crafts

Felted Foraging Basket

Scholarships are available to those who identify as black or brown. Please submit a statement of interest to shorteelan@gmail.com by 2/24/25.

Join Oregon textiles artist, Elan Hagens, with selected natural fibers and the arts cabins’ outdoor setting as inspiration to sculpt a colorful wool foraging basket. Using wet fibers as paint, you will learn wool felting techniques that utilize your hands as tools. This wet felting class uses repetitive motion for the entire class, similar to using a rolling pin. These learned techniques can be transferred to making a variety of items such as purses, hats and shoes.

The students will take home a small handmade booklet with custom felt art pieces and a medium to large felted foraging basket.

Students should bring with them: grocery bag with stuffing, plastic bags, waterproof material for stuffing.

There will be a lunch break from 12 pm to 1 pm.

Hammer Making from Scrap Steel with Stephen McGehee (August 31st-September 2nd)

Man in blacksmith shop making a hammer — Stephen McGhee at the forge

This is a new intermediate level class for the CCAC held at the Summit Blacksmithing Studio. The hammer is a fundamental tool for a blacksmith. Historically journeymen would show their knowledge and skill by making a hammer. In this intermediate level blacksmithing class, students will learn how to identify scrap steel with spark testing. Also, layout, punching and shaping of a hammer of their chosen style, as well as finishing, heat treating and putting a handle on the completed hammer. Students will take home a completed hammer of their own making.

Classes Scheduled:

Friday August 31 through Sunday September 2nd 2024

Class fee: $350 (includes materials and expertise to make your own forging hammer)

Friday afternoon/evening:

Students have the option to meet at the Summit Campground and discuss ideas about the class, projects, & their experience.

Saturday:

9 am class will start for a full day of blacksmithing

Sunday:

Students have the option to come and finish any details they didn’t get done on Saturday.

Student experience level: Intermediate

Number of students: 4 – 6 max

More information and Register HERE!

Hand-forging Coin Silver for Cascadian Design with Silversmiths Jack & Jeannette Burton

Classes:

Saturday, May 25th & Sunday, May 26th, 2024

Hand-forging Coin Silver for Cascadian Design Earrings with Silversmiths Jack & Janette Burton

** Please email info@cascadiaart.org if you’d like to see this class return to our schedule again this Summer 2024.

Join us for an eight-hour demonstration and hands-on, two-day class. Divided into two, four-hour parts, we will teach the history and basic techniques of creating Cascadia Style personal adornment. Students will cold-forge antique U.S. silver coins without the use of power tools on a simple tabletop workspace. Jack and Janette bring 50 years of uniquely American Jewelry making, craft, and tradition to the classroom. As an early member of The Portland Saturday Market Jack created his work not only in his Portland studio but internationally at fairs and in the marketplace during his many travels.

Day One:

10 am to 2 pm with a 20-minute snack & chat break. Introduction to the history, tools, and technique with hands-on coin forging, annealing, design, and layout.

Day Two:

10 am to 2 pm with a 20-minute snack & chat break. Jack & Janette will guide and assist each student with design-execution, metal forming, plenishing, chasing, filing, toning, and finishing. Student will take home a pair of earrings from disks they have forged from silver dimes and fashion their own ear wires from sterling silver.

Student experience level: Beginning-Intermediate

Minimum number of students: 4 – 8 max

Cost $275 includes – Your own handmade pair of Cascadia Design earrings and a student practice and polishing kit to continue your jewelry adventures at home! For more images of the work these talented artists create, go to their Instagram.

Monotype Nature Printing with a Gelli Plate 2-day Class with Anji Grainger

Anji Grainger will teach you to use nature to create beautiful imprints on paper & other surfaces. A gel plate is a great way to make natural eco-prints & in this 2-day course, you learn ways to layer & build our natural prints. A strong emphasis in composition & design is included. Leaves, bark, flowers, grasses & feathers as well as bubble wrap, string & anything that leaves a pattern, all work well with this process.

Classes will be from 9:30 am to 3 pm Thursday and Friday. We will be looking at using nature to create beautiful imprints on paper and other surfaces. Included will be lots of tips and tricks to use when creating at home. We will have a lunch break each day.

The class is held at the Cascadia Center for Arts & Crafts which has an altitude of 3,914′, so be sure to bring a water bottle and a sweater!

Nature Printing Supply List

Items you need to bring:

One gel plate Any size will work but I recommend no smaller than 6” x 6”

• One piece of plexiglass slightly larger than the size of your plate

• Acrylic paint in tubes: various colors (you will need one tube of white and one tube of black)

• Brayer

• Palette knife

• Roll of paper towels

• A round watercolor brush – medium in size and a liner brush

• A few watercolor paints to add depth at the end.

• A water container

• Micron pens – white and black (optional)

• Fresh plant materials that you gather each morning from your garden or on a walk. This can be done each day before class. Note, wilted plants can be difficult to work with so fresh is better. Plants that work well:

• Grasses

• Leaves with lots of veins

• Flowers with flat or small centers

• Anything with lots of visual texture

• Other natural options:

• Flat stones

• Moss

• Feathers

• Two water containers

• Assorted papers and surfaces.

Paper Suggestions:

• Hot-press Watercolor paper

• Drawing paper

• Any smooth printing papers

Additional items you may want to bring:

•Tissue paper. Any kind you might have lying around the house. We will use this for patterning as well as lifting.

•Deli paper, if you have it. I will have a small amount that I will bring, but I was thinking that some of you may like to make collage papers and deli paper works great.

•Plain copy paper – the kind you have in your printer.

If you have craft stamps and stencils at home, bring those. We can build layers with stamps. Anything else lying around that you think might make a pattern. Perhaps, think outside the box.