OC Art Teacher Wins Blue Ribbons At County Fair

Think the County Fair is only for 4-H and Clover kids?

Think again!

This year, the Open Class section of the fair boasted a large collection of projects of all kinds and from all age groups. 

Clearwater-Orchard's very own art teacher, Shannon Schumacher, had various projects on display, one of which won the blue ribbon. 

Schumacher and his wife, Courtney, have been entering projects in the fair for the past three years. He credits his beginnings as an artist and fair-lover to his 4-H involvement as a kid. 

"I always did wood-working when I was young in 4-H, because I was always involved in 4-H all the way through," Schumacher explained.

Since then, his love for art and wood-working has grown, and now that Schumacher has a home of his own he uses his passion and skills not only for fair projects, but also to furnish his house and the houses of friends and family. 

"That's kind of what our house is inside. We've redone pretty much all of our furniture," said Schumacher. "I just got tired of all these pieces of furniture people throw out. I picked up a buffet once on the side of the road that said 'free,' and that was the first one I did. That one's still in the house right now."

As Schumacher explained his passion for wood-working, he showed the projects he entered in the fair this year and explained how he made them. 

"This," he said, pointing at a cute pet bed with lace curtains, "was actually my daughter's idea a couple years ago. She was going to make it into a doll house, it was pink originally, and then we never finished it. I bought a new saw to cut all the angles and this is her cat bed now!"

The cat bed is an old coffee table turned upside down with a little a pointed built on top. Schumacher added cut-up lace curtains bought at Ewing's small thrift shop, painted and stained it and added a cushion to turn it into a bed fit for cat-royalty. 

Schumacher shrugged and said, "We just made it with stuff found in the garage, that's all this is."

Shannon Schumacher isn't the only one who brings projects to the fair. His wife Courtney also enjoys upcycling furniture and usually has a variety of projects to show. As a nurse, however, she didn't have much time for art projects this year.

"Most of the stuff here this year is mine, my wife didn't have time," explained Schumacher. That's probably a good thing for him, because last year Courtney Schumacher took first place with her window, leaving Shannon Schumacher's hall tree in the dust. 

Schumacher, however, was all laughs as he remembered the experience. He explained that he truly enjoys working on these projects as a family.

All laughs aside, the Schumacher's upcycled furniture is a one-of-a-kind, and masterfully made. Now days, though, a lot of time goes to helping their daughter with her 4-H projects. 

"Last year I think I had 15 things here, this year I only have five because now I'm busy with her!"

Schumacher proudly showed off his daughter's art, including an upscycled picture frame, his love for her creativity clearly showing. 

If you're interested in some of the Schumacher's creations, stay on the lookout. Although most of their projects go to their house and friends and family, sometimes you can see Shannon Schumacher selling a piece of creative furniture on local Facebook selling sites, or at local farmers market.