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Memories Come Back On Old-Time Plaques
"Every scene comes from months of study, research and searching memories for exact detail. People often call months after buying a plaque to say they've just spotted some new detail," says Harvey Bernard, of Chatfield, Minn., whose silk-screened silhouettes detailing farm life "the way it used to be" are selling like h
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Memories Come Back On Old-Time Plaques FARM HOME Novelty Items 4-6-28 "Every scene comes from months of study, research and searching memories for exact detail. People often call months after buying a plaque to say they've just spotted some new detail," says Harvey Bernard, of Chatfield, Minn., whose silk-screened silhouettes detailing farm life "the way it used to be" are selling like hotcakes to farmers and ranchers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Detailing nearly every aspect of farm life, Bernard offers 41 different scenes which are silk-screened on light-colored pine boards and then protectively shellacked. Bernard exhibits at shows throughout the midwest but makes a large part of his sales through word of mouth, handling mail orders from his farm-based shop.
Scenes include "Steam & Chaff", a panoramic view depicting all the hustle and bustle of an old-time threshing; "The Runaway", a boy on a hay wagon being carried away by out-of-control horses; "Autumn Chores", a journey through corn shelling, silo filling, wood harvest, butchering and all the chores necessary to prepare for winter; and "Sunday Morning", a trip to church with horse and buggy, over a covered bridge past meadows of grazing cattle.
Bernard develops three or four new scenes a year. Many buyers who now collect his scenes keep up-to-date through his mailing list.
"A new design can take up to three months," Bernard says. "I draw the basic scene, then hang it on the wall where I can see it every time I come into the shop. When I look at a picture, details come to mind that must be added. Nothing is added until I have authenticated it and I am sure it belongs. The shape or type of wheels, for instance, must be right for the era depicted."
Once a drawing is complete, he makes a stencil and silk-screens the drawing onto a prepared plaque.
Farmers often ask about making a silhouette of their own farm. Bernard says the price is prohibitive for just one plaque. However, he will silhouette your farm with oil paints on canvas for around $200. Just send him good photos to work from.
Plaques range in size and price from 31/2 by 43/4 in. for $2.25 each, to 71/2 by 40 in. for $16.95, with a full range in between.
For a free catalog and more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harvey Bernard, Country Art, Rt. 2, Chatfield, Minn. 55923 (ph 507 867-4016).
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