day, I looked around Warrenville. I ended up on the campus of Wheaton College to see the Dublin Philharmonic Orchestra, of which I knew nothing about. But, when I clicked onto their web site to check it out and listened to this bit on You tube, I knew I had to hear them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OAXCy3YS54&mode=user&search= .

I used to not go places like this by myself, being a little self conscious about it. But, then I realized I was cheating myself of some wonderful experiences. So, sitting in the seat by myself I closed my eyes and took in the sounds. Not realizing it would move me the way it did, I searched around for a pencil and something to draw on so I could get my feelings on paper.

The result was a few quick sketches that captured what I was feeling inside while the orchestra played. Since I was by myself, in a city far from my home, with nobody sitting directly beside me or behind me, I didn't have to worry about what people thought about my totally getting into this performance. Had I gone with somebody else, I don't think the depth of the concert would have been so profound and I surely wouldn't have started sketching what was going on inside me. I am anxious to put it into glass.

This reminds me to encourage you to visit your local live entertainment outlets. If you live in my community, check out the Tecumseh Center for the Arts: http://thetca.org/performances/events.htm . Last year I was given free tickets to see Natalie McMaster. I am now embarrassed to say, I didn't know who she was. Needless to say, I got tired in my seat watching her... 8 months pregnant, dancing around the stage and playing the fiddle like nothing I had ever heard before. And what a bargain. The same week she played in a neighboring city for almost twice what I paid. Can't beat live entertainment. To hear Natalie, try clicking on one of her songs on this link. But really, unless you are watching and listening at the same time, it's just not the same. http://www.nataliemacmaster.com/recordings/yourstruly.htm#soundclips .

Tomorrow morning at 7:30am I'll be at Ed Hoy's glass sale. Lot's of good stuff in their flyer - can't wait to see it and bring it back with me.

Pat Deere

Classes: This past week I was able to give a private lesson to a customer wanting to learn how to do stained glass but not wanting to wait for a group lesson. What an experience for both of us. If you would like to put a design that is in your head, onto paper, and then into a glass window... perhaps a private lesson would help you out!