Crafty Partners Share Hands-On Fun

A squish here, a splash of paint there, and the soul smiles.

Barb Scarth and Jan Meyer know satisfaction comes from creating with the hands, and they want to spread it around. They’ll open the Hands-On Art Studio in Coeur d’Alene next month, so anyone can pound clay, paint ceramics and carry home handmade products with pride.

But mostly, Barb and Jan are doing it for themselves.

“I feel like I can’t not do this,” Barb says.

Pottery was the constant in Barb’s life, through college, marriage, kids and career. She’s wanted to open a studio for 20 years, but life took her in other directions.

Barb taught occasional pottery workshops in Coeur d’Alene’s elementary schools and shared her talents at Lakes Middle School after she began teaching there in 1989.

But she knew a few years ago that she wasn’t satisfied.

“I like teaching and kids,” she says. “But I don’t fit in an institution. I’m not good at discipline.”

She moped about her situation until last winter, when she nearly lost her 18-year-old daughter, Robyn, in a snowshoeing accident.

Robyn broke her foot in a fall, but still hiked out of a rugged area, found help and saved the two friends who were with her.

“Miracles happen for a reason,” says Barb, 48. “I took it as my wake-up call. You could easily die tomorrow. If you’re not happy, change.”

Jan, 45, heard about Barb’s pending pottery studio and wanted in. She’d run The Bookseller in Coeur d’Alene for 24 years and co-directed summer art classes for kids for nine years.

The pair decided to open a studio with ready-to-paint ceramics - mugs, teapots, bathroom sinks - pottery wheels, paints, glazes and kilns. They’ll provide the materials, teach classes or rent studio space to individuals or for parties.

“Art breaks down barriers,” Barb says. “All ages can learn the same skills. Families can come together. People are getting back into crafts.”

So their souls can smile again.

Summer camp

Don’t leave the kids home alone all summer and spend half your work day refereeing their arguments on the phone. Youth for Christ’s Positive Activities for Awesome Kids runs July 7 through Aug. 14 in Coeur d’Alene’s City Park and cultural center.

Youth for Christ picked up where the YMCA left off years ago when it closed. The Y didn’t force-feed religion to kids and neither does Youth for Christ. But you can bet the activities are wholesome and fun - crafts, games, field trips, etc.

Campers will meet 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. Pay today for the six weeks, and it’s $235. After today, it costs $260. Call 664-5129 to negotiate.

Rock hounds

Wouldn’t know a garnet if it jumped out of the ground and bit you? Even I know they don’t do that, but I wouldn’t mind learning how to spot one.

The North Idaho Rock, Gem and Mineral Show at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds this weekend costs only $1 for admission and might inspire a new hobby. Learn to pan minerals or carve soapstone or just gawk at the pretty rocks. Call 773-2474 for details.

Ultimate trip

When I was a kid, my classes took field trips to the beach or local museums. Now kids go to Washington, D.C., or New York.

Beth Wright’s fourth-grade class at Hayden Meadows Elementary spent their last weekend of the school year at Mount Rainier, Poulsbo and Tacoma, studying rocks, minerals and marine life. You can bet those kids came home with a few surprises in their pockets.

What exotic or memorable field trips did you take as a school kid? File your itinerary with Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene 83814; FAX to 765-7149; call 765-7128; or e-mail to cynthiat@spokesman.com.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo