Michele Ogilvie • Artist • Teacher

I want to teach you art—'sculpting' of all things using air-dry clay that we sometimes mix with mud found in our backyards. We will make animals such as frogs, chameleons, fish and crabs. We will talk about symbolism and how many cultures around the world consider them to be totems representing renewal. I hope in some small way these experiences will bring you closer to nature and provide you with a brief moment of peace. We sometimes may find that woven between the solace and play of creating you must also face your mistakes, trial and error cycles, frustrations, smoothing out bumps, and repairing deep and superficial cracks. We pull in strategies not least of which is a sense of humor and a willingness to accept that we are all trying to do the best that we can. You notice that this process holds a mirror up to life. I want you to believe, as I believe—in the magic of Art.  I want you to notice that turning a malleable blob of clay into something imaginative can open your heart.