Pewter making is their art, as well as their trade

Many of the pewter pieces Tom and Patricia Hooper displayed at the Country Folk Art Festival Saturday at the Kane County Convention Center in St. Charles may have looked familiar to collectors and admirers of their art.

The couple, who own ASL Pewter and live in Louisiana, Mo., provided about 500 pieces to the set of the Emmy-winning HBO miniseries "John Adams."

"The HBO set department began purchasing (pewter) pieces years before they started filming," Tom Hooper said. "They purchased from a variety of sources and they noticed that the majority of the pieces had our name on them. About three years ago, they started contacting us directly."

Hooper made sure the pieces were authentic for the time and place of the scene and that the finish was not too shiny or dull for the camera lens. All the work was done by phone, so the couple did not have a chance to meet actors Paul Giamatti, who portrayed John Adams, or Laura Linney, who played his wife. But they watched the miniseries a couple of times.

"I'd say, yeah, I remember that piece," said Hooper.

Tom Hooper, who says he does the "guy work," uses casting, pouring liquid metal into a mold, and metal spinning, pushing metal over wooden forms, to create his pewter pieces. He says casting is about 6,000 years old and spinning began about 1780. He also uses rubber molds for smaller items like spoons. This method began just before World War II.

Patricia does the customer service work and also does wriggle work engraving on some of their pieces, which she does with a rocker tool.

The Hoopers attend about 15 art shows a year and also sell to wholesalers. On Saturday, they were selling Christmas ornaments in a price range of $3 to $10, candlesticks from $20 to $200, and plates in a range of $20 to $150.

Tom Hooper also makes educational DVDs and the couple welcome school children into their studio to instruct them on pewter making and its history. They have started an apprentice program that includes design and even marketing.

"Kids today think they can just push a computer button and create something," Tom Hooper said. "I'm trying to document how pewter pieces are made."

The art festival features reproductions of antique American furniture and accessories. It runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, Sept. 28, at the convention center on the grounds of the Kane County Fairgrounds on Randall Road between routes 64 and 38 in St. Charles.