Happy New Year to all of you. 2024 has just ended, and for me, it was an excellent year.
In January, I was accepted to the Yucca Art Gallery in Old Town Albuquerque. Yucca Art Gallery is a co-op gallery with about 40 local artisans, and it just celebrated its 60th anniversary. It has given me great international exposure, with visitors from all over the world coming in. Being a member, my sales reached new levels.
I taught many classes both at Dovetail Community Workshop and personally throughout the year. It is always fun for me to teach — and to share the experience with my students as they discover the fun of woodworking.
I participated in two Holiday Markets this year: the Placitas Holiday Market the weekend before Thanksgiving, and the New Mexico Artisan Market the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Enough about the past — on to 2025.
I was voted in as the Director of Yucca Art Gallery for 2025. I'm looking forward to working with all of the artisans in the co-op to expand and elevate their work and their sales.
I am launching a part of Veterans Woodworking Workshop as a non-profit to help with outreach to fellow veterans in my part to eliminate veteran suicide. I believe we all have an artistic expression. Your job is to find yours and express it. Connecting with veterans through Veterans Day in the Shop each month may help some discover woodworking as an artistic outlet. If not, I have connections with glass blowers, painters, clay sculptors, musicians, and more.
Once I get in my studio and start creating, I am connected to my sense of purpose. That changes my life all the time, creating something new. I have many new ideas for turnings that I'll share in videos on my YouTube channel.
Thank you to all who have purchased from me or taken a class, and to all those who subscribe to my email. I wish you all a happy and wonderful 2025. Please go out and find your artistic expression and share it with the world. I would love to see what you create.
Don