Vulcan’s Forge General Meeting Minutes January 10th 2002 PRESENT: Patricia Reynolds, Cecelia Shooner, Melissa Preston, Nancy Spraul, Margaret A. Mefford, Dennis Sweeney, Patty Lawson, Ron Davis Patricia is expanding her candle making by making plaster candle stands that will match by putting stencil design on both.  Dennis asked about the molds and types of wax.  Patricia likes to recycle both mold materials and wax. Friends bring her left over wax from their candles and she uses various cardboard moulds in addition to standard metal moulds.  Cecelia commented on the room-filling scent of Patricia’s candles.  She responded with a smile, “I use too much [scent]!”  Keep up the good work, Patricia!  It’s encouraging for all of us when a member expands in creativity! Melissa brought the five paintings she did for the Mitchell Center as a result of her grant proposal for Aid to Individual Artists from VF.  The oil on canvas images are rich in color and design, of plants and cats, and in one a plant grows out of a snail shell.  Titles include “Fragile Encounter,” “Growing,” and “My Heart Has Flowers.” Congratulations Melissa!  Certainly the folks at the Mitchell Center will be overjoyed! Melissa also shared Julia Cameron’s book, The Vein of Gold and another, The Discovery of the Art of Being Insane.  She showed the group a necklace she bought from Ron Davis.  “I’m going to wear it and look beautiful!” she said. Nancy Spraul showed her cross stitched baby quilt featuring a teddy bear in a boat, a worm on a hook, a crow at the “crow’s nest,” a butterfly, turtle, and octopus. She has been working on the quilt over the past several months and intends to give it to her nephew, Danny.  Nancy also recited a poem from 1975 entitled “Gee, its Hard “ and sang “The Mental Health Levy,” a song she wrote for the levy campaign. Margaret writes poetry and has a collection of five drawings with poems that go with them. She read a very touching poem written for her by her adopted daughter.  She would like to spend more time writing about what she has been through and how she’s getting back to her true self.  Great idea, Margaret!  We would enjoy seeing the five drawing/poem sets at the next General Meeting! Patty is building a computer at home. All she needs now is a monitor and a printer.  She is continuing work on the Ballerina for her daughter who still doesn’t know that hers will be the face in the painting.  She was interested to know that some of her work is posted on our Web Page in Progress.  Other members’ work is there too.  Go to www.oocities.org/vulcansforgeart/ Another site to watch over the next few months is www.alteredstatesofthearts.org and Sarah’s site, rich in art, poetry, and the metaphysical, www.oocities.org/vestaflame22/ Welcome Dennis Sweeney!!!   Dennis didn’t bring any of his work this time.  He is a painter who hopes to get back to his oils on canvases to have something to bring next meeting.  He also participates in a life drawing group where he uses charcoal, and sometimes works in watercolor.  We’re glad to have you Dennis!  Remember that you can bring work from the past… it’s all interesting to us! Cecelia showed both drawings and photographs.  The drawings were mostly from the early 1990’s and many of them had to do with issues of medication side effects and being “in the system.”  On the morning of the meeting she made a drawing called “Sunset on the Age of Pisces: No Sharks!”  She was delighted that Ron Davis was willing to trade some jewelry for one of her photographs.  Thanks Ron!  “I’m going to wear them and look beautiful!” Ron Davis brought lots of lovely jewelry.  Everyone in the group o-h-h-h-h-ed and aw-w-w-w-ed over his work.  He has moved and has been busy consulting a real estate agency and rebuilding his studio.  Quite a job!  He has also been doing some home décor for a craft shop.  We’ve missed you, Ron, and hope you can make time for VF meetings! THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING WILL BE ON FEBRUARY 14TH, 2002.  THOSE INTERESTED CAN BRING SMALL BOXES AND BEADS TISSUE PAPER, GLITTER, ETC. TO DECOUPAGE DURING THE MEETING. respectfully submitted, Patricia Reynolds Back *