B2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 14,1982
Village Farm owners dabble in antiques, painting
BY BETH HEMMINGER
Staff Correspondent
“Folk art decorative painting is
apropos in the ’Bos with art in
terests growing in antiques,
handicrafts and vintage art
pieces,” says decorative painter
Debbie Wentz of Carlisle.
Debbie and Alan Wentz are the
owners of the Village Farm, a
retailing and wholesale supplier of
ready-mixed background paints
for the decorative painter, com
pleted decoratively painted
reproduction furniture, and other
antiquated home furnishings; and
also a flock of sheep.
Ten years ago, Debbie took her
first lesson in decorative painting
from artist, Jennie Piece of
Mechanicsburg. Ever since her
first lesson, she said she has been
“caught-up” in this art form and
over the years has steadily been
perfecting her skills.
Debbie explained this art as
painting on metals and woods with
flat paint in Williamsburg colors;
for example dry town green, bam
red or Lancaster yellow, to name a
few. These Williamsburg colors
give the pieces an authentic look.
Artists of decorative painting
usually paint on baskets, boxes,
trays, tin ware and furniture. She
stated that any type of picture can
be painted on the items, but
usually most artist paint folkloric
scenes, flowers and birds, usually
used in the 17th and 18th century by
the artists who developed this art
form so long ago.
With such enthusiasm in the art,
Debbie began thinking of a way
that she could turn this interest
into a business. Husband Alan, saw
Debbie’s possibilities in a business
and the couple began looking into
depth at the business sale of the
craft and found that it was as
difficult for fellow craftsmen as it
was for themselves to purchp°“
fine quality ready-miz
background colors because me
former manufacturer liquidated
his business.
The supply of the ready-mixed
background colors was dwindling
fast, said Debbie. And to have the
colors mixed in a local paint store
was extremely expensive.
The Wentzes’ business all began with Debbie’s love of
painting. Here she paints a new addition to her product line -
the 17th century candle box.
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The Wentzes decided to begin the
venture. Their first step was
looking for a paint manufacturer
who could produce the flat alkyd
finish paint. After continual
searching, the couple found a
manufacturer in Harrisburg to fill
their need and the business was on
its way.
As the months passed, Debbie
said she saw a change in the
business. No longer were the only
customers decorative painters as
had been the Wentzes original
idea, but other people were
stopping at Village Farm to pur
chase finished decorative painted
reproductions and antique fur
niture.
Debbie said, “I never realized
their was such an interest in the
finished product, but it is really
exciting.”
So, during the past year Debbie
and Alan have added finished and
unfinished reproduction doll
furniture and reproduction country
antiaues to the Village Farm in
ventory.
Debbie and Alan, both antique
lovers, look at auctions, antique
sales and shops for their
reproduction inspirations and
original Village Farm items. Alan,
in his spare time is the wood
craftsman, and has produced a
crib, settle and dresser for their
doll furniture line. He has made
the items from either pictures or
from copies that they purchased at
a sale. Then, Debbie uses her
handicraft of painting the
decorative folkloric scenes on the
furniture, giving each piece the
look of long, long ago.
Their line of antique
reproduction doll furniture will
soon be seen in an advertisement
in the National Doll Magazine.
Another unique 17th century
home furnishing being revived bv
the Wentzes is a 'candle box.’
Debbie explained that the candle
boxes were used at that time to
store the extra candles in the
winter and all the household
candles in the summertime from
the beat. Hay or straw was placed
in the trough of the boxes working
as a buffer against the heat.
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Village Farm decorative pai ier who holds a favoi /set lamb.
Debbie Wentz and her wood craftman a 4-h Extension agent, helps his wife in her
husband Alan stand with their daughter Heidi business in his spare time.
Debbie has given these century
old boxes a new name ‘gift
boxes’ for their revival in the
20th century. She said that they
don’t have to be used just for
candies, they can hold anything
from pencils and pens to nuts and
bolts.
Other projects still in the idea
stage for the Village Farm are:
producing an acrylic water base
paint for the hobbyist who is after
an extremely fast (hying paint;
opening up the shop for lessons to
be given by nationally recognized
decorative painters who would
teach classes for several days then
tour with the students through
colonial and Dutch areas of
Pennsylvania. n.
Debbie and Alan both feel that
their life on a farm and their
geographic location of, colonial
Carlisle have greatly influenced
their idea for this type of business
venture and has provided them
with the background for a beautiful
reproduction line of furniture and
home furnishings. The couple
agree that if they lived in a
suburban area, a decorative art
business would have been im
possible. They have utilized many
of the unused sheds and buildings
on their farm into storage areas
and a shop. Debbie said, “1 really
love the country lifestyle and try to
blend its beauty into all my
decorative art.”
Along with the country beauty,
Debbie works towards creating an
authentic antique look in each of
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Alan produces the antique reproductions for the business
in this wood shop at the Village Farm.
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her pieces and has searched out
the advice and help of long-time
artists. One such artist is Andrew
Loy, a relative of the Wentzes and
a decorative artist for 50 years.
Loy developed a variegated rose
for furniture decoration that is
painted with only one swipe of the
brush.
Debbie studied and learned this
technique from Loy and now uses
the variegated rose as her
trademark for Village Farm.
She enjoys painting on new
wooden and tin items as well as old
items that she has discovered at
flea markets or rummage sales.
Wien she purchases an item with
fragments of paint remaining, die
first has to remove all of the old
paint. She places it in boiling Spic
and Span water, an aid in paint
removal. Tile, she sands the item
until it is paper-smooth.
Sanding is the -most important
part of decorative painting said the
Sewing authority to talk
at Farm and Homo Confer
LANCASTER Marjorie Arch
Burns, a nationally known
authority on home sewing and
fashion, will present a Fashion And
Sewing Seminar at the Farm and
Home Center, here on August 24.
The Seminar is being coor-
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artist. The surface must be smooth
so the paint willflow on smoothly
with no laps or brush marks. After
the painting of the item is com
pleted, Debbie seals in the colors
with a minimum of 10 coats of
varnish. She stated that 10 coats of
varnish or more will keep the paint
and color intact. She said if fewer
coats of varnish are used, there is a
possibility that the paint will chip
and the color fade.
A story about
would not be complete if tbepet
. s sheep and horses were not meinK
turned. Heidi, the youngest of the
Wentz children Is the sheep herder
and exhibits her prize winning
Dorsets at the local fairs in 4-H and
Open competition.
Debbie said, “Having pets like
these are just another pleasure of
living on a farm.” And she added,
“These animals have all become a
part of my paintings at one time or
another.”
dinated by Doris W. Thomas,
Extension home economist with
the Lancaster County Extension.
Burns learned her trade from
Edna Bryte Bishop, the founder of
the Bishop method of clothing
construction. Burns co-authored
several books with Bishop and has
also authored ten of her own books
on sewing and fitting.
Marjorie Arch Bums 4s in
dependent. She does not represent
any company in the sewing in
dustry, therefore is free to express
her own beliefs about what is best
on the market today. With her
wealth of experience as an
educator, speaker, author and
sewing ekpert, she is considered t>y
many to be the greatest sewing
authority today.
The seminar will include a
potpourri and expertise on in
spirational ideas for sewing in
cluding: current trends in
tailoring; quick designer looks,
keeping up with the importance of
grain; quality ideas and secrets for
simple and successful sewing of all
types of garments and new, very
simple sewing projects and
boutique ideas.
For more information about the
Fashion And Sewing Seminar,
write or call the Lancaster County
Extension Service and request a
flyer describing the seminar.
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