Capital City Carvers

Meet the Instructors

Four very experienced wood carvers serve as instructors for Capital City Carvers. They have been wood carving for a combined 113 years! Here they are in order of experience.

Barbara Mann began carving in 1971 in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Her first teachers were Amanda Crow and Dewey Owle of the Cherokee Nation. Later Jack Hall of John C. Campbell Folk School became her other influential teacher of carving animals. She learned carving faces from the master-Harold Enlow. Many other carvers added to her skills over the years as she attended numerous schools and workshops. Her strong points in carving are good technique, an eye for detail and design, and the ability to teach others. Animals and people are her favorite subjects. She's taught at the Folk School, roundups in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Indiana, and many workshops. "I love carving animals from native hardwoods in the Western North Carolina style-not much detail (like fur or feathers), but with nice design and finishes to show off the beauty of the wood. Carving faces and cottonwoods bark houses are great creative challenges."

Adelle Grosskopf says "I started carving in 1989 when Barbara began a carving group at FSU. I wanted to learn about power carving so I drew up my courage and took a class from Desiree Hajny in Lehigh Acres in 2000. Birds and animals are my favorite subjects. Besides Barbara, the most influential carving teachers have been Nancy Crippen, Bob Guge, Desiree Hajny and Tad Fyock. I guess my strong point is seeing the carving in its whole context. This takes lots of continual practice. It takes a while to get it back if it has not been used in recent times."

Robert Christian learned to carve in 1994 when the carving club started. He has taken many workshops since then and discovered his love for carving caricatures. Two of his influential instructors are Steve Brown and Gary Falin. His strong points are patience in carving his detailed figures, and skill in painting them in layers of

thin acrylic paints. He has also developed a skill at sharpening knives, which makes him a valuable friend of beginning carvers! Ask him about his "carving chair."

Lance Peterson began carving in 2001. The instructors who influenced him the most in the development of his carving skills are the late Bob Beatty, of Two Harbors, MN; Barbara Mann, and Kirt Curtis. He sees his desire for detail as his strong point in carving. He sees carving realistic songbirds as well as designing and carving Christmas ornaments as his specialty areas. He says "I don't sell my carvings; rather I enjoy giving them away and thinking about the recipients as I carve for them, particularly my 10 grandchildren."

Southeastern Woodcarving School

The 2017 Southeastern Woodcarving School takes place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 7 to 9, at the Wetumpka Civic Center, 410 South Main Street Wetumpka, AL. The registration fee for carving classes is $175. Advanced registration before June 15 is required.

Thirteen carving classes are being offered: Beginning Woodcarving—Mac Proffitt: Scenes on Walking Sticks—Berry Vestal; Pictorial Deep Relief—Randy Walters; Cottonwood Bark Houses—Ginny Gray; Wood Burning Landscapes—Michele Parsons; Human Bust—Ken Carter; Low Relief Portrait Carving—Dylan Goodson; Carolina Wren—Riley Monroe; Cypress Knees—Carole Jean Boyd; Caricature-Floyd Rhadigan; Woodland Animals-Leah Goddard; Spirit Face-Chris Howard; Petite Cottonwood Bark Houses—Allen Carmichael. A Folk Art Painting class by Ethel Green is offered for spouses for $100. There is an additional fee in each class for the materials.

One vendor will have tools and supplies for sale—Smoky Mountain Woodcarving Supply. You can enter the wood carving competition. Motels and RV parks are available in Wetumpka and Prattville—both are just north of Montgomery. Website: www.centralalwoodcarving.com. A great learning opportunity!