Juniata County artists part of annual Council of Arts Juried Exhibit

Jun 03, 2023

Aug 29, 2023

THOMPSONTOWN — Since his teenage years, Francis Ranck has had a lifelong love affair with the wood lathe.

It started at the former Juniata Joint High School when the Thompsontown man, now age 79, signed up for an industrial arts class. His instructor introduced him to the tool and the rest is history.

“Once I got on the wood lathe, that’s all I wanted to do,” laughed Ranck. He made lamps and bowls at the time.

Today, Ranck’s interest remains as he made a bowl out of deer antlers. His piece is currently on display at the Perry County Council of the Arts’ ninth Annual Juried Exhibition at the Landis House, 67 N. Fourth St., Newport. It will remain there through Thursday, Oct. 26.

Ranck is one of four Juniata County artists to have their work in the exhibit. The others are Tricia Benner, of Thompsontown; Todd Tabb, of McAlisterville; and Kate

Zeigler, of Port Royal.

Benner has two floral framed pieces, “Botanical Bursts,” while Tabb made a golden salt jar. Ziegler, who has two pieces on display, placed third in the water media category with her work, “Rocky Chicks.” Her other piece is titled, “Night Herons.”

Feature artists are from Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Northumberland, Perry and York counties.

Underwritten by Paul and Rose Anderson, PCCA’s exhibition features outstanding juried artwork in a variety of media, selected by Juror Bonnie Mae Carrow, a Pennsylvania-based artist, educator and director of education at the Susquehanna Art Museum.

“After graduation, I went to Montgomery Ward in Lewistown and bought a wood lathe,” Ranck recalled. “I did few things on it.”

Eventually, he went into carpentry and fueled his wood lathe hobby by keeping scraps from his work. “I saved a lot of pieces of wood,” he said.

“If someone had an old chair, they’d give me a lot of pieces and parts.”

Once he retired, he spent much of his time at the wood lathe. So much so that he often loses track of time.

“I enjoy it,” Franck said. “I’ll put something on and start at like eight in the morning. The next thing I know, it’s two in the afternoon.”

Besides using wood scraps – and deer antlers – he also uses other household materials. “I like making things out of colored pencils,” he added. “I make a lot of Christmas things – ornaments and trees. I just do it when I feel like going out there.”

Typically, Franck attends six or seven craft shows a year. “I enjoy that, too,” he explained. “I like talking to people. I don’t mind showing them whatever I’ve learned.”

Visitors to the Annual Juried Exhibition can vote for their favorite work of art to receive the People’s Choice Award. Many of the pieces on display are offered for sale and can be viewed and purchased at www.perrycountyarts.org.

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