Saturday Afternoon 1:00 - 5:00

Faux Leather Tooling

Instructor: Troy Tatum

Cost: $50.00

Skill Level: All

Description: Come enjoy an afternoon improving you pyrography skills and learn to create the look of leather tooling on a cannon ball gourd. Students will transfer a furnished leather tool pattern to the gourd, wood-burn the outline, stipple the background and shade the tooled design. This class will focus on creating multiple values of shading with a wood-burner utilizing low heat. A detailed discussion of shading techniques along with an overview of pen tips and their uses will be provided. The gourd will be drilled with a hole to fit a oil lamp kit if desired to be used as such.

Students Must Bring: A variable temperature wood-burner with a skew tip, writing tip, medium ball tip, shading tip (large ball (1/8” to 3mm) or bent shader) and any other tip you have. 

Sculpting Faces on Gourds

Instructor: Cara Bevan

Cost: $75.00

Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Description: Gourds are people too, at least they will be when we sculpt faces on them! In this class we’ll be using randomly chosen, medium sized, ornamental gourds and learn how to sculpt faces on them. It’s not a daunting task when we sculpt them step-by-step, each feature at a time, and go over variations in features that change by age and ethnicity. We'll be using Apoxie Sculpt Super White clay (sets in 1-2 hours) and Quickwood. Once they're sculpted, we’ll paint them and learn how to paint skin tones and what colors to use. You’ll leave with a finished gourd head. Time allowing, we can sculpt hair on them or you can leave them bald to add wigs to later. Be creative!

Students Must Bring: preferred sculpting tools

Tatanka (Bison)

Instructor: Sherry Briscoe

Cost: $40.00

Skill Level: All

Description: In this class students will learn a faux finishing technique to mimic horsehair pottery, They will first base-coat their bowl, then they will transfer the pattern of the tatanka. They will complete the faux finish, paint the bison, cure the paint. and add a sealer. They will leave with a lovely piece of faux horsehair pottery, a pottery technique developed by the Navajo
Indians.
 

Some students may be able to finish this project in 3 hours, but there are always those who work slower and will need 4 hours to complete their bowls.

Students Must Bring: An apron to protect their clothes and a hair drier. 

I developed this class after seeing real horsehair pottery out West. I love developing faux finishes on gourds.

Big Red Flowers

Instructor: Debbie Wilson

Cost: $45.00

Skill Level: All

Description: The inspiration for this carving design came from a British designer from the early 20th century, William Morris and ceramic artist Vickie Grant. Giant flowers will be colored in with heat set inks during and after carving away the negative space. The background will start on a dyed gourd with light brown dye. Circular shapes keep the background from appearing flat and help make the large flowers pop out. All materials are provided except carver, carving bits, apron, heat gun and dust mask. I will have two heat guns, so it would be great if you can bring your own.

Students Must Bring: Rotary carver, if yours requires a stand; please bring. Please do not bring diamond bits, they will not work. Bits required for this project are a small ball bit, medium ball bits and a straight bit, I recommend that you have carbide bits, they are the sharpest. Apron, dust mask also required. I have some extra carvers that may be reserved, if you do not have one.

Poinsettia Pine Needle Ornament

Instructor: Shari Zabroski

Cost: $50.00

Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Description: Students will use waxed linen thread to stitch prepared long leaf pine needles to a painted, sealed and drilled, double sided decorative wood center to create a unique and fun ornament with lampwork and glass seed beads for holiday decorating or gift giving. All supplies will be furnished. Students will receive a complete tutorial following the class to complete their ornament if they're not able to complete it in class. This is not a beginner class; students need to have some previous pine needle coiling experience.
 

Students Must Bring: Sharp scissors and small needle nose pliers

Party Penguins!

Instructor: Christine Pace

Cost: $38.00

Skill Level: All

Description: Make adorable Penguins in all colors & sizes, with a variety of embellishment options, using Quikwood, raw materials (ie: small grapevine wreaths), then paint with acrylics. Quikwood is used for the eyes, beak, arms (wings?) tail and feet; also holly leaves, berries, bows, or other sculpted embellishments!
In this class you will learn placement, sculpting with quick-drying Quikwood (layering if needed), feet & tail placement for added balance, and painting tips. Leave with a fully sculpted & painted Penguin all decked out for whatever celebration you want (Christmas, birthday, retirement, teacher, nurse, etc.). 

Many years ago I met a creative lady, Peggy Ash, at the Ghost Creek Gourd Farm in Laurens, SC who first taught me the various ways to incorporate the two-part epoxy clay Quikwood in my gourd art. She taught a class on making a Santa or an Uncle Sam on a banana gourd, to be used as an ornament or a pin!

Students are expected to bring a smile & enthusiasm!  You may want a cushion to sit on and reading glasses?

Charcoal Owl

Instructor: Beth Westberry

Cost: $50.00

Skill Level: All

Description: Bring a great horned owl to life with a charcoal pencil. Learn how to apply a base coat so the charcoal will adhere to the gourd. Then using various provided tools learn techniques to create a lifelike image. 

Many thanks to Reggie Eakin for teaching me the original base coat technique used with Prismacolor pencils. And thanks to my drawing teacher Kay Davis for inspiring me to try charcoal.

Students Must Bring: Gourd (uncut or a bowl) that will accommodate a 6" circle for the design, wood burner with skew and medium ball tip, apron.

Gourd Wind Chime

Instructor: Anna Fountain

Cost: $50.00

Skill Level: All

Description: You will burn a design and paint it onto the gourd wind chime topper and paddle. You will learn to cut copper pipes and how to find the sweet spot to drill hole to make the pipe ring. Once everything has been painted and you are trained on cutting the copper pipes we will assemble your wind chime.

Students Must Bring: burner with skew tip, a pair of small pliers

Maple leaf gourd

Instructor: Melinda McCall

Cost: $50.00

Skill Level: All

Description: Doing Maple leaf gourd project you will learn many techniques. Such as painting, carving, and staining gourds. I ask that students bring a rotary tool for carving and what tips you may have. I will also have tips along with all the other supplies you will need.
 

I would like to thank Angie Pack for the inspiration to move forward in returning to teaching. 

Students Must Bring: A rotary tool such as a dremal 

Lizzie the Lion With Powertex 3D Flex Clay

Instructor: Susan Crowe

Cost: $35.00

Skill Level: All

Description: O my gosh, this so makes me smile! You're not going to be able to resist this little cutie!
She's all dressed up and ready to go trick or treating with her jack o' lantern candy bucket in hand. We will learn to build our gourd figure using basic materials, acrylic painting techniques and detailed construction. Then we will get an opportunity to mix Powertex 3D Flex clay to create her mane and headdress. No worries class, 3D Flex is a smooth, minimal dust clay that is easy to mix. It has the consistency of silly putty (great stress reliever). 

Students must bring:
A box of disposable gloves.
Medium, and small paint brushes.
A heat gun for drying as needed.
An apron or smock.
Paper and pen for note taking as desired. 

Summer Sunflower

Instructor: Diane Ricker

Cost: $50.00

Skill Level: All

Description: Do you remember the old days of “string art”? Come with your small hammer and using a supplied pattern we will form the sunflower petals with small wire nails. An easy class of stringing crewel threads first horizontally then vertically. Glass beads will complete the center. Due to the size, it’ doubtful student will finish in class, but all supplies will be provided to complete.

Students Must Bring: Student needs to bring a 9-10” diameter canteen gourd, small light weight hammer, power carver or drill that can accommodate a 1/8' drill bit, very small needle nose pliers (jewelry type), small sharp scissors.

 

Fabulous Flying Fish

Instructor: Celia Shaneyfelt

Cost: $50.00

Skill Level: All

Description: Using small ornamental gourds, Quick Wood, and two kinds of paint, we will create three fish with bubbles that can be hung separately or together. Fun and easy. 

Students Must Bring: paint brushes in several sizes and a hair dryer, apron recommended

Nesting Eastern Bluebird

Instructor: Laurie Weiand

Cost: $40.00

Skill Level: All

Description: Welcome to the 3rd in a series of bird classes I have offered. Come learn how to create this Bluebird Beauty! Using a pear gourd, some Quickwood for wings, gourd shard for his tail and the wing molds I created just for this class, you will learn how to use them on the pear gourd. Step by step instructions will be given on how to paint your Bluebird as well.

Extra Bonus- I will teach you how to construct a nest for your bluebird too!
 

Students Must Bring: Apron, rubber gloves.