Chip Carving News - 10/09/17

Woodcarving Shows and Competitions
It's Fall, so it must be time for Woodcarving Shows!  I'll be participating in three of them in October and November. Coming up soon, this coming weekend in fact, is the 36th Annual Artistry in Wood Show held at the Roberts Centre near Wilmington, OH on October 14 & 15.  This show is organized by The Dayton Carvers Guild as a celebration of wood carving and woodworking art. It's believed to be the largest show of its kind in the U.S.. For the last several years attendance has broken 5,000. In 2015 there were over 225 exhibitors and vendors. These exhibitors come from almost half the states in our country and from Canada. It's also consider to be among the most competitive shows in the US. 

Following shortly after will be the Western North Carolina Woodcarver's Club Show held in the beautiful Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, NC, October 28 & 29. Visitors to the home of the Southern Highland Craft Guild are always pleased to see the wide variety of carvings presented by the Club's members. 

Finally (for me) this year is the Piedmont Woodcarvers Club's 30th Annual "Designs and Sculptures in Wood" Show will be held in Simpsonville, SC November 18 & 19 at the Simpsonville Activity and Senior Center - a beautiful facility and perfect place for a woodcarving show. 

Each of these shows would be well worth your time and interest if you are able to attend.

What's NEW?
That question will be answered in more detail at the three woodcarving shows described above. One thing is both old and new - old in that I worked on it over a period of about 18 months, but new in that it is complete and I was honored to deliver it to a good friend and local art collector just a couple of weeks ago. Professional photographs have not been taken yet, but you can see a less professional sneak peak below. The Bald Eagle is carved to about 1/4 scale with a wingspan of approximately 21". Although it's seen here on a table-top stand for viewing, it now lives on my friends wall, along with a variety of Bald Eagle memorabilia. 

​The other news that's not so new to many of you is the completion of the first four items in our "Ready-to-Carve" (sometimes "RtoC") product line. Original patterns are printed directly on basswood blanks to be carved. The 10" basswood Plate with Optical Illusion pattern, the new 6" x 7" x 3/8" "Greenman '17" basswood plaque, and two options in 4" x 12" x 3/8" study boards, each printed on two sides (one with 4mm grid for designing and testing new patterns, and the other with common practice patterns overlaying the 4mm grid) are available for purchase on my website www.CarolinaMountainReefs.com, and will also be at the upcoming Fall Shows.

Next Chip Carving News will include a number of pictures and stories from some of the amazingly talented people who I've been blessed to teach and encourage over the past few years.
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