“Villages Folk School enriches life in Van Buren County”

     Art and the process of “being creative” is only the beginning of what the folk school offers to its students. While people from outside our county and state find the beauty of our region appealing and the classes at the folk school inspiring, our main purpose is to provide a better quality of life for those who live in Van Buren County. We offer our classes as a place for you to “plug-in” and learn to be both creative and productive at the same time.
    
     We encourage each of our Van Buren County residents to come experience the Villages Folk School and our artist instructors. It is a chance for you to ‘live the arts’ with those who make their living as a professional artist. It may sound like something you could never do, but the surprise that awaits you is the fact that each of us has the ability to be creative and the Villages Folk School will provide the catalyst for that to become a reality in your life.

     Go to our website, www.villagesfolkschool.com, and see for yourself the many classes that are available to you. Call our office at 319-592-3700 and Gloria will help you with any questions you might have regarding classes and registration. The time is now so don’t hesitate. Classes are coming up in August and offer many options for your enjoyment.

The August schedule is:

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

     We hope to see you soon at the Villages Folk School where there is something for everyone. Make it a family experience and enjoy the arts together.

“Villages Folk School instructors at the J40 Farm Crawl”

    

     Last weekend J40 was filled with traffic from Pittsburg to Lebanon and beyond as visitors traveled to each destination on Kim Blair’s J40 Farm Crawl. Folk school instructors were demonstrating their crafts at “Bloom and Bark” owned and operated by Tim and Kim Blair. This annual event gives visitors an opportunity to not only sample and purchase some of the products but to learn more about the history and process involved in producing them.

     Pat and George Crawford demonstrated the art of making brooms and grinding corn meal. Her corn meal cookies dating back to our early settlers were delicious. George cut and tied brooms and was always willing to share the history of his process with every interested visitor.

     Verne Ramsey sold honey straight from his working hives and shared with visitors his love for beekeeping. Vern and his wife Doris have worked the bee hives for 30 years and marked their honey in southeastern Iowa. Verne also teaches the art of chair caning for the Villages Folk School.

     Our folk school offers a wide variety of classes which will give you the opportunity to choose something suited to your desires. The artist instructors who teach the classes will take you through the basics and on to intermediate and advanced study. Go to our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com and learn more about our classes and instructors. A day at the Villages Folk School awaits you and we look forward to your visit. Find the class that interests you and register for the time of your life. For more information or for help with your registration process give us a call at 319-592-3700.

Classes for the next month 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



See you soon at the Villages Folk School!

“A weekend with Gin Lammert at the Villages Folk School”

   

     Take any weekend; set aside some time for yourself; register for a folk school class in the fine arts; experience the passionate, creativity of Gin Lammert. Learning to paint is not only a step by step process through time honored skill sets but with Gin Lammert you look through the basics of art and experience the ability to release yourself onto the canvas. It is a gift that Gin will share with you here at the Villages Folk School.

     Gin Lammert is best known for her years of creating custom portrait work for clients that live across the United States. Her landscape and still life paintings are included in both private and corporate art collections in the U.S., Europe and Japan. Since the beginning of her art career, Gin has taught basic drawing techniques to students in private lessons and group workshops that have been held across the state of Iowa. She recently has expanded to include her accumulated knowledge of soft pastels and oils for those interested in her method of painting. “Creating beautiful, joyous works of art that reflect my surroundings, dreams, and that invoke fond memories has become my passion and why I paint. It’s my way of providing food for the Soul.” ~Gin Lammert

     We at the Villages Folk School are proud to have Gin Lammert as one of our artist instructors and look forward to your attendance and one of our many classes.

     Go to our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com to find out more about our classes and our artists. Our July and August schedule is filling up quickly so get your registrations in soon. Coming up at the Villages Folk school:

Portrait Workshop in Pastel & Oil

23-Jul-2011 24-Jul-2011

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



     Call us today at 319-592-3700 and discover for yourself the thrill of ‘living the arts’ at the Villages Folk School.

“What’s shakin’ at the Villages Folk School?”

    




     Last weekend students learned the art of making Shaker boxes. The Shakers, a religious group which flourished until after the Civil War, began making oval boxes in 1798 and continued until the mid twentieth century. They were available in a wide variety of sizes and were used to store herbs, buttons, nails, medicines – anything but liquids! Their elliptical shape is pleasing to the eye, fits well in the hand and allows easy removal of the lid.

     The instructor, Bob Ristow, has taught in Montana, Iowa and Minnesota and he and his wife, Bernice, reside in Hopkinton, Iowa. Students learned how to form the fingers, cut the bottom piece from laminated birch plywood, and after soaking the wood in water, wrapped it around the form and secured it with square pegs. The process includes the use of scroll saws, sanders and anvils for pinning the boxes. I guess the best sign of success in this class is that each student comes away with five different sizes of oval Shaker boxes and all of their fingers!

     Classes at the folk school offer you a chance to experience many of the traditional arts as well as fine arts. The instructors at the Villages Folk School are working artists who have perfected their trade and enjoying sharing it with others. You will find our classes to be a relaxing yet challenging experience that will give you the tools and the knowledge to continue developing your personal skill level.

     Go to our web site at www.villagesfolkschool.com and see for yourself the many art forms that are offered. Choose one that you have always wanted to learn, register for the class, and get ready for a fun and exciting weekend at the Villages Folk School. If you have questions just call our office at 319-592-3700 and we will be happy to assist you in your registration process.

     Our July and August schedule is filling up quickly so get your registrations in soon. The following is our schedule for the next two months:

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

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



Join us soon for a class in ‘living the arts’ at the Villages Folk School.

“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!