MUSEUM ART SHOW SEPTEMBER 7, 2019 5:00 to 7:30
Museum Art Show Featuring the Cross Stitch of Kim Klarner and the Woodwork of Vernon Kemp September 7 to 29
The cross-stitch excellence of Seymour area resident Kim Klarner will be on display at the museum during September. Kim has been a practitioner of the craft since her early twenties when she was a representative of company promoting at home crafts. "I used to put on demonstrations for the business to get more people interested in the patterns they offered. I didn't stay with them long, but it sparked my interest and it turned into a life-long hobby. When we moved to the country I took about fifteen years off to concentrate more on gardening, but then returned to the craft with renewed vigor. Overall I've produced about twenty items. Working at least an hour a day, a major project will take six to nine months. I enjoy creating a variety of images, but tend to favor wildlife."
Vern Kemp has been working with wood for most of his life. Around 1971 he started carving small animals, wood chains and mushrooms with his jackknife while sitting at the campfire with his family and friends. That started a lifelong love of working with wood. Being a tree trimmer, he has a vast knowledge of wood types and the different look it would bring to the piece he was creating. Kemp's mentor, Marvin Dalke of Seymour, was a master carver and shared much of his knowledge and experience with him.
Kemp was asked to make a table for a benefit and that started him on a new way of working with the raw material to create furniture. He has built more than 28 tables that he has shared with his family. Kemp jokingly refers to the house as a "house of tables." The only bad part about it is they all need to be dusted.
The craftsman also enjoys hunting, giving him a lot of time in the woods where he may eye up an interesting branch or a root saying, “wouldn’t that make a nice cane or walking stick.” He now has a cane for every occasion.
Kemp stays young at heart by being a man with many interests. He also has experience with taxidermy mounting his own birds, fish and deer.
The Seymour Community Historical Society will host a "Meet the Artist Night" Saturday, September 7, from 5:00 to 8:00. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. The program is open to the public.