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Northeast Blacksmiths |
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The schedule for our meeting this Spring was very full. Starting on Friday afternoon we had our tour of the Bevier House, near Kingston. We hosted Elizabeth Brim as our demonstrator for the weekend. And, we had the opportunity to view the Mastermyr Iron Find reproductions. All of this on top of our usual activities. Our demonstrator, Elizabeth Brim, has been a presence on the blacksmithing scene since the late 1980's. She has been involved with ABANA, and has served on the board as well as coordinated the gallery shows at the '92 and '98 conferences. She has also traveled to Europe where she participated in conferences in England, Wales and Aachen, Germany. Elizabeth is closely associated with Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, and was the force behind the building of the new blacksmith studio there. Her work is a mix of ideas and techniques, that all share the feeling of the plasticity of steel. She has created a series of pillows (yes, pillows) that are steel sheet, with surface treatments, and when hot are inflated with compressed air. There is also a true to life series of articles of clothing - hats, shoes, shirts, and more. Looking at these pieces it is hard to believe that they are not cloth but steel. Elizabeth also works with plant and flower forms using them on fire screens and forge welded into the handle of a fireplace shovel. She is a gracious and entertaining person and should prove to be a very memorable demonstrator.
Mastermyr Iron FindThis recreation of an historic Viking ironwork hoard, was be on display the whole weekend. This was a project that grew out of a discussion on "theforge" chat site. The "caretaker" of the collection, Bill Clemens, brought the collection to Ashokan, and was glad to discuss this project with all that were interested.
Bevier House TourFriday May 2, we met at the house at 3 and stayed until about 4:30pm. The Bevier House, prior to 1711, is also the headquarters of the Marbletown Historical Society. This house is a fine example of the colonial period stone houses that are found in this area. Admission was $2.50. Nearby, just off 209, is the town of Old Hurley. If you have a chance take a drive along the Main Street. There are a number of old stone houses, one or two of which have hardware featured in "Early American Wrought Iron", by Albert Sonn. The house is easy to get to from the Kingston exit on the NY Thruway (Rt. 87). After exiting the tollbooth bear right onto Rt. 28 West to Rt. 209 South, about 1 mile. Enter Rt. 209 and proceed South 5.4 miles. There will be fields on the right and then the road curves to the right. In the curve, watch for the sign for the Historical Society. It is the first driveway on the right, a square stone house with yellow shutters and trim. If you pass it you will see, on the right, the Willow Creek Inn, ½ mile past the house. Turn there and make your way back.
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