“Arts in the Villages of Van Buren County”

     The splendor of the scenic river valley and rolling hills of Van Buren County has become the home for many artists and offers the incentive for them to live the arts with passion. It is this motivation that burns in the hearts of the artist instructors at the Villages Folk School and it is our desire as a school to offer that experience to each of you through our classes. The opportunity to spend a day with one of our gifted artists is available to you on a schedule that will allow you to choose the day best for you. Our class sizes are held to a minimum so that your experience will be more of a one-on-one with the instructor. We believe this is important for your total experience and the overall outcome of your instruction and finished project. Our artist instructors provide classes for beginners to intermediate and advanced levels.

     What are you waiting for? Go to our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com or call our office at 319-592-3700 and find the class that offers what you are looking for. Our website includes class descriptions and a short bio of the artist instructor.

     The calendar is provided on our website and for those without internet access the following is a list of our July class schedule.



Barn Quilt Painting

2-Jul-2011 -

Raku Pottery

2-Jul-2011 -

Blacksmithing: Tool Making

9-Jul-2011 -

Landscape Workshop in Pastel & Oil

16-Jul-2011 17-Jul-2011

Carving With David

16-Jul-2011 17-Jul-2011

Portrait Workshop in Pastel & Oil

23-Jul-2011 24-Jul-2011

     Register today for one of our classes and see what everyone is excited about. The chance to spend the day with one of our artist instructors here in beautiful Van Buren County awaits you at the Villages Folk School. Call us at 319-592-3700 and look forward to a great weekend!

“Carving out a new face at the Villages Folk School”

      With the threat of rain and wind last Saturday I began my morning with a drive across Van Buren County. I am always amazed with the ever-changing landscape of this scenic river valley. The overcast skies and fog banks offered a contrasting spectrum of color as I drove peacefully from Bonaparte west on J-40 to Keosauqua where David Ostrem of Green Lake, Wisconsin was teaching a folk school class on caricature carving. Upon arrival at the class I went to work snapping photos. The knives were razor sharp and I noticed the protective gloves and the finger wraps. David said he has learned over his 25 years of teaching this art that the need to protect the hands is critical because of the sharpness of the tools you are using. The table and floor were covered with wood chips (and no fingers!) which I took as a sign of a very enthusiastic and productive class. His students were working intently on their projects which were being carved from bass wood that had been previously band sawed to remove some of the larger areas thus facilitating carving the final details of their character. David had placed examples on the table that could be used for an outline for the finished piece. The students were learning the use of the proper knives and David carefully instructed them on how to hold the tool for the exacting cut that was required. This is something I have wanted to pursue for years and hope to excuse myself from behind the camera and take part as a student in one of his upcoming classes. If you want to learn the techniques of proper woodcarving then this is the class for you. David has taught at The Clearing and shared his talent with Boy Scouts and other groups in Wisconsin.

     I bid goodbye to David and his class and headed for Ely’s Ford in Lacey Keosauqua State Park where John Preston was teaching a class on Painting the Landscape. Today the landscape was a bit difficult to paint because of the amount of rainfall from the sky. John’s talent certainly would allow him to paint the falling rain but it might be difficult holding it on a soaking wet canvas. By the time I arrived, the class had packed their easels and set off for the shelter in Bentonsport so I followed them across the rolling hills of J-40 and to the shelter near the old covered bridge. Here they would be able to work under the cover of the shelter as they viewed the landscape of the bridge across the Des Moines River. John’s careful placement of light and shadow on the canvas never ceases to amaze me as he can capture so much detail with so few brush strokes. He is truly gifted and his ability to share this with others makes for a great experience in his class on painting the landscape.

     John Preston, David Ostrem and many more artists are available to you at the Villages Folk School by going to our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com and registering for one of their classes. The opportunities that exist at the Villages Folk School are for your enjoyment and we hope to see you soon at one of our classes. The class schedule is provided for you online but following is some of our upcoming classes:

Villages Folk School class schedule for remainder of June and July:

Clothing First Aide-Mending Patching

25-Jun-2011 -

Sculpture Portrait in Three Dimension

25-Jun-2011 26-Jun-2011

Barn Quilt Painting

2-Jul-2011 -

Raku Pottery

2-Jul-2011 -

Blacksmithing: Tool Making

9-Jul-2011 -

Landscape Workshop in Pastel & Oil

16-Jul-2011 17-Jul-2011

Carving With David

16-Jul-2011 17-Jul-2011

Portrait Workshop in Pastel & Oil

23-Jul-2011 24-Jul-2011



     We invite you to call us at 319-592-3700 and register for the class of your choice. Our classes are geared for your hands-on experience with the artist; making the class one that will allow you to complete a quality work while learning the process in detail. The chance to live the arts here in Van Buren County is available to you here at the Villages Folk School.

Join us soon!

“Training loomed at the Villages Folk School”

     Students from Iowa and Nebraska enjoyed the art of weaving on the loom at Betty Printy’s weaving class. Betty and her daughter, April Ziegler, were busy with students stringing the looms when I arrived on Saturday. The process takes nearly a full day and on Sunday they start weaving the rugs. For the thrill of weaving your own rug just contact the Villages Folk School office at 319-592-3700 and sign up for the next class.

     Carolyn Edwards of Stockport was teaching students how to create their own barn quilts. The color choices, like those of the rug weaving, are endless. Each student gets to choose their own color scheme and design pattern. Carolyn carefully instructs them in the geometric layout and how to achieve the perfect results for their barn quilts. I love driving through the country side and seeing the many quilt patterns displayed with pride on the barns. These classes are both available to you at the Villages Folk School.

     The opportunities to learn are endless at the folk school. Go to our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com and see for yourself. The descriptions provided will help you understand the class formats and bio’s of the artists are also provided.

Villages Folk School class schedule for June:

Carving With David, 18-19 June; Chair Caning with Flat Reed Splits, 18 June; Clothing First Aide-Mending, Patching, 25 June; Sculpture Portrait in Three Dimension, 25-26 June.

     Plan a weekend of fun at the Villages Folk School. Go to our web site at www.villagesfolkschool.com, or call us, 319-592-3700, to register and get ready for the time of your life as you ‘live the arts’ with the instructors at the Villages Folk School in scenic Van Buren County Iowa!

“200 Students from Missouri visit the Villages Folk School”

                                                                                                                                                                        

Buses filled with 200 students from Clark County Missouri rolled into Bentonsport last Friday to enjoy an educational day at the Villages Folk School event which included Blacksmithing, Pottery, Bee Keeping, the Mason House, Contra Dancing and Tony’s Indian artifact museum. Teachers and students alike were intently listening and learning as they moved from presentation to presentation. The opportunity for students to learn from our many artist instructors has brought many student groups to the Van Buren County this year. The artists enjoy sharing their passion for the arts with students and each of them remember how they first learned the art form and over the years developed it into a lifestyle that allowed them to live their dream through the arts. Hearing them share this with students is always a pleasure as I witness that joy that takes them back to the first time they experienced the art.

You too can experience this same joy by joining us at the Villages Folk School for a class in the art form of your choice. Don’t hesitate to call us at 319-592-3700 and find out more about registration for our classes. You will find our class schedules and instructor information online at www.villagesfolkschool.com .

Villages Folk School class schedule for June:

Barn Quilt Painting, 11 June; Rug Weaving Workshop, 11-12 June; Carving With David, 18-19 June; Chair Caning with Flat Reed Splits, 18 June; Clothing First Aide-Mending, Patching, 25 June; Sculpture Portrait in Three Dimension, 25-26 June.

Pick your class! Go online, www.villagesfolkschool.com, or call us, 319-592-3700, to register and get ready to have a great time at the Villages Folk School in scenic Van Buren County Iowa!

“Van Buren County ‘Landscape’ on canvas”

                    

     Every day we drive through the beautiful countryside of Van Buren County we are surrounded by an ever-changing landscape. John Preston can teach you how to save that snapshot in your mind by placing it on canvas and framing it for all time. His ability to capture the landscape on canvas has resulted in commissioned works that are on display in the Federal Reserve building in Chicago and many other such accolades. John’s folk school class, “Painting the Landscape”, will give you the opportunity to learn from one of the best landscape artists in our country. Join us at the Villages Folk School and enjoy a day painting the landscape with John Preston. Call our office at 319-592-3700 and register for John’s next class.

     Painting, Pottery, Blacksmithing, Knitting, Weaving, Carving, Bird Watching, Spinning are only a few of the classes available to you at the folk school. We invite you to join in the fun and come experience for yourself the joy of “living the arts” at the Villages Folk School.

     Our class schedule is available for you online at www.villagesfolkschool.com or you may call our office at 319-592-3700 to register. If you do not have access to the internet the following is a list of our upcoming classes.

Villages Folk School class schedule for June:

     Bonaparte Pottery Experience, 4-5 June; Story Telling for All Occasions, 4 June; Blacksmithing: Tool Making, 4 June; Barn Quilt Painting, 11 June; Rug Weaving Workshop, 11-12 June; Painting the Landscape, 18 June; Carving With David, 18-19 June; Chair Caning with Flat Reed Splits, 18 June; Clothing First Aide-Mending, Patching, 25 June; Sculpture Portrait in Three Dimension, 25-26 June.

     Pick your class! Go online, www.villagesfolkschool.com, or call us, 319-592-3700, to register and get ready to have a great time at the Villages Folk School in scenic Van Buren County Iowa!