The carvings depicted in the photo trail are some of my earliest carvings carved between 1976 and 1979 while I was a member of the Mahoning Valley Wood Carvers of Warren, Ohio.  The club was founded in 1976 by about twenty carvers with the most notable being the late Huber King who had won Best of Show at the International Wood Carvers Congress, Davenport, Iowa several times in the late 70’s. 

Wood carving clubs serve a valuable purpose of encouragement, learning and friendship.  In 1976 there were very few wood carving books available nor tool vendors at what few wood carving shows that were just beginning.  Chip Chats was the only wood carving magazine so most information about wood carving came from fellow members of the wood carving club.  We taught one another, we shared tool resources and looked forward to the show and tell portion of club meetings for it was there we could advance our latest journey of wood carving.

These Early Carved Figures represent that time in every carver’s history of learning by doing in the trial and error method of carving new and various subjects.  For some reason the WOOD BEE CARVER always leaned towards carving with a knife and carving small human figures in the various themes of “cowboys, hillbillies, seaman, old men and caricatures of humans.”

In the photo trail are the early beginnings that have been saved as a road sign of the road traveled called “wood carving” and even while being very crude yet many of them received ribbons at the International Wood Carvers Congress.

Wood carving has come a long way since those early days.  Harold Enlow made a monumental influence with the first books on caricature carving to be published along with his seminars and classes at War Eagle, Arkansas in the late 70’s.   Peter Engler advanced the cause of wood carving through his various carving enterprises at Silver Dollar City, Engler’s Block and others shops in and around Branson and Gatlinburg, TN.  Many well know carvers, teachers and authors owe their beginning to Harold and Peter.

But then, that is the way it is with wood carving in that we help one another, encourage one another and learn from one another.  That is why we participate in wood carving shows, attend carving classes, buy carving books and participate in carving clubs.  That is why I publish this blog and why readers continue to visit this blog and other carving blogs.

We all begin some place but the key to carving is to continue building upon the past while always being challenged by the next carving project.