Sint Lucas Gent - 1Ba Keramiek & Glas

Open day @ Sint Lucas, our studio's tape & the restorer's blue screen

So here's what I've been doing in my year-long absence of this blog (and pretty much all of social media). As you may have noticed before, I have a thing for glass. And since 2010 I went back to college to pursue a degree in Art studies. Meanwhile I kept working in the studio whenever I could, which meant almost only in the holidays or the summer recess. My intention to get a college degree is to be able to find (part-time) work that I could combine with a studio practice, and I'm happy to say that I almost have that degree (a Ba to start with).

Of course college is hard work on its own, and I went a bit nuts from time to time because I couldn't work in the studio. I wondered why I hadn't chosen art college instead! So in my 2nd year in college I was able to finish the majority of my Ba courses, and in a wild but equally lucid moment I set out to the Open Day of St Lucas here in Ghent, the only college in Belgium (as far as I know) that offers a glass and ceramics degree. I'm seriously crazy about glass and I live in this city, so why not check it out?

I wandered in just to get some information, maybe talk to the teachers, and check out the studios. I wandered out again with the assignment for the entrance examination and lifted spirits after a wonderful talk with the ceramics teacher, Anne Ausloos. A couple of days later I realized I was actually going to do the entrance examination, and panic set in. (I always panic. I find it reassuring... ;-) ) But the examination was almost 2 weeks after my college exams, so nothing would come in the way of my college work. So I thought, why not? If I don't do this, I will regret it and always wonder what if...

So I did it. Then I got accepted. And I panicked again! :-D

That was last summer. So this past school year I've been combining both colleges and live to tell the tale... It was crazy as I had foreseen, and I pushed myself a bit too far in the effort but I'm also a bit proud that it worked. At least I think I'd be -I'm still stunned I survived it... I certainly reached my limits in what I can do, so I look forward to trying to simplify my life again. Now I'm working on the last bits of my Ba, and then I'll evaluate and see how I'm going to plan next (school)year.

So now you know why I dropped off the earth for a bit... Next time I'll show you some of the glass and ceramics adventures I've had, and maybe tell you about this Art Nouveau glass artist I'm researching, Georges Despret. I can't promise to get into a blogging routine just yet, but I'll make an effort to post again this month!