At the foundation pouring for the first floor studio, I found a small film canister to place some of mom's ashes into. When the cement was just right I pushed it down until it was level with the cement, in an area which will be the front left corner of dad's main studio work area floor. On top of this canister of Emelyn's ashes, I placed a small talavera tile brought back from our trip last February to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. San Miguel is an artist town full of creative people, many of them Americans who winter in it's mountain plateau weather - warm during the day and cool every night. I had heard of San Miguel for years and always had wanted to go. After Doug and I spent 2 weeks there, visiting American artist friends who now have homes there and choose to live there either full time or for the winter, we learned that mom also had a desire to travel and take classes in San Miguel. While reading through mom's sketchbooks last summer, I found lots of information about traveling to San Miguel and thought it fitting to honor her desire to be connected to such a place with a ceramic tile to mark her now forever presence in the new studio building. I had the opportunity to spend this past Christmas again in San Miguel de Allende, and traveled with more of her ashes, placing some around the city, at both art schools and out in Pozos, a wonderful abandoned 1500's mining town about an hours drive from SMA.
Emelyn, I thank you for your wisdom, energy, strength, and precious time devoted to preserving family resources. Your concerned diligence made this building possible for dad to move under our care and continue to work within the creative realm. I miss you mom.
