Carvin with Marvin

Well I haven't had much time for carving but I did get to carve with Marv.  This past May I made my wasy to the subdued little town of Faribault, MN for a class I long desired.  I believe the woodcarver we become, is the sum of all our experiences and influences.  In my case my carving is heavily influenced by Marv Kaisersatt.  I like the way he challenges himself and the level of complexity and study that go into his designs.  I also appreciate a good sense of humor and find that we have similar tastes.  If you enjoy caricature and have not seen this mans work,  seek it out as you are in for a treat.
  I have had the fortune of speaking with Marv on a couple of previous occasions and I was overjoyed to see that he is willing to share his knowledge with the rest of us.  Having a dream of carving with him and learning as much as I can I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was offering a design and carving class in his home at Ivan Whillock's studio.  Needless to say I leapt at the chance and made the trek to the upper midwest.  The funny thing is that the majoirty of my fellow students came from the East and could have just rented a bus and picked up folks along the way.  Starting in Long Island, through my hometown of Rochester, up into Canada, through Michigan and around. 
  As for the location Faibault is a nice place to visit,  pleanty of accomodation choices, good food (nice homegrown restaraunts) and my favorite "The Coffee Shop".  Accomodation prices were very reasonable and it was really a personal choice as to where to stay.
  The class itself lived up to my expectations (strengthening my designs) and included a bonus trip to one of the most outstanding man-caves a carver could have...Marv's apartment.  As most folks know Marv does not generally sell his work however a piece might come up for auction at a charity once in a while.  The multiple figure pieces you see him compete with at the yerly "Congress" competition held in Iowa he still owns..and they are more impressive in person.  The biggest item of note were the items I had not seen before and the creativity within these pieces.  Simply outstanding work.
  So if you are a carver and are looking for an outstanding getaway to carve and expand your woodcarving knowledge, you can't go wrong with this class.   

Note: The topic of Marv's book and the possibility of a second printing were discussed and Chris Whillock has been investigating.  If you have an interest drop a line to Chris at Woodcarver's Warehouse, ya just might get your wish.  chris@woodcarverswarehouse.com

Glasgow, Scotland - An amazing city

Back from a trip to Glasgow, Scotland...truly a wonderful city whose people are just as amazing.  While my time to explore was limited (there on business) I did manage a visit to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.  The museum is a complete mix of categories as it ranges from sculpture and paintings to wildlife and even pipe organs.
  The picture at left was just an amazing display of facial expression masks in an interesting layout...to me this was well thought out and was a joy to see.
  The museum also dabbles in the city's history and of curiosity was that this city is in love with cowboys and also a love for line dancing.  This connection seems to have originated with a visit from Buffalo Bill's Wild West show over a 100 years ago.  Some artifacts from the visit reside in the museum.  I did not visit the "Grand Ole Opry" shown on the map my concierge provided but suspect the location keeps the love affair alive.
  The highlight of the visit to the museum was to see Rembrandts "Man with arms" and the mystery of whom the painting was representing or modeled after.  Rembrandt was one amazing artist,  I sat in front of this painting for almost 30 minutes just to marvel at the depth of the painting.  Seeing the painting in person you get to see how dark the colors are, yet it is amazing that he can create so many tonal levels that provide it's depth. 
  Also within the museum are numerous sculptures by Auguste Rodin (of "The Thinker" fame).  Truly marvelous. 
  All-in-all a good choice for what time I had available and besides if you are tired you can just take a break and listen to a pipe organ concert. 
  Entrance to this museum is free and they have collection boxes for those who wish to donate (couldn't resist throwing a few george washingtons amongst the GBP's).  If your in the area, this museum has my endorsement.

What's this...no more copper rivets?

  Odd thing I saw the other day...I have been instructing some beginners in the basics of knife carving.  As part of this I brought in my collection to show the variety of manufacturers and shapes and demonstrate the purposes of each.  This was done to allow the student to spend their money wisely when it came to tool purchases. 
  A couple of students arrived without having purchased a knife and others brought murphy knives or knives of a type that would make Caricature carving a bit too difficult.  I have always been a proponent of the mainstays in the field...Ron Wells (now manufactured by Mike Shipley), Helvie,  and Denny.  Of these I recommended the Denny 1 7/8" blade for a high quality all around knife appropriate for basic Caricature carving.  I recommended to a couple of my students to make the purchase through Little Shavers as Rick & Theresa work very well with both beginners and veterans and also because Rick takes the time to ensure the tools he sells are sharp before they are shipped (he also provides a high quality sharpening service).  Well the other night the students show up with their new blades and I was surprised to see that the signature copper rivets were no longer there!!  It would appear that the manufacturer (whom that is at the moment is a question in my mind) has eliminated the signature rivets and I also noted that the handles for some reason feel lighter (that could just be me).  Either way the knives still cut well and are ground as I would like them, I just wished the change had not occured...if it ain't broke don't fix it!!!  (Just my honest opinion).

Nothing like a gift of Heinecke wood...

...yep, to a woodcarver there is nothing better than receiving another shipment of fresh stock from the Heinecke family.  These folks harvest some of the finest basswood out there and it cuts beautifully!  In preparation for my upcoming instructing at my club I ordered up some practice sticks and couldn't resist ordering up some additional blocks...Merry Christmas to me!!!

  To all my friends and fellow carvers out there I wish the wamest and happiest of holidays may it be filled with joy!!

FINALLY...a little bit of carving...

 Well, not so much for me, but for others.  While my ability to carve has been severely impacted by other forces I have been able to regularly attend the local Woodcarving club meetings and will be providing 6 sessions of instruction for my fellow woodcarvers.  This is my first formal class as usually I impart advice on an as needed basis.  Feeling the need to fill the void in instruction I have decided to instruct the class on basic knife carving.  Since I have observed that the need exists I will begin with the basics...wish me luck!

Giving Thanks!

  Today is a day for giving thanks here in the states.  It is a day I hope all take to heart and truly find something to be thankful for.  For those who are unable to be with their loved ones or just find themselves alone on this holiday I wish a day of peace and comfort.  For those of us who are fortunate to have many blessing please remember to pay it forward and reach out to others.  Wishing all of you a blessed day filled with all the best!

  For all of our servicemen and women, thank you for your service and preserving the freedoms we enjoy every day.  We are truly thankful for your service.

Wow, the sun does shine in NY...

After many months of our normal gray winter season here in Western NY we are finally seeing gradually more sun.  It is nice to know spring is around the corner.

Now that the Charlotte show is complete my next focus is on the local show put on by the Geneseee Valley Woodcarvers.  The show is held in Rochester every spring at the Rochester Museum and Science center.   Like most woodcarving clubs it does suffer from the lack of youth.  It is not from trying though.  These are a great group of accomplished gentlemen and ladies.  The majority of the group appears to be bird carvers,  but there is always a chance I can pass along my sickness, a love for Caricature carving.  Last fall I worked on an original design which is a display of my typical brand of humor.  It is keenly appropriate that I will be taking it to the show, a show where some of the members have achieved such aclaim with their bird carvings even to the level of the Ward's World Championships.

And so it goes that my original carving "The Elusive Baltimore Oreo" will make it's trek to this show...

I hope it's worth a smile!