zh5

Tag: Cotton Tea Towels Glenn Ziemke will have extra sunglasses on hand this weekend for visitors to his glassblowing studio in Waterbury Center. Besides providing eye protection, the glasses make it easier to see the crucible of molten glass inside his blazing 2,000-plus degree furnace. From this crucible, Ziemke extracts globs of honey-thick glowing glass and transforms them into exquisite colorful vases, bowls, candlesticks, pitchers and goblets.Ann Lovald will have three looms set up at her Waterbury studio and shop. Would-be weavers as well as experienced ones can try their hand at the warp and weft.Lochlin Smith hammers, heats, tumbles and colors metal to create art jewelry and sculptures. Amid mobiles, whirligigs, clocks and displays of dangling earrings and necklaces, visitors to Smith's airy studio overlooking downtown Montpelier learn about his techniques and creative process.This Saturday and Sunday, the Vermont Crafts Council presents the 16th annual Open Studio Weekend — a celebration of the visual arts and the people who make them. On both days, 264 of the state's artists and craftspeople will open their studio doors to the public."Craftspeople are everywhere here in Vermont and they are at work creating and making things," said Martha Fitch, director of the Vermont Crafts Council.This popular annual event began, Fitch explained, because "there were many craftspeople but the only time you would see their work was at exhibits or at shows – the marketing end of their efforts. Open Studio Weekend was a way to get the public in to talk with craftspeople and see them at work."With 15 years' experience, Fitch knows that good maps and good directions get artists and visitors together. This year's Vermont Studio Tour Guide makes it easy to find venues around the state – on Main Streets and on back roads from Pownal to Derby. The guide's regional maps show individual studios and reveal creative clusters – like the seven venues in Waterbury and Stowe and 17 around Montpelier and Barre.Artists' studios will be open from 10 to 5 each day. Some participants have educational exhibits showing the steps of their craft; others do demonstrations. Some have hands-on opportunities. Glassblower Ziemke is accustomed to having an audience as he works; his studio has a glass-walled viewing area with stools where spectators watch his daily operation. For Open Studio Weekend, Ziemke gets visitors even closer to the action. He sets up seats inside his work space, right by those roaring furnaces. In 10 to 15 minutes time, visitors see Ziemke blow air into the liquid glass; twirl, swing and bend it into shape; color some pieces; snap them off the rod; and set finished creations aside to slowly cool."Glass is so immediate. It's a fun process – very creative and even dangerous."In the retail shop attached to Ziemke's studio are the products of his labor – canary-yellow swirled bowls, ruby vases and candlesticks, clear tumblers with confetti specks of lavender, rose and green.At the corner of Main and Stowe streets in Waterbury, Ann's Weavery is both studio and shop for Ann Lovald. Lovald opened her store last April. She works on a large four-harness Leclerc floor loom that takes up about a third of the shop. On it she makes fine all-cotton tea towels and chenille scarves. She constantly has projects under way – threads neatly stretched and counted out for different patterns."There's nothing worse than a naked loom," said Lovald. "The setup takes the time, the weaving is the fun part," she said. "Weaving is very Zen-like; it gives you time to think."Besides making soft scarves and crisp towels, Lovald teaches weaving. She starts students on portable rigid heddle looms. Visitors to her studio this weekend get an introduction to the techniques of weaving on small looms as well as a look at the complex work of a skilled weaver.For 20 years, Smith has been creating distinctive bronze and silver jewelry, mobiles, clocks and other sculptures in his North Street, Montpelier, home studio. Shaping and finishing metal requires special tools, and Smith has an array of them. With a Little Giant Power Hammer, made in 1927, he pounds metal discs and sheets into shape – he also uses a traditional hammer and anvil. He has torches for melting and texturing metal, and tumblers for smoothing and polishing them."With bronze you create different looks with different patinas," Smith explained. "By heating it you get rich browns; immersing it in chemicals you can get blues, greens, and reds; by plating it you get antique silver."Visitors to Smith's studio will see his current projects including twirling whirligigs for Montpelier's SculptCycle – a citywide show of bicycle-inspired art.Also in Montpelier, on Gallison Hill Road, Elissa Campbell is opening her home studio. Campbell binds books and does paper crafts. She makes photo albums, guest books, journals, all kinds of blank books.This weekend she will be sewing books, demonstrating the Coptic stitch, a very old binding technique. She will also have displays explaining the processes she uses for her other books: "Chopstick Journals" with Japanese cover papers, photo albums with Vermont-made papers, and bright "Grabby Journals" with Unryu cover papers.Campbell keeps scraps of the fine papers she uses in her books. Visitors to her studio can take scrap bags home with them."I don't want people just to look, I want them to feel inspired to do something themselves," said Campbell.