Lehman's Country Life

Local resident, Holly Frantz, of Two Sister’s Wool couldn’t even finishing setting up her display early this Sat. morning before visitors to Lehman’s were asking her question about the old time craft of wool rug hooking.  Holly had examples of beautiful wall hangings, table runners, pillows and rugs she made using strips of recycled wool.  The style she uses in her rugs can be described as primitive although the same rug hooking techniques lend themselves to many different styles and tastes since the wool can be dyed and the patterns varied.

Holly brought her portable equipment which fits on a small table or a lap to give people in the store a chance to try the methods themselves.  One of the things that is apparent during Lehman’s Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild demos is how much Lehman’s customers appreciate seeing people working with their hands and making good use of what is on hand.  Wool rug hooking is just one example of doing just that.  Creativity, practicality and resourcefulness come together to create something lovely and interesting.

Two Wool Sister’s will be back again at various times this fall and winter so be sure to look at Lehman’s events calendar to check dates.   Also browse through the calendar to see what other treats are planned for the upcoming months.

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We’ve gathered together a group of talented Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild members to do demonstrations in the Buggy Barn for the remainder of the year.  This past Saturday Kidron oil painter Dennis Lipp treated folks to some of his beautiful rural landscapes featuring local farm scenes.  Dennis has a knack for capturing the scenery in exquisite detail.  His next demo will feature fall foliage.  A bonus to the trip to Lehman’s are the lovely farms along the way as the leaves begin to turn!

For the next couple Saturdays, back by popular demand, Two Sister’s Wool will demonstrate wool rug hooking.  Hooked rugs made in this fashion date back to colonial times.  You will get a chance to try your hand at it as well as learn the rich history surrounding this old craft.  Two Sister’s Wool will have on display some lovely primitive style rugs and wall hangings.  The added attraction to this craft is not just the beauty but the practicality and durability of the finished product.  Repurposing and recycling were not buzz words but a necessity for many as they used the wool they had on hand.  See how the same techniques can be used today to create something beautiful!

I am back to add to the farm animal murals and am scheduled most Thursdays until the end of the year.   My most recent mural is of a young colt.  He is there to bring some youth and friskiness to the buggy barn scene which already features a life sized hitching post with stately Amish work horses and a wall of busy body chickens!  Stop in for a photograph at the hitching post next time you are out.  In addition to the mural painting I will bring with me more equine and farm animal art.   Work in progress pics are posted here to see the mural take shape.

You can see what is happening on the Lehman’s Events Calendar .  It is possible to subscribe to the calendar so you can be notified of upcoming events to help plan your trip to Amish country.

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Lehman’s asked that I might helped round up some artists and crafters to do demonstrations in the Buggy Barn at the Kidron store.  I am very happy to say I have a whole group of talented people eager to meet and chat with you as they produce their handicrafts.  We will be posting on the ‘Events’ Calendar on the menu at the top of this blog entry what types of demos will be taking place Sept.- Dec.  Our goal is to combine education and entertainment for the visitors to the store as well as honor the creativity and inspiration that comes from working with your hands.  I have found, even when I am the person doing the demonstration, I am inspired by the people I get to meet and talk to in the Buggy Barn who share with me the things that they make and create!  I’d love to hear what you create so feel free to share your ideas on what you’d like to see! 

I will be kicking the demonstrations off by bringing in some of my farm animal art.  I will also be beginning a new horse mural on Sept. 6th that I will work on thru out the fall/winter season.  This coincides nicely with the Wayne County Fair that will begin on the same day!  You can read a story about my inspiration for the new mural here:

This month we will also have oil painter and Kidron resident Dennis Lipp painting rural landscapes and Amish farms from the rolling hills of our scenic community!   Dennis has some beautiful barn and farm landscapes in exquisite detail that you will not want to miss!  Two Sister’s Wool were a great hit at Lehman’s Local Artisan Festival in July and they will be back sharing the history and techniques of wool rug hooking which dates back to colonial days.  They will bring with them some samples of lovely primitive style rugs that they have made using recycled wool.  These rugs become heirlooms and are as practical and sturdy as they are beautiful!  We are pleased and excited to have them share their knowledge and skills with you. 

I will be writing regularly on this blog with more details of our full season of demonstrations by local artists and crafters from the Ohio Arts and Crafts Guild.  You can look forward to seeing pottery, fiber art,  beeswax Christmas ornaments, vintage fabric handicrafts, whimsical folk art, decorative painting,  wildlife art, gourd painting, woodcarving to name a few!  Subscribe to this blog or the events calendar to be notified of upcoming demonstrations and video clips. 

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Enjoy the beauty of the Kidron area landscape thru the eyes of local artist Dennis Lipp. On July 12th, during Lehman’s Local Artisan Festival, Dennis can be found in the cafe and book area painting a scene from this area. So grab some lunch, coffee or ice cream and have a seat to enjoy seeing the creative process at work! Dennis, along with 13 other local artists will be participating in live demonstrations and offering their artwork for sale. Make a day of it and enjoy! Stop by www.kidronarts.com to read artists profiles and see a preview of artwork and demonstrations.

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On July 12 th you will get a chance to meet the folks from Longhedges Fiber Studio. Angela Seymour-Boss will be across from the customer service desk at the store in Kidron displaying and selling her fiber and fiber art during Lehman’s Local Artisan Festival. Angela, along with her husband Warren, own and operate a retail fiber shop as well as an alpaca and fiber animal farm. In the photo above you can see a sampling of some of her hand dyed and spun angora yarn. She offers knitting and spinning classes as well as a wide assortment of fiber from cleaned raw fiber from a wide variety of animals, to rovings, to yarn to finished products that make beautiful gifts. You can read about Angela and the other artists at www.kidronarts.com To learn more about Longhedges Fiber Studio go to www.longhedges.com

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Tim Shue, a resident, artist and musician from the Kidron area, will be at Lehman’s Local Artisan Festival filling two roles. He will be providing musical entertainment and showcasing his unique mosaic garden art. To create the pieces you see above Tim uses carvings as well as pieces of glass or tiles to make this lovely garden art. The mix between the natural materials of the rock and the colors and textures of the glass and tile, along with the nature theme make for an interesting compliment to gardens, patios or walkways. They work beautifully whether in a manicured garden or a naturalized one. Plan on stopping by to see the many creative talents of Tim Shue on July 12th along with a wide variety of other local artist. To read more about the other particpating artists go to www.kidronarts.com

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We are very pleased and excited to have two local potters participating in Lehman’s Local Artisan Festival on July 12th. Nicole Myers, of Flying Pig Clayworks will have some of her beautiful, nature inspired ceramic pitchers, platters and possibly even some animal sculptures to show and to sell! Laura Smith, of Wooster, will set up her potter’s wheel in the Buggy Barn and do pottery demonstrations through out the day.

13 artists in all will be in the store, displaying their art and looking forward to sharing with you the process in which they make their craft. Count on seeing oil painters, watercolorists, animal art and murals, fiber arts, landscape artists, mosaic art, wool rug hooking in lovely primitive styles, woodturners, painted gourds, garden art and food as art!

We have a full day planned of demonstrations by a wide variety of artists, special food, kid’s activities and music so mark your calendars and make a day of it!

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In 2004, Kristin Lorson was commissioned to design and create a mural that would depict the 50 year history of Lehman’s. Kristin, having a big appreciation of local history, was honored to take on such a unique project. “Gathering all the information in my research took half as long as painting the entire mural!” Kristin said. The total project was a nine month long stint, that Kristin was able to accomplish right in her own family’s dining room. The 4′ x 10′ piece of Luan board she painted was propped up in the busiest room in her home. “Our dining room is like Grande Central Station! There I would be in the middle of everything painting, while my husband, three kids, a dog and a cat, all ran around me. Although it was busy, it was great for me to have a project like that to work on at home. My kids were a lot younger then.”
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I met today with Peter Heath of Amish Country TV to talk about our upcoming Art Festival at Lehman’s on July 12th. Peter makes videos of events of special interest in Amish Country and then shows them on his web site as well as in hotels as a courtesy to people coming into the area. I talked to him about the wide variety of local artists who will be at Lehman’s Local Artisan Festival doing demonstrations in the store. We are fortunate to have a wealth of talented, accomplished artists from the Kidron area who are looking forward to sharing with the people at Lehman’s how they take their raw materials to create their own unique finished product. In this high tech world the value of using your hands to create and the satisfaction of the creative process is to be appreciated more than ever. Many of these crafts and skills have a long rich history which we want to preserve and share. I think you will find this event to be fun, educational and inspiring for all ages. To add to the festive atmosphere there will be special music, food and hands on activities for kids.

To read Artists Profiles of artists participating in this event go to www.kidronarts.com Stop by soon to see the video made from this interview. We will post it on Lehman’s Youtube station as it becomes available!

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