Skilled Arts
In different degrees the four elements fire, wind, water and earth find their place in each Skilled Art. There is also a sense of pride and authenticity that is inherent in each of the Skilled Arts. They all rest comfortably at home in both the Fine and the Practical Arts, and in their application the one who wields the ax, the hammer, the wheel, the press and the plow, must above all else be a Skilled Artist.
Each area in the Skilled Arts are similar, but different. Each Skilled Art has an ancient past, from the first time man picked up a stick and drew an idea in the clay and sand. Each Skilled Art is poetry, the artists speaking with their craft rather than their tongue. Each Skilled Art created treasures and gifts that have lasted hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. In their extreme, the Skilled Arts have been used in war and in peace, have represented the feeding and starving of the world, fostered knowledge and ignorance and has been part of building and destroying entire nations.
The application of the Skilled Arts at the PEACH is approached in three a fold manner, knowledge, practice and creative. Because of the nature of these arts, experience and wisdom tells us to be more cautious in their application, proficiency in required. Therefore, our approach to the Clubs must be addressed differently and are limited with care. The Skilled Arts and Clubs are as followed: demonstration & introduction, internships & novice, apprenticeship & fellowship and mastery.
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Blacksmythe & Whitesmythe
A Blacksmythe is someone who works in metallurgy. He engages in the mineral world. In our mythic and pagan culture, he is often depicted as a gnome, and from the ancients, he is the God Thor, Jupiter and Zeus. The origins of the word Smythe come from the Celtic tribes, meaning a skilled worker who strikes.
He is also associated with Lugh, a master magician and accomplished Smythe who forged magical weapons. Lugh was often regarded as a fairy craftsman, a shoemaker and a tailor. Lughchromain – ‘little stooping Lugh’ was a bit of a cranky character, having an ill-tempered nature. Today we know him as a leprechaun.
In the Practical Arts, a Smythe works to create objects from forging metals into wrought iron. The Smythe uses tools such as a hammer, anvil, chisel, tongs, punches, swifts, fuller, swages, mandrills, hardy, drifts, vice, bolster plates, a bend, cuts, shovel, rake, poker, and a fire crucible. Skill, timing and rhythm are all important to the Blacksmythe. To watch them at work is to see Art made manifest.
A Blacksmythe creates many things we need and use: gates and grilles, guard railings, fixtures and furniture, household tools and utensils, farm equipment, weapons and sculptures.
Our Smythes have their own specialties, Master Blacksmythe, Seppo Cain, is well known in the area for building gates and fences, which he and our Woodworker Christopher Emanuel created throughout the Art’s building: black iron rails draped in maple. Master Blacksmythe, Cyril Colnikto, is known for a number of great fountain structures, specifically his delightful and whimsical bronze cat holding a bird bath. You’ll also find his spinning fairy sculptures throughout the gardens. New to the Community is Roberto Cavalle. He is a new striker and apprentice here at the Peach, working to perfect his skill of horseshoeing for the Sand Point Equestrian Ranch. You’ll see many of his works above the door for good luck. During the artist fair demonstration, no one is faster than Roberto at forging iron hooks and nails. The last record count was 7 six-penny, square nails in one minute. He is also a sword knife and maker, teaching young people and adults how to make swords for fencing and dancing, and knives for fishing.
From a heavy hand to the lightest touch. We have a number of Whitesmythes. This is someone who works with the more delicate and refined metals such as gold, sliver, pewter and tin. These folk generally work making jewelry, amulets, decorative notions and religious talismans. Whitesmythes also tend to work within other areas of the arts creating decorations for bookbinders, potters, woodworkers, stonemasons, seamstress and tailors. The Whitesmythe will spend a year working with the Blacksmythe. A Whitesmythe Journeymen will also learn all the Techniques of Metallurgy Casting: Sand, Investment, Die, Low Pressure, Centrifugal, Gravity, Vacuum, Squeezing, Lost Foam and Continual Casting. Once all these methods are perfected, the final project will be a golden chalice.
The most common difference between the two are one who works and forms objects with a heavy hammer and one who embellishes object with a light and delicate hammer. One who uses a furnace to bend the mental to his will, and the other who uses a torch or candle to shape an elegant curve and vanishing lines.
Process
Blacksmithing: forging, striking, foundry, smelting, hardening, die, burr, fuller, break, ductility, flux, slag, scaling, quenching.
Whitesmything: tinker, tinner, lost wax, carving, casting, hammering, welding, soldering, plating, wrapping, repoussé.
Objects
Being either a Blacksmythe and Whitesmythe can be dangerous, they are literally playing with fire, therefor a great deal of attention and focus are required.
At the PEACH our Smythes create: gates, furniture, light fixtures, chandeliers, decorative swords and knives, fibula brooches, religious and symbolic items, nails, hooks, latches, bird baths, utensils, dinner bells and horse shoes, including their own designs and sculptures. Their work can be seen in the gallery and during the artisan and festival fairs. Our Smythes will also do custom work as well. To get in touch with them, contact the office.
Blacksmythe & Whitesmythe Schedule
Spring: Holiday Demonstration, Studio Time, History Lecture, Skills Conference
Summer: Holiday Demonstration and Studio Time.
Autumn: Holiday Demonstrations, Studio Time and Classes, Art of Sword Making.
Winter: Studio Time and Classes Art of Iron Shaping
Celebrations
St Clem’s Night. Saturday after Thanksgiving
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Hephaistos, God of Fire
Hephaestus was born lame, during an argument between his mother, Hera, and his father, Zeus, he was tossed from heaven to the earth and landed on the volcanic island of Lemnos. Rescued by the Water Goddess Thetis, she nursed him back to health. This is where he honed his blacksmythe skills. As he grew, the God Dionysus employed him to make weapons and later brought him back to Olympus.
Hephaestus, the Roman counterpart of Vulcan, became the god of fire, the divine blackmythe. He is the patron to all craftsmen. His workshops are located inside all the volcanoes of the earth. He fashioned all the weapons and military equipment for the gods and a handful of mortals. Such well known items include, the winged helmet and sandals for Hermes and the armor for Achilles, Aphrodite’s girdle, Aegis’ breastplate, the chariot of Helios, bronze noise clappers, arrows of Eros, Ariadne’s crown, Harmonia’s necklace, unbreakable chains binding Prometheus.
Homer tells us in the Iliad that Hephaestus, with the help of Dionysus, married the great beauty Charis, the Goddess of Grace. Roman counterpart Aphrodite. Hephaistos is often depicted as stocky, strong, hunchbacked, bearded, unkept and scruffy. Needless to say, he had a harsh temper and often held grudges.
His temple is in Lycian.
To A Child
As great Pythagoras of yore,
Standing beside the blacksmythe’s door,
And hearing the hammers, as they smote
The anvils with a different note,
Stole from the varying tones, that hung
Vibrant on every iron tongue,
The secret of the sounding wire.
And formed the seven-chorded lyre.
-H. W. Longfellow
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Ceramist & Potters
Prometheus the Titian was the first to work with clay, he fashioned a vessel of man out of water and earth and created mankind. Impressed by his ability, the Olympian Goddess Athena with her breath bestowed life into these clay figures, allowing man the ability to interact with the world. The creation of mankind was so favored by the God Zeus that he commanded Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus to assign traits for all the creatures on the earth. Such gifts as, strength, speed, courage, cunning, fur, and feathers, but Epimetheus did not have the ability to think ahead and by the time he reached man he had little to nothing left for them. Prometheus saw that all the good traits had been given to the beasts, he realized man had nothing in which to defend himself. His love for what he created was so tremendous that he flew to the sun and stole fire from the Gods and gave it to man.
Every work of clay is still fashioned by the gesture of Prometheus. The life force is still granted by the breath of Athena, and the final creation is still endowed with the spirit of the fire.
The first art in the history of mankind is the art of clay. Pottery and ceramics are still formed in the way of the God. Earth and water, air and fire, fashioned by the skilled and dedicated hands of the creator.
Most of the clay artists work with even today is purchased from deposit around the country. What is available on our own land is also collected and formed similarly to the God Prometheus.
Among our ancient people, not only was the clay used for medicinal purposes; to heal and mend their bodies, but vessels were created to store surplus grains during the seasons when there was little growth. The vessels were then marked with the particular seed or store and each vessel was also given a unifying mark to show their tribal identity.
Sculpture
I took a piece of plastic clay
And idly fashioned it one day-
And as my fingers pressed it, still
It moved and yielded to my will.
I came again when days were past
The bit of clay was hard at last.
The form I gave it, still it bore,
And I could change that form no more!
I took a piece of living clay,
And gently fashioned it day by day,
And molded with my power and art
A young child’s soft and yielding heart.
I came again when years were gone:
It was a man I looked upon.
He still that early impress bore,
And I could fashion it never more.
-Anonymous.
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Potter’s Schedule
Spring: Studio Time, Classes Potter’s Wheel.
Summer: Holiday Demonstrations and Studio Time.
Autumn: Studio Time, Classes Slab Sculpture.
Winter: Studio Time, History Lecture, Skills Conference.
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Athena, Goddess of Wisdom
Athena is one of the best known and popular Olympians. Her life began with an unusual birth. She, like many of the Gods, had an unnatural birth. Her father, the God Zeus, was suffering from a sharp and endless pain in his head, so they cut his head open and from the wound a fully grown woman appeared. The woman was draped in a beautiful robe, and underneath, she was dressed in full armor, including shield and spear. Her helmet was crested, and she wore the Aegis Visage of Gorgon. Her name was Athena, she was a tall stately, the perfect ideal of a woman.
The events of her life and legend are known far and wide. She was war counsel to Zeus. Through her breath, she gave life to the clay sculptures of men fashioned by Prometheus. She then defended the people and their towns against the wrath of Zeus for their lies and mischief. She also created and gave the people weaving, wool spinning, and pottery, and is honored to this day as the Goddess of arts and crafts.
One of her most memorable account was a contest with the God Poseidon for the dominion of Athens, during this endeavor she created the very first olive tree, while Poseidon created the first horse. The list of her adventures are long, but her connection to the clay of the earth, in all facets, is what brings her so close to Pottery and working with the earthen clay.
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Farming and Animal Husbandry
The Plow
Farming
It is believed the history of Farming dates to Mesopotamia.
To the best of our knowledge Western Man came from a background of hunting and gathering, so we can imagine when the first seeds were planted by hand, perhaps a stick was used to overturn the soil and by adding a sharp stone tied with leathery sinew could have produced the hoe.
This systematic aspects of humans interacting with nature, favoring a particular species of plants would have made more food available and a population growth would soon follow, in both man and animal.
Over time the hoe went from stone, to copper, to bronze. Animals, during slow growth or hard times, would have approached the fields of barley and wheat and, if not caught for dinner, domesticated and used for work. So it is no surprise that this unity now formed between man and animal called forth the plow. Anyone could rightly say that the development of the plow grew the population exponentially. The first crops we believe were barley, wheat, lentils and peas. This was followed by the domestication of animals.
Having stronger tools and animal byproducts, it wasn’t long for the creation of the wheel and the cart.
From what we know agriculture seems to have been a worldwide phenomenon, and by 4000 bc with the invention of the wheel, even in the far north Europeans began using their domesticated animals, oxen, to not only pull the plow but also the cart.
A variety of tools were then created for different tasks. From the copper and Bronze Age strait through to the Iron Age, man, animal, crops and technology marched forward. The plow has got bigger and made more durable. Very little had changed until the invention of the combustion engine and the first tractor in the late 1800s.
During the Egyptian Period, the life on the Nile river and its seasonal flooding took care of the people. However, Its population grew and diminished with the rise and fall of the river.
In Greece things were different, hampered by rocky soil, their farming was limited to barley and wheat, olives grapes. Their energy was driven by the use of domesticated animals. their staple was goats and sheep.
The Roman Empire locally used the same methods they had for centuries, or in the south adapted what was used by the Greeks.
The Romans grew what crops they could, Some larger estates used slaves, but there were many small farms kept and worked by families. They were favored and appreciated by the Roman traditionalists. Cicero wrote of the country life, “the teacher of economy, of industry, and of justice” parsimonia, diligentia, iustitia. Lastly, Rome plenty’d greatly by the lands they conquered and the territories they occupied. This brought in a wide variety of foods and spices from everywhere in the ancient world.
The Indo-Europeans – barbarians occupied much of their energy on farming and started to organize their fields in rectangular shapes, using mixtures of crops and animals. Their grains were stored in pits, like the foundation of a mosaic, they were lined in twigs and stone and sealed with clay. While Roma and Greece enjoyed fine wines, the Celts began to brewed beer from the excess barley.
The Gaul invented a machine called a gallus what we call today a harvester. It was a simple wood box on wheels that had a large horizontal blade at the front. The box was pushed forward by oxen. As the animals push the box forward through the fields, the blades cut the heads of the grasses and the grains fell into the box.
Until modern industrial farming, this is how most farm skills were applied for centuries.
During the Middle Ages, around 900 AD, farming grew, it got bigger and better. Larger and heavier plows were developed, these plows were able to work their way through harder clay soils that were found in Northern Europe, and by this time the plows and harvesters became more efficient.
During this period, the Celts began to use more crop rotation methods along with covering fallow fields. Peasants were also given strips of land to farm. During the Medieval Age, although the peasants being poor, they worked as a collective when it came to plowing, seeding and harvesting. Both men and women worked in the fields. Each peasant family also had a cow, goats, sheep and chickens. There was ample milk, cheese and eggs. Common land was also set aside where everyone’s pigs and livestock could graze together. When the growing season was over, pigs were let loose in the forests to eat acorns, nuts and other wild plants. Since the peasants didn’t have enough food to care for the animals during in the winter, most of the livestock was slaughtered in the late autumns and the meat was preserved in salt.
From the Renaissance and through the Middle of the Enlightenment very little changed in the area of agriculture, even as ships set sail to new and exciting lands bringing back interesting and exotic foods it took a long time for people to adapt and change their diets. Some fruits that Europeans enjoyed were impossible to grow in this particular climate and the hard clay soils. However, the population grew and more lands were needed, fens and wet areas were drained and used for farming, especially in the Netherlands.
During the Industrial Age, agriculture began to change in small but significant ways. Machines became more important even in the farming communities. A clever machine made by a fellow named Jethro Tull was what he called drill husbandry. Seeds once sown by hand were now drilled into the earth by machines in straight lines. He also created a carriage that could be driven through the fields, eliminating the weeds between the rows. The wheels and what he called horse hoes were evenly spaced as they were pulled by a horse through the fields, The hoe would do what it was meant to do, turn over the weeds exposing their roots to the sun. The time saved by both inventions allowed farmers to grow more food in larger and larger fields. Farmer could also keep and increase their cows, pigs, sheep and goats having enough grains to see them through the winter. By the 18th Century, most growing lands were divided into three fields. Two fields were sown while the third was left fallow. The Dutch discovered that rather than let a field lie fallow, certain crops could be planted that restore the fields back to health. At that time it was, Turnips.
At this time the common lands were no longer useful, it was cumbersome to plow seed and harvest in separate fields on separate strips of what was known as peasant’s land. Land was closed, and one large lot was granted to the farmers. This was also the period in time when selective breeding was addressed. Which animal yield the most meat, milk and wool. By the 19th c the industrial age was in full swing. Massive projects for draining fields, irrigating fields, steam driven tractors, refrigeration, steal, railroads, fertilizers, granary.
In the 20th & 21st c gas powered tractors the development of chemical farming with pesticide, more powerful and artificial fertilizers, combine harvesters, milking machines, artificial insemination genetic engineering, genetically engineered crops
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Peach Garden Club
These days, many want to return to traditional methods of growing foods, but they have never had a garden. They know very little about the food we all eat, what we need most to stay alive, and how to do this successfully. At the PEACH, we incorporate Bio-Dynamic Farming with some standard organic methods. Demonstrations of these old and now modern methods are offered throughout the year. Moreover, during Planting Season and Settlers Days, there is a demonstration of the ancient use of the plow. The Farmer will yoke the oxen and plow the field. At harvest, there is a demonstration how the gallus and cart were used. Farming and Landscaping are hard work, but well worth the efforts. It is really a vocation with a direct mission and a chance to get your hand dirty and full of the earth. The Garden Club offers its members the opportunity to work with nature, plant and grow their own food and flowers, and thank God for the bounty. What part of the garden calls to you? Join, and find out.
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Lovely Things
by H.M. Sarson
Bread is a lovely thing to eat,
God bless the barley and the wheat.
A lovely thing to breathe is air,
God bless the sunshine everywhere.
The earth is a lovely place to know,
God bless the folk that come and go.
Alive is a lovely thing to be,
giver of life, we say thanks to thee.
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Demeter – Earth Goddess
Often referred to as Mother Earth, she is the giver of life, Often referred to as Mother Earth, she is the giver of life, the Sito (She Of The Grain), and the harvest. She is nature and the key to the Eleusinian Mysteries; life, death and rebirth. Her trials and tribulations as a goddess are not without controversy, but as she roamed the earth in search of her kidnapped by the Gods Zeus and Pluto, she rejected all the Olympic gods and from her stead chose instead to serve man, granting him the ability to prosper and bringing him good fortune.
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Gardening & Small Animal Husbandry
Depending on the size of the community each year we care for a couple of cows, nine-fold chickens, two goats, a mother sheep and lamb, and on occasion a horse are cared and looked after daily. During the dark months, they are returned to the larger farm to be with friends and warm companions.
Bee and butterflies are brought indoors and put to rest under cooler temperatures. All restoration and permaculture areas are left undisturbed during this time.
Aquaponics – Steps from the atrium is an old hothouse, we are working towards the building a winter home for the pond fish using their skills in producing fresh greens during mid-Autumn through mid-Spring.
Permaculture – This is an area where most of our native foods grow free and naturally with little to no human intervention. On occasion, we will sew seeds and encourage plant growth in order to restore the balance. Water is life.
Cultural Land Restoration – On the other side of the pond is a former prairie, we are actively working to restore native plants to this particular area, removing all invasive species and foreign plants. This requires continuous efforts and maintenance to make sure we rid the area of all invasive species that have entered or propagated. Having a keen eye and an understanding of the regional and local native plants is now one of the best preserved areas and educational tools at the center. We hope for eternity.
Off Grid Living – The goal is to get off the electrical and water grid. However, since this Is a large living and active community, maintenance is given to an on-grid back-up system for the safety and health of the community and its visitors. Basic Simple Log Cabin Building with Kyle.
Landscaping – Working with nature – there are great opportunities to work with planting and upkeep of the PEACH gardens through landscaping, pond building, and instructions on gathering and using materials and tools. We have several special gardens at the PEACH, the Shakespeare garden, the birthday koi & sun fish garden, the herb garden, butterfly garden, the grotto rose garden, the four seasons garden and planter gardening. There is also an area to grow plant dyes.
Bush and Trees– Near the Atrium are three lines of apple trees, a collection of yellow and red pears, surrounded by plum trees. All will be canned, jammed, and baked into pies. We will keep half the apples for hallowe’en fun, and made into delicious cider. At the other end of the atrium is a large patch of strawberries, a row of raspberry, a trio of lingonberries, and the infamous black berries along the fence. Remember, after the first frost, keep a sharp eye out for the devil in the bramble, and skip the berries.
Medicinal Herbs and Plants– Behind the apothecary is a large, lovely yard to sit and relax, yet a garden full of medicinal herbs, plants, shrubs, and trees surrounds you. The apothecary uses them for healing tinctures and teas, salves and ointments. If you need a handful for healing, we ask you check-in with the herbalist first before picking your own. There are also many of these plants in the butterfly wildflower garden for your own personal use. Always remember to take only what you need and leave the flowers for the bees.
Why Raising Animals Are Important
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The Busy Triangle
As part of our commodities, we have three small businesses
Lepidoptera – The raising butterflies for silk thread.
Apiarist – The raising of bees for honey.
Vermiculture – the raising of worms for the garden.
In Addition
Biodome – Winter Vegetables, Out of Region Plants for the rare occasion.
Fish Pond – Carp. Because they are beautiful to watch and strangely, they like Bluegrass.
Business
We have a field that is laying fallow as we prepare this for the expanding of or medicinal herbs and plants, along with using the edges of the perma-forest. We also use the forest areas as part of collecting maple and birch syrup and to acquire conifer resins. Visit us during the Farmer’s Market, or join us in the local Food & Animal Share Co-Op and Fruit Co-Op.
Education
Bio-Dynamic Research Project – Cookbook
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Farmer’s & Garden Schedule
Spring: Tilling, Planting, & Sheep Shearing. Berry Picking.
Summer: Garden and Tending. Flower Harvest. Lessons in Animal Husbandry. Berry Picking
Autumn: Food Harvesting, Canning, Drying. Berry Picking
Winter: Equipment Repairs, February Farming Conference, Tree Tapping, Early Indoor Seedlings, Annual Landscape Submissions.
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The Farmer
-Barr
The king may rule o’er land and sea,
The lord may live right royally,
The soldier ride in pomp and pride,
The sailor roam o’er ocean wide;
But this or that, whate’er befall,
The farmer, he must feed them all.
The writer thinks, the poet sings,
The craftsmen fashion wondrous things,
The doctor heals, the lawyer pleads,
The miner follows the precious leads;
But this or that, whate’er befall,
The farmer, he must feed them all.
The merchant, he may buy and sell,
The teacher do his duty well;
But men may toil through busy days,
Or men may stroll through pleasant ways;
From king to beggar, whate’er befall,
The farmer, he must feed them all.
The farmer’s trade is one of worth;
He’s partner with the sky and earth,
He’s partner with the sun and rain,
And no man loses for his gain;
And men may rise, or men may fall,
But the farmer, he must feed them all.
God bless the man who sows the wheat,
Who finds us milk and fruit and meat;
May his purse be heavy, his heart be light,
His cattle and corn and all go right;
God bless the seeds his hands let fall,
For the farmer, he must feed us all.
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Glassblowing
Glassblowing dates back more than 3000 years. Though hard to pinpoint exactly when glassblowing began the evidence we do have, tools used in the creation of the vessels, takes us back to at least Ancient Persian and Egypt. As the Roman Empire expanded, they were fascinated not only with the practical aspect of molten glass, but also the artistic expression and characteristics created by the materials when heated. Suddenly, everyone wanted glass, and foundries started to pop up everywhere in Italy. Of course, there were a number of accidents and fires broke out often. However, what drove Rome to isolate and limit the industry was in the beauty of the glass, its development and the uniqueness of the craft itself. Venice therefore became the isolated home and capital to the art of glassblowing.
They valued this art so much that they sent the manufacturing of the glass off to a small island so no one could copy or steal their work, recipes and techniques. In order to guard their precious secrets, the manufacturing of the glass was then isolated to the island of Murano, off the cost of Venice, in the Adriatic Sea. This island was then limited to families working in the art of glass.
One could imagine a secret society of glassblowers, also called gaffers, guarding the precious secrets and passing them down only through the generations of family members who grew up on the island, worked in the glassblowing houses and when they died took their techniques and secrets with them.
For almost 2000 years Venice and Murano were the center of the glassblowing industry, and to this day no one is allowed to watch the Masters of Murano, who still hold these ancient secrets, at work.
During the English Renaissance Elizabeth I decided she preferred windows, glass then became the rage. So much so, that within a generation the British managed to disseminated their entire forests, burning wood to stoke the fires for glass and metals. Coal was not yet widely used, but wood was needed for cooking and heat, when one day an inquisitive person at court remembered a letter from a relative in the colonies abroad in the Americas. The letterer stated, “Endless forests, dense with more hard wood than can be imagined.” The rest, as they say, is history, and there we have the very beginnings of the Industrial Age in the Colonies of America.
The ingredients most often used in the making of glass vessels are sand (silicon), lime, and potash (glass-wort). There are three types of Glassmything: Free Blowpipe Glassblowing-1500BC, Clay Mold Blowing-1AD and Cracking Off – 20AD. All three are taught at the PEACH and demonstrated throughout the year. Finally, the use of heat is very important, a great amount of heat is needed to generate a high enough temperature to melt the sand into molten liquid, roughly 3000 degrees. Over the centuries, wood, coal and now gas have been used to generate the heat needed to blow glass.
Each artist has their own favorite approach. Each process requires at least two people working together. The only person allowed to work alone is a Master Gaffer.
Glassblowing Club
The Swan Factory
The Glassblower -Struther
By the red furnace stands
Apollo mute,
Holding in upraised hands
His iron flute.
Slowly from back and brow
The bright sweat drips;
He sets the clarion now
Light to his lips,
And ever, as he blows,
Without a sound
His molten music flows,
Golden and round. Never from herald’s breath
In brazen horn,
Telling of strife and death
Or of peace new-born;
From silver clarinet
By fingers small
To lips of ruby set
In raftered hall;
From jilted shepherd’s reed
Plaintively proving
How he in very deed
Must die of loving–
Never from all these came
A music sweeter
Than this bright sphere of flame
With neither sound nor name,
Cadence nor metre,
That steadily, as he blows
On his iron flute,
Trembles and swells and glows,
Gold-amber, amber-rose,
In melody mute.
Glassblower’s Schedule
Spring: Lessons in Glassblowing, Studio Time, History Lecture, Skills Conference.
Summer: Festival Displays Only
Autumn: Lessons in Fixtures and Lighting
Winter: Lessons in Glassblowing (no more than groups of 6). Meetings at the Swan Factory.
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Printmaking
“Yes, it is a press, certainly, but a press from which shall flow in inexhaustible streams Through it, God will spread His Word. A spring of truth shall flow from it: like a new star it shall scatter the darkness of ignorance, and cause a light heretofore unknown to shine amongst men.” -Gutenberg
Philyra (smell) Kalamos (reed) Hades (coal) Phobos (soot)
The Gods surrounding Printmaking are a bit complex, however printmaking itself is rather complex. It is a skill, a fine art and a practical art so the stories go. Most would say Philyra is the goddess of all arts and crafts, and she may have brought the pen the ink and paper together, but the story of the pen begins with Kalamos, he and his companion Karpos were inseparable, they had many adventures and journeys together. They were close, and there were never two who could trust each other more as the two of them. Though Karpos had more of a gentle nature, like a soft breeze, he would often humor his companion Kalamos by competing with him in song and sports. Who could throw a rock the farthest, run the fastest, jump the highest, hold a note the longest. Then one day in their travels they came upon a large body of water. The challenge was set, who could swim to the other side and get there first. Kalamos was certain he would win, since his father Maeander was the god of rivers. Off they went, Kalamos went through the water with ease, faster than the wind, and as he had thought arrive joyfully first. He then waited with open arms to welcome his much slower friend Karpos, but Karpos never arrived. Kalamos searched the river, he swam for days up and down, back and forth, dredged the banks, and then he set his sights on a bank of tall dry reeds and there was his friend, he was dead for he had drowned. Kalamos was so heartbroken that he drowned himself, and then he transformed into a reed on the bank, and to this day when you hear the rustling of the reeds in the wind you will hear the sigh of Kalamos laminating the loss of his friend Karpos.
Printmaker’s Schedule
Spring: Monthly Newsletter, History Lecture, Skills Conference
Summer: Monthly Newsletter, Rag Making.
Autumn: Monthly Newsletter, Ink Making.
Winter: Monthly Newsletter, Lessons in the Art of Printmaking.
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Stone Cutting
“Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.” -Jacob Riis
Next to farming and animal husbandry, being a Stone Mason is one of the oldest Skilled Art forms throughout history. From caves, stone huts, the pyramids, to the local neighborhood brick house, and the building of massive skyscrapers being a stone mason has been a highly regarded skill and vocation.
At the PEACH, we are fortunate to have a master stone cutter in our community, Kipling Sibelius Scott. Kip, as he is lovingly known, has created many of our most enjoyed structures. He has protected our buildings from cracking, crumbling and flooding with never a second thought. He is always at the ready to make a quick repair until the job can be corrected properly.
Though we do not live in an area with quarries full of marble, Kip will take trips out to the local quarry and mines as part of a lecture series on stone masonry and a study in basic geology. He has been all around the world and has a wonderful collection of rocks and stones that we are lucky enough to displayed in our library. These are some of the most beautiful rocks and stones I have ever seen.
Through we do not work in marble as one of our greatest ancestors Michelangelo did, our chief use for working with stone is the art form of mosaics. Kip and a number of residents are currently working on a mosaic floor in the Art building lobby, using the tried and true methods of the great Roman Architects, Vitruvius.
You’ll find all the floors, fireplaces, garden walls throughout the community created by Kip and others who enjoy this magnificent art along with simple yet beautiful creations using glass and tiles, from tables to windows, walkways and dished for plants. People have come from across the world to see his magnificent tile floor in the atrium.
The skills he brings to the PEACH are invaluable, and his ongoing classes are enjoyed by all.
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Stone-cutter’s Schedule
Spring: Stone Cleaning and Preparations, History Lecture, Skills Conference.
Summer: Mosaic Making
Autumn: Outdoor Wall and Floor Repairs
Winter: Indoor Fireplace and Floor Work and Repairs
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Woodworking
As a general rule, there are many areas related to woodworking. However, people will ask if there are any differences between woodworking and carpentry? Woodworking is simple enough to figure out one who works with wood. To find out the meaning of carpentry we look no further than the origin and meaning of the word. Carpenter comes from the old Latin, carpentum, meaning two-wheeled chariot. A carpentarius, was known as a wagon maker. Wood was very important in ancient Rome: wagons, chariots, ships were so important that the maker of this specialized and advanced technology was given the honors and title, carpenter.
As time went on, the words Wainwright and Cartwright were used by the Celts and Anglos. Wain, meaning wagon or cart, a Wright meaning a worker in wood, similar to a smith, a worker in metals.
When thinking of the past, imagine how the wheel, the chariot and Poseidon’s Horse [Hippocampus] changed the world.
Throughout history, mankind has been blessed with great forests shrouded in woods. From the gift of fire given to mankind by Prometheus, to the development of the prehistoric Stone Age, advancing to the Bronze Age, wood has been at the heart of all that man possesses today. With the development of mental tools surrounded by such a valuable and plentiful resource, everything from homes, furniture, ships, plows, weapons are all fashioned with a little curiosity and wood. Wood is a easy material to work with and shape. There are soft and hard woods, brittle and aromatic woods, and some woods that are so hard it is like cutting stone. Even through the petrified forests, Western man did not stop from taking his skills and talents by creating some of the most beautiful decorative pieces and sculpture, all from wood. So sure, in their development, most of the hand tools carpenters use today have changed very little since the Bronze Age.
Woodworking is not only appreciated at the PEACH, it is a resource we could not live without, and the men who build and shape our world are greatly valued in our community for their skill, talent and creativity.
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The Forest
Our master, Carpenter Christopher Emanuel, is not only an expert in the ways of woodworking, he is also a bit of an expert when it comes to those who live in the forests and woods.
He can identify any tree by sight and most by smell and, best of all, he is in charge of making our tree syrups. Over the course of the month of February and early March, while cooking up the delicious sap he will tell you many stories of the Roman God Silvanus, God of the woods, and all who live there, from the creatures to the fairies. He will tell the story of how and when he met his first wood-elf, and how he learned to call a Tomton.
In addition to these fascinating stories, he can recite Longfellow’s Evangeline, quote Cicero by heart, and talk about nature both in beauty and in anger. He often speaks of the creatures who live in the tulgey woods there, and of their moral and immoral characteristics and traits. He will tell you the story of the dragon’s blood and how it allows you to uncover and understand the secret language of the animals and what their sounds, songs and words mean. Furthermore, he also knows all the nature deities by name and what gifts to bring them in return for a safe trip. He claims to have even met a few. He can go to any forest and find the deities and fairies, he knows who to trust and who to keep an eye on. He can find the source of ills in the wood, the best place to rest, and knows what foods we humans may eat. Both he and his wife Rose will tell you the stories of the Seven Wood Kings. Their adventures over the years have been very exciting and a little more than interesting.
Woodworker’s Schedule
Spring: History Lecture, Equipment Tutorial, Basic Woodworking Skills, Skills Conference, Studio Work.
Summer: Festival Displays, Outdoor Repairs, Cabin Building, Studio Work,
Autumn: Tree Felling, Lumbering, Furniture Making, Wood Carving, Studio Work.
Winter: Indoor Repairs, Studio for Children and Adults: Bird House Building, Simple Furniture Making, Syrup Collecting and Cooking.
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Studio Time
Studio time is very important when working on a project especially, in the skilled, practical and fine arts. Studio time can also be complicated, making sure people have access to these areas with little to no scheduling conflicts. It is important in all areas that those who use the studios are trustworthy and responsible. Some areas have a higher threshold for safe-guards while also being respectful to others working in the studio and those living in the surrounding area, especially concerning noise.
All studios require training in certain procedures, and some studios will require a professional in the room at all times. Areas such as dance, music, painting, quilting will require a class or orientation regarding scheduling and room maintenance. Other areas such as wood-working, print-making, iron-casting, glassblowing will require a professional on site at all times. There are other areas that will require a professional for only part of working procedures such as, ceramic, bookbinding, spinning, candlewicking. Understand these rules, always have your safety in mind. People who help to clean, assist or maintain a watchful eye will be able to bank time or waive fees in other areas.
There are no fees for time in the studio, but we do require that you sign up for the time you wish to use in any particular studio and that you leave it clean and in order for the people who follow. Studio rules will be posted and if you have any suggestion, please let the office or assistants know.
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Living Pan-European and American Cultural and Heritage Community Center
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EMAIL: peachcommunity yahoo.com
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PEACH COMMUNITY 