816-Lancasler Farming, Saturday, April 8, 1995 Husband And Wife Demonstrate Historical Crafts Bavarian Folk Art By Elsa LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff MYERSTOWN (Lebanon Co.) Elsa Huber lives smack in the middle of Pennsylvania Dutch country, between Schaefferstown and Myerstown. In her country home she has an art studio where she has revived an old-style Pennsylvania Dutch art called Bavarian Folk Art. According to Elsa, this type of painting originated in the Alpine regions of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria during the 1700 s. ‘The bright, colorful flowers that are characteristic of this folk art are formed from a single stroke. Every stroke is actually a comma painted in a variety of positions, including an inverted S-stroke. “If you can master the strokes in different positions, you can paint Bavarian Folk Art,” Elsa said of the fancy, colorful painting. ‘This type of painting was deve loped by peasants in Europe and is known for its inspiration rather than artistic ability,” Elsa said. The painting was found most often on soft wood pieces such as pine furniture. This helped to pre serve the soft wood. Many fine pieces were decor ated in this style, although some pieces were quite crude-looking because the furniture makers lacked artistic painting ability. Some of the more elaborate pieces included flowers, scrolls, and birds. These designs are popular today on blanket chests, chairs, tinware, and wooden boxes. Elsa said her own interest in the art was kindled while living in Germany with her husband John Huber in 1980. After she married, her husband gave her some oil paints. Later, he encouraged her to take a class in Bavarian Folk Art. “I signed up for the class just to please my husband,” Elsa said. “But when I saw the paints and the designs, I was so excited.” Elsa discovered she had a knack for painting flowers and birds with the brightly colored paints. During the couple’s seven years in Germany, Elsa perfected her skill in Bavarian Folk Art. At first, Elsa practiced pages and pages of basic strokes. Later she traced some patterns, but now she paints freehand. When the couple returned to Pennsylvania, Elsa noticed that most Americans preferred softer colors rather than the bold colors used in true Bavarian Folk Art. To please American tastes, Elsa adapted her color schemes when making gifts for the family. About five years ago, someone asked Elsa to participate in a craft show. Her inventory sold out with in a short period of time. People praised her work pro fusely and after that, many people stopped by her home to buy things. Their encouragement resulted in her showing her work at more craft shows. Although she paints on almost any surface, she prefers to paint on old things. “The art is so old, I think an old piece complements it,” she said. Some favorite surfaces for the folksy art are milk cans, pie tins, cheese boxes, coal buckets, irons, wooden spoons, and cast iron pieces. Elsa’s artistic interest was evi dent as a child when she begged her grandmother to teach her to crochet and sew. When Elsa was 16 years old, she painted an outdoor scene. Her mother and other family members said it was “so beautiful.” Then her mother’s cousin, an artist, stopped by. When he saw Elsa’s painting, he said it was too pretty. Crushed, Elsa did not paint again for many years. “Now, I understand what he meant It needed depth and work. It was too fakey looking,” Elsa said. The folksy look of Bavarian folk art suits Elsa just fine. Her work is available at her home studio called Bavarian Folk Art by Elsa, R.D.#2, Box 433 L. Myerstown, PA 17067 or call (717) 866-6152. Elsa demonstrates the strokes needed to perfect the painting style of Bavarian Folk Art. Huberhaus LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff MYERSTOWN (Lebanon Co.) “A Dutchman is always on the go. He gotta stay busy,” said John Huber of his reason for taking up a new line of work after his retire ment from the army as a lieutenant colonel. In fact, it wasn’t until his retire ment that John discovered he had an artistic bent to carry on the tradi tion of his forefathers making redware pottery. “I don’t know if it’s in my blood or if I picked up an artistic inclina tion from watching my uncle, the late Charles Huber,” Huber said of his ability to deftly form bowls, pots, cups, and other pieces on the pottery wheel. Huber is proud that he can trace potters in his lineage back to the Revolutionary War and beyond that to Stephen Huber from Burg salach, Germany. Redware pottery dates back to America’s colonial period and is one of the earliest forms of pottery to be produced in the colonies. “In the early days, redware pot tery was the primary type of bowl used in the area,” Huber said. Red clay was predominate in the riverbeds of eastern Pennsylvania. Usually each settlement had a pot ter who provided various sizes of plates, mugs, jugs, bowls, candles tickes, roof tiles, pipes and even toys for the early German settlers. Redware pottery was simple, functional, and is often referred to as utilitarian pottery because it was used daily by the colonists. Old Elsa Huber displays Items she painted in Bavarian Folk Art. - iff.' rfcn* * Potte It wasn’t until his retirement that Huber discovered he had an artistic bent to carry on the tradition of his forefathers making redware pottery. redware pottery was glazed only , , . , thick and heavy, evidence of his when necessary and simply decor- sa^ s a oL We re unique, from the Schaefferstown heritage as he said, ated. if at all. va t lue ?, we picked up to the work « But if you are p ennsylvania The problem with redware is eth l, c ’. said Huber, who was raised D utc h > no matter where you go, that it is very porous and chips and until he was in you aj ways mm it back on, no breaks. As travel became more 1 Oth grade. His famdy then moved matter w h a t.” advanced, potters were able to 10 . Sometimes when Huber demon accumulate clay along the coast. My Pennsylvania Dutch accent strates redware pottery making, he which produces a higher quality was 80 “Jick you couW cut it with a dresses in historical garb and talks product that is harder and less able knife ’ That w »sn t very popular Pennsylvania Dutch in his most to chip. my schoolmates in the authe nUc accent. For this reason, potters stopped toptrid Huber said that during his Army making redware in quantity about **• Huber said without a trace of around the world, he longed the mid 1800 s. tneaccent. for p enn sylvania. “I guess I got a “Being Pennsylvania Dutch Then he lapsed into an accent so (Turn to Pag* B 17) ‘ /dp ‘ -to paint on collectibles or antiques. She said, Because Bavarian Folk Art Is old it complements older pieces.” Offers Traditional Redware
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers