In this class students will create a beautiful copper bowl from a 12" x 12" sheet of 16 gauge copper. Students will pound and hand tool the sheet into an 8" diameter, approx. 2" deep bowl. Students will also make a decorative vine with leaves from copper that will be attached to the rim of the bowl. Some soldering will be involved in this class.
Would you like to try blacksmithing, and get a taste of the craft? Join instructor Steve Gurzler for 3 weekday evenings to learn how to operate a coal forge to bring metal to incandescent heat and shape it with hammer in hand. This class will use the Artist Blacksmiths Association of North America (ABANA) curriculum to teach the basics of blacksmithing. Students can expect to create 2 or more projects during the 3 evenings. Class size is limited to ensure all can advance at their own pace.
Learn the discipline of Metal Working known as Embossing. Students will transfer an image of their choosing from a paper template to a sheet of copper by using various sizes of stylus and other hand tools to create a textured picture. Students will find that copper is a very workable material. Your finished piece will fit in with any Adirondack decor or even in a rustic birch frame! This piece is 6" x 6".
No weaving experience is necessary! The looms are dressed and ready to go, all you need to do is bring your creative spirit and to leave with a finished one-of-a-kind rug. Students will have a choice of making a traditional Rag Rug using recycled fabric strips or making a Sock Rug using remnants from a sock factory. Colors and choices of fabric and remnants vary from class to class depending on availability. The rugs are 24" wide, and up to 45" long.
This course will introduce students to the traditional craft of chip carving - a type of woodcarving in which a small knife is used to incise decorative floral and geometric designs into basswood or butternut. The design is created by the removal of small pieces (chips) of the wood. Chip carving is an ancient, traditional craft. Chip carved plates, jewelry and keepsake boxes, trays, breadboards, furniture and other items can make wonderful gifts and also decorate the home with traditional motifs. Some previous carving experience is helpful, but not necessary. Students will learn to carve a variety of practice designs already drawn on a board and may complete a round ornament as well.
This final intro to blacksmithing class uses all of the forging techniques taught in the previous classes to create a small coat or pot rack, with hand forged hooks riveted to the base. This is also an introduction o joinery, as students will learn how to rivet pieces together. Other techniques including pass-throughs and mortise and tenon will be demonstrated and discussed.
This course will introduce students to the traditional craft of chip carving - a type of woodcarving in which a small knife is used to incise decorative floral and geometric designs into basswood or butternut. The design is created by the removal of small pieces (chips) of the wood. Chip carving is an ancient, traditional craft. Chip carved plates, jewelry and keepsake boxes, trays, breadboards, furniture and other items can make wonderful gifts and also decorate the home with traditional motifs. Some previous carving experience is helpful, but not necessary. Students will learn to carve a variety of practice designs already drawn on a board and may complete a round ornament as well.
Nature has been a source of artistic inspiration for thousands of years. Leaves have been a part of decorative blacksmithing for a long time, and there are many different types of leaves one can make. This class is intended for students who have taken a basic/beginner class and who understand the basic techniques and concepts. We will start by making leaves with just the hammer and anvil, and then begin using tools like chisels and decorative punches.
This 4-hour class is ideal for the beginner blacksmith with little to no experience. We will start with the basics, and within the first hour students will be forging their own nails. From there, students will forge hooks with a decorative twist.
Would you like to try blacksmithing, and get a taste of the craft? Join instructor Steve Gurzler for 3 weekday evenings to learn how to operate a coal forge to bring metal to incandescent heat and shape it with hammer in hand. This class will use the Artist Blacksmiths Association of North America (ABANA) curriculum to teach the basics of blacksmithing. Students can expect to create 2 or more projects during the 3 evenings. Class size is limited to ensure all can advance at their own pace.
Calling all fiber artists! Do you have a project you're in the middle of? Want some company while you work? Sounds like AFS Sewing Circle is the place for you! Quilters, knitters, and fiber artists alike are welcome to join us every month for an afternoon of quilting and camaraderie. Bring your works in progress, and enjoy sharing your experience and the company of your fellow quilters. Pre-registration is not required. All are welcome!
The use of plants for wellness, nutrition and balance has been practiced for thousands of years in the Adirondacks and cultures around the globe. Join Margo for an exploration of Basic Principles of Herbal Medicine through the lens of intimately getting to know 6 easy to identify plants from our local region who may be growing right under your own feet! (And in your own garden!)
In this class you will have an opportunity to gain intimate knowledge of plants and traditional methods of working with them, while building your wild skill set in identification and transforming raw (plant) material into beneficial preparations through hands-on experiences. Your work in the classroom will continue at home. In each class you will receive a rooted specimen of the plant we work with, along with the earthwork of establishing your own medicinal herb garden.
This class is recommended for those who are: curious, herbalists, gardeners and/or plant lovers, ages 13 and up, beginner or experienced.
