Saying goodbye, but not really saying goodbye to Michele

  

   I have to say that I was hoping that I would be able to have this great opportunity to do the Fellowship program here at Uarts. Self-growth is a theme I love dearly and try to explore in my own work so I seek out and love opportunities where I can experience some self-growth. And when I found out that I had indeed been granted that opportunity I was extremely excited. It sounded like a great opportunity to see a real working artist in their field and how they create work, promote it and sell it. To really get to have a little taste of what it might be like once we are set free into our own field, I think is an amazing opportunity. And all my excited expectations were truly met.

     I have to say when I first met Michele I was very excited and also a little nervous and intimidated. I could tell right away that Michele was a very determined and particular person. I was determined to live up to Michele standards and I am very please to say that I think I have done just that. I feel like I really have learned a lot from Michele. Through her I’ve gotten a little taste of what its like to work with galleries, design firms, and just people who are interested in her work and want to purchase it. She has taught me her way of pricing work. She has taught me the importance of being polite and timely in responding when working with clients. She taught me the importance of protecting and packaging work correctly and safely so it does not get damaged.

    She has taught me how to prep wood surfaces to work on them. She taught me how to seal the wood grain by Gaccing wood and then sanding it and then repeating this process a few more times to get the desired surface. She also taught me how to stain wood well, which is a skill I have been wanting to learn for a long time. And a skill that I think I will be using in the very near future. So I am very grateful for her teaching me that. As a printmaker, I would really like to thoroughly explore what it’s like to print on different types of wood with different finishes. She also taught me how to adhere delicate and beautiful papers correctly to surfaces. Michele taught me how to make my own website which was a skill I desperately needed and am also very grateful for learning. She also showed me multiple websites that I could find opportunities such as shows I can enter my work into and internships. I did end up entering one competition that I found on one of the websites and I made it onto the galleries website showcase! Which I am still excited about.

   The list goes on and on of all the little and big things that Michele Kashita has taught me, but I think I’ve mentioned enough to give a sense that I have truly learned a lot with this experience. I look forward to applying a lot of the skills that I have learned this summer to my own personal work and practice!