“This is a great honor for me,” said Palmer. “Being selected by the festival’s jury is a real validation of my work.”
The Festival of the Little Hills is a “juried” event in which a panel of jurors reviews and approves potential exhibits. In contrast, non-juried events allow exhibitors without a review of their work in advance.
Palmer shares, “Being part of the Festival is a great milestone for me. When I purchased my first anvil seven years ago, it was all about trying my hand at something new. Now, to share my work at a show that attracts 300,000 people is indescribable.”
Over the course of the three day festival Palmer will deliver live demonstrations of metal forging, giving onlookers a close-up view of his creative process.
Palmer has also planned two special projects in the weeks leading up to the Festival, culminating in their unveiling at the show. Palmer reveals, “One of my passions is forging knives and a man named Doug Marcaida has been a big influence on me both in my craft and as a human being. I’m going to make a very special knife inspired by what I’ve learned from him. In addition, steel roses have played an important part in my development as a metal artist. I’ll be forging a rose bush made of steel.”
Palmer says that both projects are especially meaningful for him because he plans to give proceeds from the sale of each piece to an organization close to his heart. Palmer explains, “I plan to auction off both the knife and steel rosebush and to donate the proceeds to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital in the memory of my daughter Arissa, who spent so much time during the last months of her life in their care. The doctors and nurses were amazing and I have nothing but the deepest respect for them and their mission.”
As he works on each piece, Palmer says he will share his progress via social media to garner interest and awareness to benefit the hospital.
The Festival of the Little Hills is the Midwest’s premier arts and crafts show. A non-profit organization of the same name coordinates all aspects of the event. Every year since 1971 the Festival of the Little Hills has been celebrating the rich history of St. Charles, MO. The festival now hosts more than 300 arts and crafts vendors, crafting demonstrations, and antiques dealers. The 2019 show will run from Friday, August 16th to Sunday, August 18th. More details are available at https://www.festivalofthelittlehills.com.
To learn more about Jason Palmer and Blossoms & Blades Forge, go to https://www.facebook.com/blossomsnblades.
