The print., March 03, 1982, Page 7, Image 7

Cast and hammer; metalsmithing class offered
By Alison Hull
Of the Print
*
How would you like to
make something out of say,
silver or gold?
Les Tipton, an art instruc­
tor at the College, teaches a
Jewelry/Metalsmithing class
Monday, Wednesday, and Fri­
day from 10 a.m. to noon.
“The jewelry students at
the college basically are begin­
ners and have no approach in
jewelry equipment and
methods such as sawing, filing,
and casting,” Tipton said.
“There’s three main areas I
cover. Starting fall term is the
construction phase, winter
term is the casting phase and
spring term the forming and
hammering phase.
“The construction phase is
basically focused around the
sodering bench. Students learn
the various surfaced skills and
large and small scale sodering
techniques,” Tipton said.
“Starting winter term is the
casting phase. Our heaviest
concentration is on casting and
in spring term it is the forming
and hammering,” Tipton con­
tinued. “This term involves
more understanding of what
metals can do. The student
learns how to change the shape
of metals like making a thick
piece of metal into a thin piece
or a long piece of metal into a
short one.”
“I usually assign the first
project or two and after that the
students can make what they
want,” Tipton said. “There’s a
variety, of materials we use to
make certain things. The class
is based on metals, but we use
a lot of different materials like
hardwood, gold, clay, and
plastic.”
Robert Waller, a student in
the class commented, “This is a
great class and I like Les. I
learned the basic skills of
jewelry making in high school
and when 1 came here there
were more knowledgable in­
structors and my talent grew.
This class also stimulates
creativity.”
Another students in the
class, Duane Smith said, “I had
some -.experience in jewelry
making before I took this class.
It’s more of a hobby for me and
I really like the class. Tipton is
an excellent teacher and he’s
really knowledgeable.”
A variety of methods in
making jewelry or containers
are used. Students will learn
basic skills in using things like a
torch, polishing machines,
tools, and a sheet metal cutter.
Tipton holds a masters
degree in art education and a
masters degree in sculpture
from the University of Oregon.
He has been teaching the class
at the College since 1975.
Staff Photos by Duane Hiersche
UP IN SMOKE, Jewelry instructor Les Tipton helps
Betty Tribe in her project.
IN THE MAKING. Gordon Reeves prepares his belt buckle.
Playwright Barr completes cycle at College
By J. Dana Haynes
Of The Print
“All cycles must be com­
pleted. Once you have any
given interest placed in your life
it becomes necessary to com­
plete that cycle by following
through with it.” So says
Elaine, one of the characters in
Linda Barr’s Not Any More.
And true to form, Barr’s
cycle has come full circle. Her
first lead role was as Mary in
Mary, Mary, performed here
at the College. “It’s good to see
this cycle complete,” she said,
“1 wouldn’t want this show to
be premiered anywhere else.”
Barr’s theatrical career did
not begin at the College. Like
many actors and actresses, she
started in grade school and
continued on through high
school. She wrote her first play
in sixth grade, but “...it was
never published,” she admit­
ted. I
Her first play to be produc­
ed was The Importance of
Being Frank, which was a
one-act co-written with Warren
Picket. Not Any More is Barr’s
first full length play.
“I’ve always loved
writing,” Barr said, “I like doing
dialogue, that’s why I wrote a
play. I couldn’t write a novel,
because I don’t know enough
about grammar. Someday, I’d
like to try though.”
Wednesday, March 3, 1982
Not Any More is the story
of Jane Smith, a woman who
allows others to dominate her
life. Jane is, in the words of the
playwright, a “fish.”
“I think I used to be a fish
until recently,” Barr said. “Jane
is me, as well as my sister
Elaine, who was a bankteller
like Jane. Almost all of the
.most offensive lines in the play
were really said to one of us.”
Those offensive lines
come mostly from Jane’s
macho ex-husband Curt and
two of the blind dates her
shrewish sister, Barbara, sets
up for her, Tygh and Spiro.
The former date, Tygh
Tragg, is a polyester clad clod
with an open fly and a taste in
clothes that went into a tailspin
in the early seventies. “Tygh is
a combination' of quite a few
people,” Barr said. “But I’d
rather not name names.”
Spiro, Jane’s space cadet
computer date, is more a pro­
duct of Barr’s imagination. “I
think everybody would like to
be a ‘Spiro’ once in a while. I
think he’s very likable and
refreshing, although insane. I
don’t know exactly where he
came from,” she said.
Alex the TV repairman
and male lead, is fashioned
after Barr’s husband, Alan Bat-
dorf. “There aren’t many nice,
regular guys like Alex and Alan
in the world of dating,” she
said.
Barbara, the over-bearing
big sister, is also a ficticious
character. “My three sisters
aren’t like that. You have to
have an antagonist in a play,
and it’s fun to play a character
like that,” Barr said.
Writing a play with strong
female roles was part of the
original goal, Barr explained,
“There was a time when I
would do any show at any
time. But there are so few good
female roles and I got tired of
character stuff. I don’t. know
how many southern belles I’ve
been.”
And Jane’s role? “I’ve
always wanted to write a play
about what single women go
through. However, I don’t
think I did a very good job of it
here. I got a little too funny
about it, and the ‘singles scene’
can be truly tragic.”
Despite these self-doubts,
Barr is excited about Not Any
More. Last week she observed
a “run-through” of the produc­
tion. “It’s real exciting to see a
run-through,” she said. “I’ve
created something; how I get to
see some one else go on with
it. I don’t think a play is com­
plete until it’s been performed.”
Many people in theater at­
tempt to write their own plays,
but few actually finish the pro­
ject. “Most people don’t have
anything to do with their shows
after it’s done. But I was still on
Act II when Jack (Shields) of­
fered to direct it, and that was
the incentive I needed to
finish.”
Barr graduated' from the
College in 1976, and was quite
active on the stage here before
that. “It felt so weird walking in
here. I parked in the same old
spot. The only difference was
the trees; they’re so much big­
ger than when I was going
here,” she reminisced,
“I’m very excited about
this show. My family and all the
people I work with are coming
to the opening night,” she said.
“When you have your own
show, you think it’s going to be
good. But...what if it’s not?”.;.
without giving up
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