The photo above is entitled “The Journey” by Ivan Snyder. I first met Ivan last year at the Buckeye Woodcarving Round Up near Piqua, Ohio. He was sitting in my informal class of carving small figures concentrating of facial features. After a while he showed me a few of his small carvings that jumped right up and shook my hand. They were alive with imagination and personality and as I got to know Ivan more during the next couple of days of class we became kindred brothers of miniature carvings. Below are photos of the carvings he showed me.
The “Shorties” above are two and half-inch tall creations of Whittling Jim Hecker. Jim is a carving friend who lives in Elk River, MN. We first met at the International Congress of Woodcarving in 2009 and have maintain mutual friendship through emails, Facebook, two more meeting at International Congress and a couple of times in conjunction with the Dayton Artistry in Wood show.