member meeting

Scott Price – Price Sculpture Forest

March 2021 Monthly Meeting

Scott had a vision for a special place:

• that provides the local community and island visitors with a healthy, relaxing, educational, and fun experience that integrates nature with art in a preserved habitat.
• where artists are provided a respected and supportive venue to exhibit their art for interested visitors and patrons
• that will become self‐sustaining as an integrated participant within the larger Whidbey Island arts and parks community

The recently opened Price Sculpture Forest on central Whidbey Island, Washington is that place.

Scott shared with us his journey to the opening, a picture tour, his long term plans for the site, and how sculptors can participate.

McAlister Merchant – Cast Glass Sculpture

November 2020 Monthly Meeting

mcalistermerchant.com

Cast glass sculptor, McAlister Merchant was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. McAlister took his first art classes at the age of 8 at the Art Institute of Chicago. Several schools and careers later in the early 1970s, McAlister moved to Los Angeles to attend the Art Center College of Design, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design.

After Art Center, he won numerous awards for his work with Los Angeles area companies and clients, including Circle Industries, Vivitar, and several industrial design firms.

In the early 1980s, he began working with computers and became a self taught computer programmer and database specialist and wrote

magazine articles about using, customizing, and maintaining computers. In 1993, he joined Microsoft in Redmond, WA as a technical writer. In 2001 he retired and returned to his artistic roots.

McAlister creates sculptures in clay, creates a ceramic mold and, in a kiln, casts glass into the mold to get a range of effects from opaque to translucent glass. He also works in acrylic paint and pastel, teaching himself and learning from his friends.

Sculptors Near Me – How Collaboration makes us all better sculptors

Perhaps the most valuable feature of a group as diverse as ours is that we’re such a diverse group. Every meeting I’ve attended has resulted in some insight, recommendation, introduction, new product idea, new connection that I had not expected from someone I had not known before. Networks like ours are rich with opportunities like that. I would love to see more members attend more meetings to expand the mix of potential intersections even further.

Another benefit of our monthly meetings is seeing the workspaces and processes of our members. I never get bored learning about how other artists think, work and manage life. It’s a juggling act we all experience. Sharing those experiences gives us more options to solve our own challenges with new ideas. There’s always someone within reach who can offer advice, support or perspective.

And that brings me to the next point. Before Isabelle and Paul moved to the Alps, they were our most dedicated volunteers. They did so many things, every month, without fail. We knew when they left it would create a large hole in our organization. And, we knew it would take some time to motivate others to take leadership. It’s starting to happen.

I was extremely pleased this past week with the effort of Alan Newberg, James Finnigan, Michele Collier, Nancy Bocek and Robert E. Gigliotti who put together this month’s epic, 12-page “Calls For Entry” list. What an incredible job these members did! The listings were thoughtfully screened from a larger set of sources than ever before. I think this monthly service is incredibly valuable. I’m glad it’s back on track. Many thanks to our team.

We’re a volunteer organization. As a member, whatever your level of commitment to PNWS, consider taking it up a notch. Maybe you can’t commit to a monthly task, but consider what you can offer. Show up at a meeting. Host a meeting. Write an article. Recruit another sculptor to join the group. Don’t underestimate the value of what you know or what you can share. Being there is, in itself, a benefit.