John and Judy Zeigler live in the mountains of Western North Carolina, surrounded by the inspiration to pursue their creative undertakings. Working together, they share creative ideas. Often, their skills are combined to create a unique piece of art. They hope you will be intrigued by the various artistic creations as you browse the galleries.
Judy Zeigler
The finished gourd with coiling and accented with sliced walnut shells. Judy has always loved working with her hands to produce unique creations. She says, "Gourds offer a limitless canvas to express my artistic creativity." Her current gourd art projects include pyrography, painting, cut-work, coiling, and basketry on the gourds. Judy's specialty is coiling with waxed linen thread to create functional and decorative pieces. The gourd art pieces are often combined with the hand-forged iron bases created by her husband and son. Judy has been teaching closed coiling for about 15 years, often with her daughter, Jody. They have taught classes at The Gourd Gathering in Cherokee, NC for 10 years. Upon request, she teaches classes in her home and to interested groups. Judy will be teaching at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC in July and December 2021. She is always amazed and thrilled by the variations in the projects and creativity of the students. Judy's work can be seen in Weaving on Gourds by Marianne Barnes. Several of her tutorials have been published in the Journal of Tutorials printed each year for The Gourd Gathering. Judy attended Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida and has a B.A. degree in Art Education from the University of South Florida. She is a member of the American Gourd Society. |
A Family Tradition Burnt Whisker Forge is operated by their son, Lance Zeigler in Ellijay, GA. He creates both functional and sculptural works of art. Lance demonstrates with his father at the craft festivals. 
"Day Lilies" by Lance Zeigler
Carrying on the Tradition
Three generations often demonstrate at craft festivals. 
 Mason is learning blacksmithing from is father and grandfather.
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John Zeigler
John has worked with metal the majority of his life, fabricating everything from trailers, tanks for fire trucks, to BBQ smokers. A friend invited John to a blacksmith meeting and he has been forging ever since. He prefers making functional items such as, steak turners, tripod and cross bar cookers, trammels, wind chimes, dinner chimes, and candle holders, but does some custom work. John annually co-teaches blacksmith classes, with his son, Lance at John C. Campbell Folk school in Brasstown, NC. He demonstrates at many arts and crafts festivals to promote the art of blacksmithing. John is a member of the Alex Bealer Blacksmith Association and Appalachian Area Chapter of Blacksmiths. He participates at the Southern Blacksmith Association Conference in Madison, GA, often working with students in the "Green Coal" classes. 
John assisting a student during a class at John C. Campbell Folk School.
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