About

Two internationally known woodworkers, Graeme Priddle and Melissa Engler, return to BARN for a three-day workshop focused on techniques for embellishing wooden objects with texture and color — methods you can use on everything from plaques and boxes to panels, furniture and turned bowls. They will also share their inspirations for the sculptures that they create.

The first two days will be devoted to exploring decorative techniques and personalizing them as you learn to use power carvers and wood burners, as well as methods for mixing and layering milk paint and acrylics. You will be able to  experiment and practice on pieces of sample wood and on objects such as wooden spheres, eggs or tusks made for you by the instructors.  On the final day, you will put the techniques to work as you decorate one or more objects of your choosing. You may bring items such as a plaque, cheese board, box, bowl or other object, or work on pieces of wood or other items that will be available.

By the end of the class, you should have one or more finished objects, ready to display or to wrap up as gifts — and many ideas for decorating future projects or creating your own sculptures. You will be trained in using BARN's high-quality wood burners and power carvers, so you can use them on later projects during Open Studio time. These tools and can also be used to sign your work.

Details:

• The materials fee covers milk and acrylic paint, shop supplies, and wood for practice pieces and for finished projects if you don't already have something you want to decorate.
• The class will break for lunch each day. Bring a sack lunch. BARN has a refrigerator, microwave and dishes that you are welcome to use. 
  

Instructors:

Graeme Priddle and Melissa Engler currently work in Grovewood Village, home to 10 artist studios on a historic property in Asheville, NC. They are internationally recognized for their gallery displays and embellishment workshop

Priddle, originally from New Zealand, uses turned wooden objects as a starting point and then elaborately decorates the surfaces by carving, sanding, and burning in designs and textures. His themes often tap into Pacific islands' culture or play up the beauty of ocean creatures. "When you look at a Priddle piece, there is no mistaking who the artist is," wrote the authors of "New Masters of Woodturning: Expanding the Boundaries of Wood Art," a book published in 2008 that focuses on woodturners who had led the craft far beyond its traditional roots. "Part carved vessel, part patterned burning, part Maori, part environmental statement: the result is work that has a sense of place and pride that is unmatched."

Engler started out as a furniture maker but today focuses more on sculpture, and especially on adding color to her own work and to pieces that she and Priddle collaborate on. She uses milk paint, which she layers and burnishes to create jewel tones. Her work has been featured in Carolina Home + Garden, WNC Magazine, Woodwork Magazine and American Craft and is held in private collections across the United States. Both she and Priddle teach across the United States and in other countries.

Short-sleeve or tight-cuff tops and close-toe comfortable shoes are required. No jewelry other than "button-type" earrings for women is allowed, so no rings, bracelets, necklaces. Long hair must be tied back.