woodcarvers have a ball....
HUH? What's up with that? talked with several woodcarvers who belong to the Falls City Wood Carvers Guild (FCWCG) as we explore hobbies and activities to find out how POS (people over 60) spend their money, energy, and time.
Previously, you were introduced to Al, Jonie, and Milton. Today, you will meet William, Larry, and Michael. Each of these artists were patient in explaining their craft to a neophyte. Questions were many, and rest assured there were times during their narrations when they must have felt they were talking to someone who didn't speak the same language.
I have been a woodworker all my life and wanted to step back from something I knew so well and take on the challenge of woodcarving, William told me over the telephone. As a seasoned woodworker, he has made shelves, cabinets and dozens of other items over the years.
Woodcarving is different than other woodworking. You use different tools and have a totally different mindset, he said.
William and his wife, Linda, have two boys. William worked at a chemical plant before retiring nine years ago. He's now in his mid-60s and has been involved with Falls City Wood-Carvers Guild since his retirement. It's a low-cost entry level hobby, he told me. I spend two to three hours a day carving.
His first efforts were small projects to enhance his skills. The very first thing I carved was an owl, he said. I've created about 500 carvings in nine years and they range in size from small to fairly big.
When asked about his favorite kind of carving, William answered, Caricatures. I can do a face in 15 to 20 minutes. William says when he watches television, he's looking at faces. I like to see if I can reflect in my art what I am watching on TV, he said.
But, like each artist I talked with for this post, William likes a challenge . This year, he is focusing on animals and is now working on creating a rabbit.
The last question for William dealt with degree of difficulty. My chip-carved clock required the most skill, but it's beautiful and it works, he told me.
William, like all the artists interviewed for this post, voiced concern about CoVid-19. The FCWCG meets weekly in a suburban government center, but the group hasn't met for several months. Coffee and pastries are served as artists discuss their families and current events along with their current projects. Each artist voiced concern about when normalcy would return.
The next two woodcarvers are brothers and they both retired from Ford Motor Company.
Larry was with the auto maker for 30 years before stepping down. He and his wife, Betty have been married 60 years and have two girls and one boy.
I've been a member of the woodcarving guild for 11 years, but I've always been a woodworker, Larry told me. He went on to say, I wanted to try woodcarving. I've made shelves, tables, and lots of other stuff out of wood, but this is a lot different than anything I've made before.
Larry told me he owns table saws, band saws, routers and other expensive tools, but the tools he needs now are much simpler. The secret is in learning how to use them, he said.
Since joining the Guild, Larry has carved a few cowboys, turtles, and canes. But, the most complex project is a screeching owl whose wingtips are 18 inches across and stands 11 inches high, he said. The bird is in a flying pose with it's claws out as if it were ready to grasp its prey.
Larry pointed out that the difficulty with his eagle came when he had to wood-burn layers of feathers and air brush and blend the colors on the feathered creature.
When Larry wasn't at the Ford plant, he spent over 30 years as an accomplished magician. He performed at schools, country clubs, parties and other venues.
When asked about his favorite illusion, Larry replied, Making a dove appear out of two swirling handkerchiefs. It never failed to amaze people.
All live performers have an incident or two while on stage that wasn't planned or choreographed. Larry is no exception. This is the story he told.
One time I was performing at a country club and was to go on stage during dinner, he said. For some reason, the dove flew out into the crowd and landed right in a patron's mashed potatoes. Larry said he looked out into the crowd and delivered a great ad-lib, It took me three months to train that bird to do that! The audience laughed appreciatively.
Larry's brother is Michael. He and Cindy have two sons, nine grandkids, five great grandchildren, and two great-great grandkids. Michael is also retired from Ford Motors after a 30 year stint.
When Michael retired in 2006, he was looking for a hobby to occupy his time. A friend, (along with his brother, Larry), belonged to a woodcarver's group and Michael decided to give it a try.
Since that time, Michael has made snake walking sticks in detail with scales, driftwood pieces, 18 Norwegian Lovespoons with fancy handles carved to look like braided leather in different designs (Welsh love spoons are the most famous, but there are traditions of lovespoons in Scandinavia and some parts of Eastern Europe), praying hands, and other assorted decorative or functional items..
A few years ago, Michael joined a nationwide effort to make canes for disabled vets. Wood-turning clubs made the canes, and woodcarving clubs like FCWCG manufactured the handles. Each handle is an intricate Eagle's head.
Michael's artistry has produced six State Fair Championships since he started woodcarving.
Thanks to Milton, Jonie, Al, William, Michael, and Larry for their contributions to this and the previous post. You can view some of their work on the Falls City Wood Carvers Guild website.
Coming up in the near future, you will meet some POS who are Pickleball enthusiasts! They will tell you in their own words why they love this 55 year old sport which is gaining in popularity. In addition, there are more Encore Performances to share with you! And, you will meet Michael, a real Cheese Master, in a not too distant post.
After seeing various pieces of woodcarving art from the FCWCG, it all looks like magic to me. But, a dove in the mashed potatoes? Classic.
HUH? What's up with that?
Previously, you were introduced to Al, Jonie, and Milton. Today, you will meet William, Larry, and Michael. Each of these artists were patient in explaining their craft to a neophyte. Questions were many, and rest assured there were times during their narrations when they must have felt they were talking to someone who didn't speak the same language.
I have been a woodworker all my life and wanted to step back from something I knew so well and take on the challenge of woodcarving, William told me over the telephone. As a seasoned woodworker, he has made shelves, cabinets and dozens of other items over the years.
Woodcarving is different than other woodworking. You use different tools and have a totally different mindset, he said.
William and his wife, Linda, have two boys. William worked at a chemical plant before retiring nine years ago. He's now in his mid-60s and has been involved with Falls City Wood-Carvers Guild since his retirement. It's a low-cost entry level hobby, he told me. I spend two to three hours a day carving.
His first efforts were small projects to enhance his skills. The very first thing I carved was an owl, he said. I've created about 500 carvings in nine years and they range in size from small to fairly big.
When asked about his favorite kind of carving, William answered, Caricatures. I can do a face in 15 to 20 minutes. William says when he watches television, he's looking at faces. I like to see if I can reflect in my art what I am watching on TV, he said.
But, like each artist I talked with for this post, William likes a challenge . This year, he is focusing on animals and is now working on creating a rabbit.
The last question for William dealt with degree of difficulty. My chip-carved clock required the most skill, but it's beautiful and it works, he told me.
William, like all the artists interviewed for this post, voiced concern about CoVid-19. The FCWCG meets weekly in a suburban government center, but the group hasn't met for several months. Coffee and pastries are served as artists discuss their families and current events along with their current projects. Each artist voiced concern about when normalcy would return.
The next two woodcarvers are brothers and they both retired from Ford Motor Company.
Larry was with the auto maker for 30 years before stepping down. He and his wife, Betty have been married 60 years and have two girls and one boy.
I've been a member of the woodcarving guild for 11 years, but I've always been a woodworker, Larry told me. He went on to say, I wanted to try woodcarving. I've made shelves, tables, and lots of other stuff out of wood, but this is a lot different than anything I've made before.
Larry told me he owns table saws, band saws, routers and other expensive tools, but the tools he needs now are much simpler. The secret is in learning how to use them, he said.
Since joining the Guild, Larry has carved a few cowboys, turtles, and canes. But, the most complex project is a screeching owl whose wingtips are 18 inches across and stands 11 inches high, he said. The bird is in a flying pose with it's claws out as if it were ready to grasp its prey.
Larry pointed out that the difficulty with his eagle came when he had to wood-burn layers of feathers and air brush and blend the colors on the feathered creature.
When Larry wasn't at the Ford plant, he spent over 30 years as an accomplished magician. He performed at schools, country clubs, parties and other venues.
When asked about his favorite illusion, Larry replied, Making a dove appear out of two swirling handkerchiefs. It never failed to amaze people.
All live performers have an incident or two while on stage that wasn't planned or choreographed. Larry is no exception. This is the story he told.
One time I was performing at a country club and was to go on stage during dinner, he said. For some reason, the dove flew out into the crowd and landed right in a patron's mashed potatoes. Larry said he looked out into the crowd and delivered a great ad-lib, It took me three months to train that bird to do that! The audience laughed appreciatively.
Larry's brother is Michael. He and Cindy have two sons, nine grandkids, five great grandchildren, and two great-great grandkids. Michael is also retired from Ford Motors after a 30 year stint.
When Michael retired in 2006, he was looking for a hobby to occupy his time. A friend, (along with his brother, Larry), belonged to a woodcarver's group and Michael decided to give it a try.
Since that time, Michael has made snake walking sticks in detail with scales, driftwood pieces, 18 Norwegian Lovespoons with fancy handles carved to look like braided leather in different designs (Welsh love spoons are the most famous, but there are traditions of lovespoons in Scandinavia and some parts of Eastern Europe), praying hands, and other assorted decorative or functional items..
A few years ago, Michael joined a nationwide effort to make canes for disabled vets. Wood-turning clubs made the canes, and woodcarving clubs like FCWCG manufactured the handles. Each handle is an intricate Eagle's head.
Michael's artistry has produced six State Fair Championships since he started woodcarving.
Thanks to Milton, Jonie, Al, William, Michael, and Larry for their contributions to this and the previous post. You can view some of their work on the Falls City Wood Carvers Guild website.
Coming up in the near future, you will meet some POS who are Pickleball enthusiasts! They will tell you in their own words why they love this 55 year old sport which is gaining in popularity. In addition, there are more Encore Performances to share with you! And, you will meet Michael, a real Cheese Master, in a not too distant post.
After seeing various pieces of woodcarving art from the FCWCG, it all looks like magic to me. But, a dove in the mashed potatoes? Classic.
HUH? What's up with that?
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