Over the past week Adam and I were part of Frogwood Collaboration in Colton, Oregon with 36 artists. There were furniture builders, wood turners, jewelers, blacksmiths, metalsmiths, weavers, and painters. We spent a week creating art that was then auctioned off in Portland for one night.

The setting was beautiful. Large ferns, and moss covered rocks lined the footpaths. Doug firs, and cedars loomed over us and surrounded the landscape. We were thankful for the shade. The air was fresh and humid, the place was welcoming with a mystic beauty. Two creeks ran through the property creating calm and ease. An intermission from a busy, somewhat crowded atmosphere back in Bend.

One of the things that amazed me about the event was that we all paid to participate, took a week off of work to be there, and we worked our butts off 12 + hour days and we all had smiles on our faces and a feeling of renewal and accomplishment. There aren’t many people in this world that would do that.

What I loved was that we all had a specialty and a focus within our field. We could try other media if we chose, but the main thing was to work out ideas with a fellow artist to create a piece that would be difficult for any of us to accomplish on our own.

The beauty of these collaborations to me is that they keep the arts and culture in our community alive. Art is so important to all of us. It exists within our everyday experiences. I find it comforting that 36 artists will get together and work on pieces with such passion, focus and drive, and know that we are there for a common mission to make our world more beautiful.

We love what we do with every cell in our body, and we have to create even if it means we are up until 1 in the morning with an aching back and a smile; all for something we won’t see a profit on. What could be a better image of love of craft.