While Santa’s elves work busily on items that Santa will soon leave under Christmas trees, the “elves”– err, members of the Pentwater Artisan Learning Center (PALC)—are also finalizing their works. They’ll be donating them to the PALC’s Annual Fundraising Raffle during the Fall Arts and Crafts Festival Sept. 28-29 on the Village Green in downtown Pentwater.
“They make great Christmas gifts,” said PALC board member Sue Hopp. “People buy as many raffle tickets as they wish, with all proceeds going to support our nonprofit Artisan Center. Then, they put tickets into jars next to the works they’d like to win. The more tickets one puts in a jar, the better their chances are of one being drawn on Sept. 29. We began raffling off our members’ works some years ago after several members had taken home so many things they had made, and one came into the Artisan Center one day and said, ‘My wife says I can’t bring any more home because there’s no room!’ I suggested to Gene (Davidson) that we display and raffle off works by PALC members and Pentwater School students at the Art Fair. This helps raise funds to operate the center and keep the annual cost to join ($150/year) as affordable as possible.”
A recent walk around the 11,000-square-foot Artisan Center found various members working in several different areas.
“I love doing driftwood mediums,” said Stephanie Emms, who joined the PALC two years ago. “Jennifer Lydey taught me how to work in stained glass. This idea came from something I saw on Pinterest. Barry Freed and I worked together. He cut grooves into a piece of driftwood that I had found on the beach. I then cut out pieces of stained glass to create this abstract. The orange sun and cloud bring nature into this simple piece.”
Gene and Sharon DeJong joined the PALC about six years ago, and Stephanie calls them the “dynamic duo.” Says Gene, “I was a licensed builder for the past 15 years, but I never swung a hammer; my crew did. I had basic woodworking knowledge when I joined the Center, but I’ve really learned a lot from fellow Artisan Center members like Jim Crum, who’s brilliant and generous with his time. It’s typical to see people making things out of materials that have been discarded by others.”
For the Fall Fest, the DeJong’s have teamed up to create unique yard art. Gene cuts butterfly and dragonfly outlines from sheets of stainless-steel that were destined to be scrapped by Storage Control Systems of Sparta, Mich. The DeJong’s were tipped off by their son, an employee. Before Sharon decorates the cut-out pieces, Gene files down the sharp edges of the cutouts.
PALC President Darryl Massa was nearby, wiping down a pair of Adirondack chairs he’ll be donating. “I only had rough carpentry skills when I joined about 15 years ago, and Gene (Davidson, PALC cofounder who died two years ago) taught me a lot. The best thing about the Artisan Center is the wonderful people who’ve joined, from Pentwater and other area communities. I’m on site about 15-20 hours a week, but we have a safety protocol and a great network of trained volunteers. One of us is always here when we’re open.”
Shelley Blocher walked by, holding a gazing ball lawn ornament that she had just finished. She explained the process: “First, you stretch out patches of clay on a table, then roll each patch onto something textured — like a doily or a piece of corrugated cardboard — to make an imprint. Then you cover the entire surface of a balloon with the clay patches, cementing the edges together. After letting the clay dry, you pop the balloon and remove it, fire the ball, glaze it and fire it again. I got the idea from Chris VanAntwerp, a mentor in the Artisan Center clay room. He’s a fabulous thrower.” Shelley’s husband, Vern, sat nearby putting finishing touches on several rugs that he’s woven and will donate to the raffle.
In the PALC painting studio, Allie Landrum was finishing up her piece. “I had taken some lessons before joining, but members Frank Galante, Karen Antrim, Carrie Roberts and Paula DiGregorio have really helped me improve. I paint here every day I can because it’s fun. On this one, I’m collaborating with woodworker Chuck Holbrook. It’s my idea to paint the scene on wood slats that he joined together. He’s become one of my best friends.”
Julie Massa was finishing up spray painting a wood table made by fellow member Jim Crum. Besides painting, Julie works with stained glass, a skill she learned at the Artisan Center. “I would love to learn loom and basket weaving,” she said.
Raffle tickets can be purchased (cash/check/charge) either during Fall Fest on the Village Green or until Sept. 27 at the Artisan Center, 780 E. Park St. (open Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). At either location, one can buy tickets and put them into jars next to the pieces they’d like to win. More information can be found at either pentwaterartisan.org, or on its Facebook page.
