Heart & Hand: Hand Stamp Heart Logo

Wondering how we came up with the Heart & Hand Festival logo here at Joseph Schneider Haus?  Check out this video and maybe make your own hands stamp heart art!

Heart & Hand: Gourd Carving with Karen Cheeseman

Karen brings the garden into the studio as she creates beautiful designs and decorations on gourds. Gourd decoration, and pyrography, is an ancient tradition in Africa and Asia as well as among the indigenous peoples of the Americas, notably the central highland people of Peru, the Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo nations of the American Southwest, and the Nuxálk and Haida nations of British Columbia.  We ask Karen how she got her start and what she has planned next for the gourds in her garden.

1. How did you get started with gourd carving.

My husband grew the first gourds many years ago and I had to figure out what exactly the possibilities were. After lots of research, I just started experimenting with them. I started with pyrography, then tried various carving techniques, then on to fibre-art techniques of dyeing and resists. Now I do one or two, or sometimes all three methods, on my gourds. In the fall I occasionally carve some green gourds.

2. What types of objects and images do you create with the gourds?

My pieces range from fun birdhouses and feeders to gourd vessels and dangling creatures with intricate images and designs. I am strongly influenced by architecture, my rural surroundings and my graphic arts background. I am particularly fascinated with lines and positive/negative space.

3. Do you grow your own gourds?  Are there special gourds used specifically for carving?

My husband, the gardener, grows all of the gourds that I use. We harvest them in the fall and they sit out on the deck for the winter to dry. In the spring they are ready to be cleaned and used. There are lots and lots of different gourds to be grown. We grow birdhouse gourds as they have nice shapes and seem to be suited to our Canadian climate. I think you could probably carve any type.

4. What is next for you and your art? Any big projects in mind?

Now that's a big question... I'm always experimenting with different mediums and techniques. I've been working on more resist techniques lately... maybe some new dancing gourd creatures...

Fiddleheads, carved and dyed

Don't forget to say hello to Karen at the Heart & Hand Festival, Saturday, Sept. 24 at Joseph Schneider Haus, 466 Queen St. S., Kitchener.

Heart & Hand: Once Upon A Tree, Wood Turning with Trevor Ewert

Trees have many stories to tell and things to be made into!  Today we have another instalment in our series on wood carving.  Trevor Ewert explains the process of wood turning and how he helps trees tell their story. 

1. What is the significance of the name of your shop, "Once Upon a Tree"?

The name "Once Upon A Tree" captures the essence of what I try to do in my woodworking; to create a piece that carries on the story of the materials from which it was made.  Many of my bowls and vessels feature a "live" or natural edge with the bark of the tree intact.  This combined with a highly polished and refined surface tell the story of the transformation from tree to art work. 

2. How do you decide what piece of wood to use and how to begin your work?

I try to seek out the most interesting specimens to turn and these tend most often to be burls (tumorous growths on the trunk of the tree).  Inside of a burl the wood can have the most interesting colours and patterns and the grain will show curl and birdseye - quite unlike the rest of the tree on which it grew. 

3. How long does it take to create a piece from start to finish?

I tend to start turning when the wood is freshly cut and the moisture content is high.  Sometimes there is a spray of water coming off of the lathe while the wood is spinning!  After a rough shape is achieved, I air dry the bowl for six months or more until it is stable enough to finish.  There is a lot of chisel work at this point to refine the shape and then hours of ponderous sanding to perfect the surface.  The bowl is then oiled and buffed until a highly polished surface is achieved.  

4. What's next?  Any big plans in the works?

Craft sale season is now starting and I have quite a few that I am doing this year: the Central Art Walk in Kitchener, Artworks at Bingeman's, Cranberry Market in Guelph, Plaid Tidings in Toronto, and the Christkindl Market in Kitchener are a few that I will be exhibiting at.

Heart & Hand: Book Binding with Marlene Pomeroy

Marlene Pomeroy is the Joseph Schneider Haus Folk Artist-in-Residence for 2011.  We ask here afew questions about book binding and its importance today.

You can judge this book by it's cover!

1. What inspired you to begin building books?

I took a binding class that ignited my passion for books. I was a calligrapher with many years of visual arts behind me. The "book" is a way to incorporate all the arts into a wonderful, enduring housing.  



Marlene's take on the "E" book 



2. Is the art of bookbinding still important or should we just use e-readers and read our books online?



The art of bookbinding is even more important now than ever. People need a place to slow down and depart from their work a day mode of technology. There is no replacement for the tactile feel of the paper and leather between your fingers. The books covers appeal to our eyes and invite us to escape into a different world.    

3.  What is next? Any big projects in the works?

There are many planned projects ahead. A collaborative work of limited editions is in the planning stages and commissions are always waiting to be finished.  I am also working on a new teaching space to be ready late fall.

Marlene's The Book from Flax to Finish workshop is running Sept. 24 & 25 so drop in, ask questions and get inspired. Call  519-742-7752 to register. Visit Marlene's blog Inspired discovery

Heart & Hand: Roll up your sleeves!








Joseph Schneider Haus built c.1816



 Join us for this years Heart and Hand Festival at Joseph Schneider Haus.

This outdoor artisan market brings traditional arts to life, with artist demonstrations and sales. Admission to the grounds is free for the day.  

Cast your vote, along with our team of judges, for the ‘Best in Show’ artist display and demonstration.

Roll up your sleeves and join in the hands on activities. 



Our new Washouse!



Come enjoy storytelling by the Baden Storytellers Guild and visit the historic house.

Our new washhouse will be open to visitors for the first time!