Capital City Carvers

CARVING OPPORTUNITIES

Oct 2-9, 2024, Sevierville TN Smoky Mountain Woodcarvers carving and pyrography seminars, Festival And Competition, contact JR Hemmerlein 309-620-1197, Corngrinder5Q@yahoo.com

Oct 17-27,2024, Pensacola FL. Pensacola Interstate Fair

Oct 21-25,2024, Renegade Woodcarvers Roundup, Lebanon TN. Gary Falin, Marvin Daniels, Rich Wetherbee, Kevin Applegate and Bruce Ankeny www.sbrownwoodcarving.com

Oct 26-27, 2024, Asheville, NC. Western North Carolina Carvers exhibition at Folk Art Center, Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 382.

Nov 1-2, 2024, Huntsville, AL. Mid-South Woodcarving Show and Competition, Trinity United Methodist Church, 607 Airport Rd.

Nov 9, 2024, Inverness, FL. Nature Coast Woodcarvers show, sale and competition. 9228 E Gospel Island Rd.

Other opportunities are listed on the Chip Chats website. www.ChipChats.org

Thoughts on Carving a Complex Interpretive Carving

Attending the Ward's World Championship Bird Carving Show is not just wandering around looking at and appreciating the magnificent works of art and spending a chunk of change on items that you just have to have for your carving kit. Several of the champion carvers are generous in offering discussions on various topics that are useful in improving your carving techniques and introducing you to some new ones. I was fortunate to attend a talk given by Dan Burgette, a carver of interpretive bird sculptures. Here is a summation of some of his thoughts in bringing an idea of a sculpture to fruition. These can be applied to any carving, not just birds.

1. The most important tools are: your brain, your eyes, your pencil and your eraser.
2. Sketch your ideas. Start with 2D drawings, then do 3D clay sketches if warranted. Think about design and composition. Think about how to attach the finished piece to the bottom of a crate so you can ship it without anything touching it. Think ahead.
3. Have good lighting.
4. Don't guess. If you are guessing, you are not following your patterns or you don't know your subject well enough. Get measurements from your reference material.
5. When carving away and getting lost in the joy of removing wood and you don't know where you are going or what you are doing    STOP. Lay down your tools. Look at the big picture. Check measurements and figure out what you need to do next. If you don't know what you are doing and why you are removing a speck of wood, stop and engage your mind.
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