On our way home from Tennessee this past weekend, my husband and I stopped by Tamarack, in West Virginia. An Arts Center established to display, sell and encourage the best of the arts in the state of West Virginia. What a refreshing excursion! We experienced top notch crafts in a contemporary setting, had a lovely meal from their food court, and if our timing had been right we could've listened to music by West Virginia musicians! It was a truly inspiring afternoon. And it got me thinking. . . .

In someways The Artists Hand Gallery is the Tamarack for Indiana County. We strive to provide the residents of the county with the best art and crafts work in the county displayed in a beautiful contemporary setting. We might not serve you lunch, but we do serve a fine cup of espresso, coffee or tea, that can be partnered with artisan baked goods from Six Hand Bakery. Like Tamarack we are a celebration of the arts for Indiana County. Not to mention that on Friday nights from 6 to 8 you can hear life music performed by local musicians, for Free! And all of this got me thinking about the creative process and the need to make something good.

After our visit, my husband and I listened to a couple of podcasts on creativity and the arts & crafts. It was a good way to continue the journey in an artsy frame of mind. One of the topics presented was the current "Maker's Movement". That is the activities being taken up by people to fulfill an need to make something of their own, with their own hands, be it a knitted object, a jar of jam, or a bottle of wine.  More and more people are putting their hands to the creative task. How cool!  We need more Tamaracks and more Artists Hands to show off and share the gift of making and to provide folks with the opportunity to make things themselves.

To that end I would like to invite you to think about the kinds of things you want to make. Maybe at the Artists Hand we can help be a part of that. Let's make it fun and rewarding. Let's encourage each other as creators.

The following is something I wrote after our visit and podcast immersion. For our friends and fans;

ART
CRAFT
CREATVITY
MATERIAL
             CRAFT
             PROCESS
             MATERIAL
             COMMITMENT
                                 PROCESS
                                 CREATIVITY
                                 COMMITMENT
                                 CRAFT



"Good Craftsmanship makes the message stronger" Joyce J. Scott