It’s Saturday morning, you awake to the birds singing, the sun shining in your window and even notice a fawn playing by his mother at the corner of your yard. This is a great prelude to what you will do today because your day will be spent painting the landscape with artist John Preston. Maybe you take time to paint once or twice a week or perhaps this is the first time you’ve held a brush to the canvas since school days. Whatever your background is, you are about to experience something that will inspire you and give you the confidence to paint. My wife hadn’t painted since high school and with the help and encouragement she received from John Preston in her first “Painting the Landscape” class she was able to complete what I thought was a very nice painting. John, with his soft spoken reassuring style, gave her the incentive to paint and the skills he subtly imparts to his students provided the knowledge to successfully complete the painting.
Bill Printy and Mark Heisdorffer awoke to the same sunshine and the still, peaceful quiet of a Saturday morning in Bentonsport, Iowa. Their day began with preparation for the Blacksmithing, Forge Welding class. Students will arrive by 9:00 a.m. so the forges must be fired up and ready for work. Bill and Mark greet their students with a fresh cup of coffee and usually something great to eat, like maybe some of Betty’s homemade bread. The class begins with Bill giving some classroom instruction on the process that will be learned at the forge. Usually some history of Blacksmithing and, if you are fortunate, he may share some of his background with the art. Mark Heisdorffer has worked as an apprentice to Bill and, like Bill, has learned the trade and the skills to be productive. The class will spend all of Saturday working the forge and the anvil with Bill and Mark alongside helping with constructive comments. Sunday the forges are hot and any students who desire may spend the day perfecting what they learned on Saturday.
A short trip north to the villages of Stockport and Carolyn Edwards is busy teaching her students to paint a barn quilt. Carolyn teaches the process of selecting a pattern, laying it out, sketching the detail lines and finally deciding on the color scheme and painting the barn quilt. Carolyn’s love of barn quilts is evident in her work and the variety of patterns she produces. Her students come away with a finished barn quilt of their own and the skills to design and produce more quilts as gifts or for their own enjoyment.
This weekend surely has something to offer for everyone as we find Verne Ramsey teaching 7-Step chair caning. Each of the students have refinished their heirloom chair, want to replace the broken cane seat and have found the Villages Folk School class that will provide them with the skills to make it just like the original. Verne teaches each of the chair caning processes and some of our students from out of state told us we are the only school offering classes on some of these techniques. Verne will take you systematically through the step by step process of chair caning and help you to achieve success with your chair project.
This is only one such weekend at the Villages Folk School and, as you can see, there is something for everyone. Whether you “Paint the Landscape” with John Preston, “Forge Weld” with Bill Printy and Mark Heisdorffer, “Paint a Barn Quilt” with Carolyn Edwards, or join Verne Ramsey for “7-Step Chair Caning”, we know you will have an experience that will last a lifetime.
All of these classes are available to you through the Villages Folk School here in the Villages of Van Buren County Iowa. Go to our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com and register for the class of your choice. We look forward to answering any questions you might have so give us a call at 319-592-3700 and allow us to help you with your registration.
Classes coming up are as follows:
7 Step Chair Caning
13-Aug-2011 -
Barn Quilt Painting
13-Aug-2011 -
Blacksmithing: Forge Welding
13-Aug-2011 -
Painting the Landscape
13-Aug-2011 -
Bonaparte Pottery Experience
20-Aug-2011 21-Aug-2011
Raku Pottery
3-Sep-2011
Bonaparte Pottery Experience
3-Sep-2011 4-Sep-2011
Still Life Workshop in Pastel & Oil
10-Sep-2011 11-Sep-2011
Call us today and “live the arts” at the Villages Folk School.
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