MOUNT VERNON — Tom and Linda Bland will be hosting their annual open house at Hammer Song Farm on Wade Road, Friday and Saturday. Tom Bland is a metal sculptor who offers workshops from October to May that give customers a chance to try their hand at making garden sculptures themselves. Bland makes sculptures ranging from smaller garden pieces up through large pieces, such as his life-sized series of humanoid figures inspired by the Chaco Canyon culture in the American Southwest.
Hammer Song Farm sits on the banks of the Kokosing on Wade Road on the outskirts of Mount Vernon, just off Tilden Avenue. The grounds are decorated with sculptures, many of which escape detection at first glance. The open house opens the grounds and the metal workshop to visitors.
Artists presenting works at this year’s open house are photographer Justin Abbruzzese of Delaware, jeweler Victoria Alvarez of West Chester, photographer Walter Shockley of Mount Vernon, sculptor Allen Wagoner of Mount Vernon, stained glass artists Kurt and Lori Wendling of Centerburg, and ceramic sculptor Jack Valentine of Hartville. Kathleen Varga of the Crooked River Herb Farm, who could be described in her own right as a food artist, will be on hand with a selection of her famous gourmet jellies, vinegars and hot peanut butter.
Interested visitors can sign up for future workshops, which are filling up fast, according to Linda Bland.
“Our classes for 2008 are filled, but we are booking for 2009,” she said. “With the move toward staying close to home with the gas prices, we offer something unusual for the area. Sort of an adult day camp.” Bland noted that featured artist Victoria Alvarez is not only a guest, she has also taken one of the metal-sculpting workshops.
The open house takes place at Hammer Song Farm on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information call 393-5442 or visit the Blands’ Web site at www.hammersongfarm.com.
