Nine members of the East Fork Carvers gathered at the Clermont Seniors Center in the Union Township Civic Center, Batavia, Ohio for a two day Whittle-Carving class, August 7 and 8.  Those in the photograph are (first row left to right) Ann Olsen, John Dotson, C. G. Uebel and Gwen Provin (second row left to right) Ed Handy, Pablo Gonzalez, Bill Wright, Mickey Huston and Hugh Cooley.

These Survivor Students learned about the efficiency of making slicing cuts with the knife’s cutting edge while making the opening up cuts of a notch cut (ditch or trough) as well as the three cut triangular cuts to create another kind of opening. These opening cuts begin the process of shaping the carving in its various stair stepped levels with the realization that “one cut is not the end to all cuts, rather it is just a beginning for making further cuts”. Following the exercises in making the notch and triangular cuts, each student chose a six inch, five inch or three inch figure as a go – by to guide in carving a figure under the guidance and demonstration of the instructor. Carving subjects chosen included a Gabby Hayes cowboy, hillbilly with jug wizard, cowboy with rifle, ogre, hobbit, sea captain with pipe, sea captain and hillbilly with jug.

Each carving project served as a “learning piece” that became evident as each student progressed throughout the two days of shaping the carving to the basic form in order to have a good foundation to apply the detail carving features. Whittle by whittle each carving began to take shape while being refined in the overall design. The purpose of a carving class is to learn and each student learned new ways of approaching a carving project. To supplement the continued learning process, each student was given a folder of a variety of instructional material that included three learning projects along with necessary blocks of wood in order to learn on their own at a time of their choosing.

With good humor, good eats, good conversation and the opportunity to carve together, these nine Survivor Students survived to carve another day and many more days ahead with the encouragement to do a “twenty minute a day workout” to keep the creative juices flowing. We all learn to carve by carving and the more one carves the better one carves.  These East Fork Carvers are becoming better carvers and are good friends as well ~ and that is what was experienced ~  good friends carving together.

The see what Survivor Students receive a part of their instructions, go to CATEGORIES and click on “To-Tor-Plus”  ~ then “Tutorials” and also, all the postings in the BEE HIVE located in the middle of the right column on the home page.