The Friends of the RCS welcomes our first Art for A Song artist participants, Lee and Elizabeth Sauder, Rockbridge County artists, and brother and sister-in-law of our own mezzo-soprano, Anne Sauder. The Sauders have donated two art works to kick us off with our first drawing which audience members can enter at our April 2, 2017 concert. Drawing will be held on April 3, and winners will be notified by mail or email. In today's post, learn a bit about Lee Sauder and his work.

Lee is a blacksmith, bloomsmith, and sculptor. He has donated to the Friends of the RCS a work in wrought iron which he titles Reclining.

Lee “digs up iron ore and transforms it into metal by the ancient and long-forgotten art of bloomery smelting…then tries to forge something beautiful out of the iron he’s made”. Lee produces his sculpture, architectural iron and customized furniture at his home forge, Germinal Ironworks, on the south slope of House Mountain right here in Rockbridge County. He started working in iron as a blacksmith’s apprentice at the age of 12. Today he is best known in the blacksmith community for his research into ancient iron smelting. He travels extensively to research and teach smelting techniques.

Check out Lee’s sculptures on his website http://www.leesauder.com and watch how bloom iron is made http://www.leesauder.com/smelting_video.php.

The Friends of the Rockbridge Choral Society thanks Lee for his donation in support of the RCS and our first Art for A Song give-away. Our audience members will have a chance to enter and win Reclining on Sunday, April 2, 2017 when the RCS presents Rachmaninoff's Vespers as they close their 2015/2016 performance season. Please join us!

Reclining - 17 X 3 " in wrought Iron, by Lee Sauder