What Type of Artist Should I Be? By Mary Akers How do you know what medium of art is right for you? This question is impossible to answer without trying different types of art mediums to discover where your talents lie. Here are some examples of how some artists, myself included, have discovered their preferred medium. Fred Ellis was a retired highway patrolman who was looking for something to do. His wife enrolled him in a pottery class thinking (hoping?) she might have to take the class in his place. Fred ended up taking the class, and he excitedly came home with all the equipment he needed to start turning pots. He has been making pottery ever since. Fred is now the owner of Something Southern Pottery and the president of the Georgia Clay Council. You may view a sample of Freds art at the Cherokee Arts Center in October. The Cherokee Arts Center often offers pottery classes. If you are interested in seeing clay works or taking clay classes in the north Fulton area, check out the Roswell Clay Collective at RoswellClayCollective.com.Larry McClish was an engineer who needed a hobby. After exploring several other options, he finally decided to take a woodturning class. After a few tries at the lathe, he fell in love with woodturning. He explained that the wood tells him what it wants to become, and thats how he arrives at his finished piece. Larry was so excited about his new-found craft that he wanted to share it with others, so he became one of the founders of the Etowah River Woodturners. The Etowah River Woodturners work can be seen at the Cherokee Arts Center this month. Another local woodturner, Bill Tyndale, will have his work on display at this months Roswell Arts Festival. Allen Quandee is another engineer who bought a lathe to turn spindles for the deck he was building, and before he knew it, he became fascinated with the art he could make out of wood. Allen is in many art shows around the area. He is also the vice president of the Etowah River Woodturners. If youre interested in learning more about woodturning, the Etowah River Woodturners meet monthly at the Cherokee Arts Center. If you live in the north Fulton area, you can try out many types of woodworking classes at Woodcraft of Atlanta in Alpharetta.Jane Wimmer needed an art class in high school, and oddly enough, she decided to take a class using a floor loom twice her size. When she discovered all the wonderful things she could weave, she began her long career in weaving textiles. Her dream was to one day run a weaving studio. Today, Jane runs a weaving studio at the Cherokee Arts Center.As for myself, I was a performing arts major in college, and I decided to try my hand at set design. My visual arts career was born with painting, drawing, and teaching the love of art and its possibilities. If you are looking to discover the artist in you, feel free to check out the following locations and the many classes and workshops they offer: The Cherokee Arts Center 94 North Street, Canton770-704-6244CherokeeArts.orgElm Street Cultural Arts Village8534 Main Street, Woodstock678-494-4251ElmStreetArts.org
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