The River Valley Wood Carvers  hosted a three day carving seminar in Taylor Mill, KY on April 12, 13 and 14.  The eight Survivor Students pictured are (left to right) Gitta Wahrenburn, Rick Bissonnette, Bill Wright, Don Potter, David Chadwick, Dick Middleton, Bud Miller and Suzanne Millay.

The overall focus was upon learning to carve faces in the Whittle-Carving style of using only a knife to carve a face in a block of wood.  Students learned the basic cuts for making notch cut openings to begin shaping the project followed by the three cut triangular chip cut to created depth and definition in the major landmarks of the human face.  Slicing cuts are essential for making clean and precise cuts during these carving exercises.  The Three Version Face Stick study became the central exercise around which all the carving activities centered. The Rule of Three of Facial Proportions was used for the guiding steps in learning to open up a face in a block of wood.

Another exercise was to carve a relief face in a thin oval shape.  Each exercise built upon each other to approach face carving from several angles in order to see with the inner eye of creativity what is needed to carve a face in wood.

Each student then chose a major project to continue the learning process.  Some chose to carve a face in a basswood hen egg while other chose to carve a three inch tall bust using a variety of Go-Bys for guidance.  A smaller fun and whimsical carving project was learning to carve a Whittle Dwarf.

There was plenty of good natured kidding and joking to relax the seriousness of carving intently as the time passed all to rapidly as each day’s carving came to an end.  All had a great time carving, getting to know one another, learning to “see”  faces in a new perspective, share woodcarving memories made and being made and experiencing again that woodcarvers are the nicest people to get to know as lifelong friends.

Each student experienced in the short three days that “the more one carves the better one carves,”  as each carving project came to life by the action of their carving knives.

Survivor Students survive to carve another day.