Melissa Engler & Graeme Priddle
September 1-5
This course is an exploration of embellishment techniques for turned forms. Students build a solid foundation in design fundamentals while exploring a variety of decorative possibilities through carving, texturing, pyrography, coloring, and finishing. With guidance from Graeme and Melissa, students experiment with new techniques, gaining confidence and refining their skills on practice boards before moving on to their own turnings brought from home.
Instruction covers strategies for drawing on diverse influences, generating personal design ideas, and selecting and preparing wood for carving and embellishment. Through demonstrations and hands-on practice, participants learn both power and hand carving, woodburning, and the application of acrylic and milk paints, paste waxes, and other finishing options.
Graeme and Melissa provide morning and afternoon demonstrations with plenty of open studio time throughout the day for individual experimentation. Additional demonstrations are offered as needed, ensuring everyone has support to develop their own distinctive approach. Tool selection, sharpening, and safety are emphasized throughout the week.
Melissa Engler is a woodworker/sculptor based in Asheville, NC. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in sculpture from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and is a graduate of the Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Program in furniture. Melissa’s work has been featured in Carolina Home + Garden, WNC Magazine, Woodwork Magazine, and American Craft and is held in private collections across the U.S. She teaches nationally and internationally with her partner and fellow wood-sculptor Graeme Priddle. Her website is melissaengler.com.
Graeme Priddle has over 30 years’ experience in the woodworking field, best known for his sculptural turnings/carvings reflecting his life and environments in Northland, New Zealand. He has won numerous awards for his work, which has been exhibited widely in New Zealand, UK, Japan, Taiwan, France, Germany, the U.S. and Canada. He has served on the committee of the New Zealand National Association of Woodturners for five years as well as being instrumental in establishing the New Zealand ‘CollaboratioNZ’ Conferences in 1998. His website is graemepriddle.com.
Open to all.
