Roscoe Village Offers Education and Entertainment

Pottery

Roscoe Village Offers Education and Entertainment
Author: Angie Ianniello

Imagine a living history community offering glimpses into the past through costumed interpreters, craftsman demonstrators, and old-fashioned shops and restaurants that give a flavor of life in the 1800s. Living history, blooming gardens, shopping, dining, lodging--Historic Roscoe Village offers something for everyone. A restored 1830s canal town, Roscoe is located along what once was the Ohio-Erie Canal. In an effort to enhance its mission to interpret Ohio's Canal Era, each year Roscoe hosts various festivals, special events, and holiday activities that both educate and provide fun entertainment for guests. Set in the heart of Coshocton County, Ohio, Roscoe Village is just 90 minutes east of Columbus and 2 hours south of Cleveland, along State Route 16 and near the junction of U.S. Route 36.

Historic tours through the Village take guests back in time to the slower pace of life in an 1830s canal town. While strolling through the restored living history buildings, guests may see actual artisans at work, including a blacksmith, a weaver, a printer, a cooper, and a broom maker; observe old-time cooking demonstrations; sit in on a reenactment of an 1800s school lesson; view a full-scale canal boat replica; visit the immaculately groomed gardens displaying an array of colors; or participate in hands-on learning demonstrations like candle dipping, tin punching, or weaving.

At the Roscoe Village Visitor Center, find unique hand-crafted items made by Roscoe Village artisans for sale, including candle holders, weavings, wooden toys, rolling pins and other wood items, and brooms. Schedule a special candlelit tour with the group sales staff, or enjoy seasonal tours such as the "Spirit of Roscoe" (available September and October) or "A Roscoe Christmas" (available November and December). Group rates are also available for all tours.

A venue for fine dining and quaint hotel accommodations, the Inn at Roscoe Village contains 51 rooms and an elegant Parlor, featuring Shaker-style furniture, reasonable rates, and quality service in a comfortable relaxed atmosphere. Fully handicap-accessible, the Inn has been updated with new furnishings and a wireless Internet service, providing an attractive stay for both the business and pleasure traveler. In addition, the Inn has a variety of banquet, meeting, and private dining rooms for every occasion.

Visitors can browse the old-fashioned shops housed in original 19th century buildings and filled with area crafts, elegant home furnishings, books, baskets, gourmet coffees and foods, and much more. Besides hosting its own shopping establishments, Roscoe is also home to several independently owned and operated businesses. Exquisite jewelry, pottery (including a paint-your-own pottery studio), leather goods, musical instruments, antiques, and hand-made baskets name a few of the original items available at these stores. The Shops of Roscoe Village will open early or stay late to accommodate groups.

While at Roscoe Village, guests can satisfy the most particular of appetites at one of two restaurants. Choose the elegant dining of King Charley's Dining Room and Tavern or the rustic atmosphere of the Old Warehouse Restaurant. For a snack in the midst of enjoying the sights, grab some goodies or a cappuccino or hot chocolate made to order at the Cheesery, Roscoe's gourmet coffee and tea shop.

Also located in Roscoe Village is the Johnson Humrickhouse Museum, an accredited member of the American Association of Museums, which features a Native American Collection, an Americana Collection, an Oriental Gallery, the Eclectic Collection, and special rotating exhibits. In addition, guests can climb aboard the horse-drawn Monticello III for a peaceful 40-minute float down a restored section of the Ohio-Erie Canal. The knowledgeable canal boat captain will entertain your group with long-ago stories and interesting facts about the canal. Group charters are available.

Guests seeking a more active day can journey down the Towpath, a one-mile walking and bicycle trail that runs from Roscoe Village to Coshocton Lake Park. Lake Park features a water park; camping facilities; a variety of nature trails ranging from ½ mile to two miles in length; and paddle boating. Also in Coshocton County, the nearby wineries and the Pomerene Center for the Arts are unique attractions. Roscoe Village is located 30 minutes from the world's largest Amish population in Holmes County, Ohio, and 20 minutes from the village of Dresden, the basket capital and home of the Longaberger Homestead. The Wilds, a wild animal preserve is just down the road, as is Salt Fork State Park. For more information, call Historic Roscoe Village at (800) 877-1830. http://www.roscoevillage.com " www.roscoevillage.com .

Angie Ianniello is the Public Relations/Text Coordinator for Historic Roscoe Village in Coshocton, Ohio. Her journalism background and experience in event planning have led Ianniello to speak at several conferences and meetings in the region.

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Porcelain Jewellery for Beginners

Pottery

Porcelain Jewellery for Beginners
Author: Winnie Tam
Making large objects from clay takes a lot of patience, sweat and dexterity, but making tiny pieces of jewellery can be another challenge altogether. For those of you who have decided to venture off into this delicate art form, here's a few tips to get you started and keep you on the path to making some fine, wearable pieces you can be proud of.

List of Supplies:

Small sponge
Wooden rolling pin
Hole cutter
Cutting wire
Pottery knife
Fine sable watercolour brushes
Metal findings (for earrings and brooches)
Face mask (for firing)

Be Prepared

You want to make sure you have everything at your finger tips so that you don't have to run to the store midway and come back to a hardened un-useable lump of clay. You can find supplies at most pottery stores. Greenbarn Pottery Supplies in Surrey, BC is one of my favourites.

The Right Clay for the Right Job

Porcelain is the best type of clay to use for jewellery because of its refined quality. It is smooth, pure and becomes very hard after being fired at 2200 degrees.

Shaping Techniques

It can be a fun exercise to pound away at your clay and throw great lumps to vent your frustrations, but for jewellery, a more delicate touch is required.

After rolling the clay to about 1/8 inches thick, use your pre-shaped cutter to press down and create uniform shapes, just like making cookies. Or for the more adventurous types, make your own shapes using dry hands, and a small sponge to smooth out the edges. Using a picture for reference always helps but remember to make the pieces slightly larger to allow for shrinkage. A word of warning: thin shapes can be broken very easily. For example, the thin legs of animals should be avoided. For a look at some effective shapes, take a look at the animal pins on my website at www.winnietam.ca.

Making Holes

Now that you have your shapes ready, it's time to put in holes for earrings, necklace chains or brooches. This can be done by using hole cutters of varying sizes, found at any pottery store. Don't make the holes too close to the edges, as they can easily break.

Painting

This requires good eyesight for the fine details and a steady hand. Under glazes are the only type of colour to use as they can withstand the high temperature of firing. The only drawback is that you cannot see the exact colour until the final firing, so this will take some trial and error.

Use a fine, sable watercolour brush and add one colour at a time to build up to the final picture. For those who have taken any watercolour or oil painting classes, the same techniques apply going from light to dark.

Firing and Glazes

Now it's time to put it in the oven and wait for the glorious results. Be aware that the fumes from firing are deadly, so extreme caution must be used to avoid gas poisoning. After firing it with the colors painted on (4 times), apply glaze on top and use a wet sponge to wipe off any drips at the bottom of the piece. A clear glaze can be used or a mother of pearl luster adds depth and brilliance. I usually paint on 22K gold luster to the edges, using a fine brush, however this can be very expensive – a 10 gram bottle is $270.

Attachments

It goes without saying that hypo-allergenic metal is the only kind to use for attachments, especially earrings, for health reasons. Always apply your attachments after the final firing. The best glue to use for brooches is Goop Houseware Glue. It takes 24 hours to cure.

Support and Reading

Making pottery alone in my studio is very therapeutic and relaxing for me, I can get very absorbed in the process. However, for those who prefer to learn and exchange ideas in a group situation check out the Potters Guild of BC at www.bcpotters.com . You will find workshops, networking opportunities and discussion board, all very helpful for those starting out.

A great magazine filled with pictures, articles, contests and suggested reading is Ceramics Monthly. Many potters send in tips they've learned along the way and it's a good magazine to see some incredible pieces. This is meant to inspire, by the way. Be patient, keep practicing and before long you will be presenting friends and family with your beautiful treasured creations for many special occasions to come.

About the Author

Winnie Tam is a Vancouver based award winning designer who creates and sells porcelain jewellery as well as postcards and paintings. Visit her website at www.winnietam.ca

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Picture Frames – Make Or Break An Artpiece

Ceramics

Picture Frames – Make Or Break An Artpiece
Author: Lucy Bartlett -
One ancient proverb says a picture is equal to thousand words. What about picture frames. The main function of a picture or photo frame is to protect and highlight the content it holds. A beautiful work of art can be made to look drab by framing it improperly, using wrong materials. Similarly an excellent frame can definitely enhance the beauty of the picture it holds.

There are frames and there are frames but to select which is most suitable for the picture or photograph it is going to be a very difficult job. A wrong choice and you lose the contented feeling you get when you look at a work of art.

Occasionally, pictures are abnormal in size so you need custom picture frames which are quite expensive. To complement the picture, to get a perfect look and merge with ambience of the room where the picture is display one should be willing to commission a professional to build the perfect frame.

Picture and photo frames of standard sizes are not expensive and they can be bought from your neighbourhood shop. To suit our individual style and also to enhance the quality of the pictures, care should be taken to incorporate these factors when we select standard picture or photo frames.

Picture frames come in hundreds of colours, different shapes and a wide variety of materials which will complement the interior decoration.

The photo frames are made of pewter, stainless, ceramics, composites and crystal. Your budget is the only criteria to select the best available design and material.

Picture frames can be artful in their own right with wide borders, bright and bold colour. Try to avoid a picture frame which overwhelms the image it carries.

For the contemporary home select metal frames in darker shades such as black, copper, gold or silver. To get a Mediterranean style select bold white frames. To create an antique Victorian look ornate gilded frames are the best choice to highlight beautiful art and special prints.

The children's room will get a youthful atmosphere by using plastic frames in vivid colours.

Avoid metal frames to encase valuable pieces of art. They are priced moderately and sold as kits with their backs open. This makes the contents exposed to dust and moisture.

With proper tools and after little practice you can make your own wooden picture frames and it is a correct choice for original arts, limited edition prints and other valuable photos.

Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

Lucy Bartlett is a proud contributing author. Find more articles here . For more info visit Picture Frames or Custom Frames

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Modern Uses For Ceramics

Ceramics

Modern Uses For Ceramics
Author: Claire Quaty
We commonly think of ceramics as art objects and decorations. But ceramics really are diverse pieces of multi-purpose material that are made from burning formed pieces of pottery. This shaped clay started out many years ago being hand-formed and was eventually made with a wheel to iron out any fingerprints or major imperfections.

Handmade ceramic is still made as an art form today, even though it is no longer the industry standard for making objects. As a beginner you would learn to mold, glaze and trim the clay to form objects. Uniquely painted, polished and decorated ceramic is always sought after. Developing your own style will come from practice and experimentation.

Most ceramic materials, however, are now made with precision using machines that do not rely at all on the human touch. But it doesn't mean that this molded clay doesn't touch our lives. Modern developments have made it possible for companies to create new and diverse products from the clay that can change how we do things in the future.

Well-Known Uses for Ceramics

Most people are aware of the presence of ceramics in their homes. It can commonly be found in their art sculptures, dishes, platters and other kitchen wear, kitchen tiles and bathroom structures. It is functional and often beautiful.

Lesser-Known Uses for Ceramics

What most people aren't aware of is how diverse ceramic materials really are. They can be used for almost anything. Ceramics are currently used for computers, tools, dental replacements, engine parts and tiles on space shuttles. Ceramics play an important role in our everyday lives, even the parts we can't see and don't give much thought to.

Future Uses for Ceramics

Scientists are just beginning to tap into the many uses for ceramic. The biggest area we expect to see growth in is how it will help in our life functions. It will be able to sense our needs and deliver medicine as needed. It will be able to remove impurities from our drinking water. It will be used to replace bones such as hips, knees and shoulders. It will be able to replace diseased heart valves. The health benefits from using ceramic in the medical field are remarkable.

A common use for ceramic today is in the dental field. Ceramic can be used to make fillings, crowns, veneers, implants and brackets used for holding braces in place. As an increasingly vain society, ceramic will be used more often not only for our dental needs, but to improve the look of our teeth in general.

Because of the remarkable electric, mechanic, thermal, optical and magnetic abilities, ceramic materials have numerous uses. The possibilities of how we use ceramic are literally endless. From the medical field to computer technology, ceramic material has and will have a profound effect on how we do things. It can really change the way we live, how long we live and how well we live. It will make our day-to-day life easier, increase our technology and help us to live long, healthy lives even when our natural body parts can no longer support us.

Article Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

Ceramic Themes with Information and Resources

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