I have 3 beginning woodcarving classes coming up and there are still a few spaces available. Come join the fun! You won’t regret it!
This weekend I am heading to beautiful Port Townsend, Washington to the Port Townsend School of Woodworking for 2 weeks (June 6 – 10 and June 13 – 17). I have never been to this part of the country and am really looking forward to it. I will be teaching 2 individual 1-week long beginning carving classes. The first class is full, but the second still has a few spaces available. We will be going over the basics of relief style wood carving – including sharpening gouges to a razor sharp edge, techniques of working in the correct grain direction, how to make clean, efficient carving cuts, and tricks on how to make shallow relief carving appear to be much deeper than it actually is. Projects will include several different floral carvings, classical shell carving, fan carving, and acanthus leaf carving. We will be working with basswood, walnut and mahogany. These week long classes are always fun because it is similar to total emersion language classes. I love to see the confidence and control increase from day to day. By the end of the week, the chips are flying!
The next class I will be heading to another beautiful part of the country – Warren, Maine. I will be teaching a weekend workshop on carving the acanthus leaf at Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, July 23 & 24. This is a beginning carving class, but if you have experience in carving please join us! We will accommodate all skill levels, and walk you through carving basics, tool sharpening, how to draw this classical leaf, and how to carve it’s flowing and curling details. I am finishing writing a book on how to carve this wonderfully versatile leaf and you can sign up for a newsletter to follow along on my book writing journey here. Why not get one step ahead of my book and learn the basics before it’s published!
And last, but not least, I am going to Manchester, Connecticut to join my buddy, Bob Van Dyke at the Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking, August 8 – 12. I will be teaching another week long beginner wood carving class (very similar to the Port Townsend classes above). Last time I taught there, Bob chaperoned me to New York City and we spent the afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What an amazing place! I think I was able to see about 1/10 of the museum. Experiencing Grand Central Station in Friday afternoon rush hour was an extreme culture shock for this simple, small town gal. Thanks, Bob, for keeping me from getting swept away in the madness!
I am considering opening my workshop in Charleston, South Carolina to more classes also. I can fit a maximum of 4 people in my workshop, but 3 people is best for ample elbow room (sharp tools and tight spaces do not work well together). I have held several classes in my workshop over the past few months, and it has worked out really well. It forces me to clean my shop every once in a while. These classes can be customized to whatever you want to carve, and if you are a beginning carver, I can get you started with the basics. I may start this in the fall or next spring. Those are the best times to be in Charleston. Come to Charleston for a vacation and spend a few days or a week carving! If you are interested, contact me.
