Another Theme Project - Tribute to Napa Valley

I'm happy to report that 2 more of my students have successfully passed their certification to become DECO Clay Craft Academy instructors! Congratulations Magdalena and Candy. My other student Judeanna finished her tall vase arrangement and I submitted her paperwork and final project to the head office so hopefully in a month she too will be a certified DECO instructor.I wanted to share this fabulous theme project that another one of my students finished. All I can say is OH MY GAWD! Irene came to class about a month and a half ago and brought a wicker basket with what I thought were plastic grapes. She showed it to me and I asked her, why she brought it to class. She said, "Diane, they are made out of clay!" I couldn't believe it. We talked about her theme project and at first she said, she would probably add some silk leaves and then add some flowers and call it done. Her basis for her theme project was Napa Valley and wine tasting. She asked me for my advice. I asked her to dig deeper and be a little more creative, like what about a wine bottle, crackers and cheese and a bouquet of wildflowers. So the next time I held class she showed me what she had worked on. She was having trouble with a few things so we worked on those. She came to class yesterday and her theme project was done. She made various cheeses and a loaf of french bread. Irene has a hidden talent, she loves to paint. So she used her painting techniques to create this masterpiece. It's the most innovative theme project I have seen to date. That's not to say that my students to date haven't created some TRULY AWESOME theme projects, but this one totally takes the cake. I was so impressed with what Irene created and I'm so happy that she went the extra mile to come up with her final piece. The bread, cheese, grapes, grape leaves, flowers and the cork are all out of clay!!!Irene says she probably won't teach, but you never know. Even though in her mind she may not teach and she could have taken the easy way out and just been okay with mediocre, she went above and beyond and she really took the purpose of the theme project to heart and I'm very proud of her.

Each time I see my students come in with their projects, I'm always amazed at how much they have grown in a little over a year. The ladies who come on Thursdays are a close group just because they all come on the same day and we all have a lot of laughs and just enjoy each other's company and they truly enjoy learning.

I hope to have one more instructor certified by next week. That will make 5 with 1 more in process and 3 more close to finishing. Who would have ever thought that I would have 9 instructors certified under my tutelage! I'm truly honored to be their teacher and enjoy watching them grow and challenge themselves with the clay and the art of DECO Clay Craft Academy!

Congratulations to all my instructors who finished and those who are on their way to finishing. You should all be proud of what you have accomplished. :)