Printing With Vintage Potato Mashers At The Farmington Valley Arts Center, Avon, CT

Joan Shackford Demo's The Art Of The Potato Masher At FVAC

I was so excited yesterday to visit a children's summer program class at The Farmington Valley Arts Center, Avon, CT  and find the instructor Joan Shackford  teaching her students how to print with old kitchen tools including whisks, potato mashers, handled sponges and more.


 Printing With Vintage Potato Mashers

As the kitschy collector who loves vintage kitchen utensils, I adored the retro potato mashers. My, my I had no idea that they made so many different kinds of potato mashers and that each one was capable of creating a unique pattern when dipped in acrylic paint.

Old Kitchen Whisks Make Cool Designs

But the potato mashers had some competition. The old kitchen whisks were also very cool.  Joan showed the kids how to dip the utensils into acrylic paint and experiment with overlapping patterns, thickened textures and watered down backgrounds. Leave it to school age children to come up with some very engaging artwork.

Thrifty Kitschy Art

 I have visited many of Joan's classes and she really is the master of kitchen art. There is nothing that Joan doesn't recycle for art projects. You'd be amazed  at how thrifty and kitschy Joan's projects are!


C. Dianne Zweig is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of I Antique Online an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro café. To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com Dianne is a member of: The American Society of Journalists and Authors The Society of Professional Journalists