[Woodcarver] chat

[Merrilee Johnson]

What a good idea!  to do another of the same project down the road to see 
how much you have improved!  I think I will try that if you don't mind!  
Thanks for idea!
Merrilee


>From: Linehan718 at aol.com
>Reply-To: "[Woodcarver]" <woodcarver at six.pairlist.net>
>To: woodcarver at six.pairlist.net
>Subject: Re: [Woodcarver] Question 1, Question 2, Question 3
>Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2004 12:33:44 EDT
>
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>I have yet to meet another woodcarver in the area where I live.  That's
>saying a lot since I live in a suburb of NYC.  I know someone has to be 
>doing some
>carving in the big apple, I just don't know where.  There are no nearby
>carving clubs and only one carving supply store, which is located in the 
>heart of
>Manhattan. I haven't been there yet, but I can imagine it will be 
>expensive.  So
>the answer to question 1 is that I can't find a teacher.  In Answer to #2,
>yes I am self taught.  I have used plenty of books and Internet resources 
>but
>other than that, I have learned by doing.
>Other than a small carving done at about age 10, I started carving at what 
>I
>hope will be mid-life, 40.  I, as a mailman delivering my route, severely
>broke my ankle when I slipped on some steps.  I was in a cast for three 
>months and
>was going absolutely nuts with boredom.  The cast finally came off and I
>could manage to hobble down to the workshop.  I needed to do something that 
>I
>could sit while doing.  So I picked up a knife and started whittling.  I
>immediately caught the bug and started buying tools and supplies over the 
>Internet,
>mainly because it was hard to get out of the house.  I have set myself on a 
>five
>year plan and at the end of that, I hope to have bettered my skills enough 
>to
>make some sort of income from carving, even if its not the main source.  I 
>was
>thinking also about perhaps teaching a class or two, since there aren't any
>around my neck of the woods.  I am now 2 years into that plan and am 
>learning a
>lot about woods and techniques and trying to get set up with some
>professional tools.  I try to keep challenging myself with the projects 
>that I choose and
>it seems to me that I have greatly improved over the last 2 years.  My 
>first
>real relief carving hangs on my bedroom wall.  It is a bear walking in 
>front
>of birch trees.  I remember being very proud of that bear and now every 
>time I
>look at it, I want to take it off the wall and re do it.  But now i have 
>come
>up with a new plan.  at the 2.5 year point (which is coming up quickly) I 
>will
>carve another bear, same pattern, same size, then i will do it again at the
>end of the five years.  i will hang all 3 in the same area so that I can 
>really
>see how much better I've gotten.  then i can use them when i teach my class
>to show my students that in woodcarving, you shouldn't be discouraged by 
>first
>humble efforts, that just buy staying with it you will improve.
>Maura carvin' in nyc
>http://www.picturetrail.com/whiteknight718
>
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