Members of the Lexington Woodcarvers Guild participated in a three day class April 11, 12 and 13 at the workshop of Ken and Beverly Taylor in Paris, KY.  Pictured above are Don Dziubakowski, Doris Rapp, Joan Whitman, Dick Mathy, Debbie Ross, Jerry Bennett, Calvin Grant, Ken Taylor, Doug Chute, Bryan Taylor and Gary Bryant  (not in picture).

The A-B-C’s of Face Carving was the theme of this Whittle-Carving class of learning to carve using a block of wood and only a knife as the carving tool.  The “slice and roll cut” was stressed through the sessions of learning to slice while mastering the use of notch cuts, three cut triangular cuts as well as regular slicing cuts.  Before carving a major project using a variety of go-by subjects, each student worked through several exercises that set the procedures for carving a block of wood.  Exercises included carving a ball out of a square, carving a three version face study stick, carving a daisy style flower to learn key opening cuts and carving a practice face in relief. Some students carved a three inch tall bust of either a cowboy or Indian, standing figures of a hillbilly, hobo, Civil War soldier and farmer, Santa Shelf Squatter and three carved a three inch tall wizard gnome.

Besides learning to use the various slicing cuts, each student learned to begin “seeing inside the block” of using imagination to guide the carving process.  All were intent in their learning exercises and improved their style as each became more familiar with making the necessary cuts.  Each survived to carve another day of ever learning because each carving project is a learning experience in which the more one carves the better one carves.  The pictures  reveal the dedication each gave to their learning projects.  Of course there was a lot of good natured laughter and friendship experienced as is always the case whenever wood carvers get together.