[Woodcarver] When should a carving be retired from competion?

[Lon Oleson]

once should be enough for anyone.....pick your show and enter....winning
against lesser carvers is not  very  complimentary to the carver unless
they need ribbons to feel  good....
signed ::::::humble and  not  experienced carver ....
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Victor Hamburger" <VHamburg at bellatlantic.net>
To: "Woodcarver" <Woodcarver at six.pairlist.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2004 8:10 PM
Subject: [Woodcarver] When should a carving be retired from competion?


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> I was reading the new issue of Chip Chats in bed last night and found YET
> ANOTHER picture of an oft-pictured carving done by a well known carver.
The
> caption indicated that the carving had won a prize at a show, probably the
3rd
> or 4th time it had been entered in a large show and the same number of
ribbons
> awarded to it.  It is an excellent carving, no doubt, but the question
that came
> to my mind was, "How often should a carving be entered in a show before
being
> retired from competition?"
>
> This particular carver is a nice guy, a good teacher, and consistantly
wins
> ribbons for his carvings.  I have no problem with that.  I DO have a
serious
> question though about how many ribbons are too many for a carving? If 2-3
> carvings show up for a show in the same category, and each has already won
a
> number or ribbons, what happens to the carver who doesn't get to many
shows but
> has put a lot of time and effort into a carving that might well garner a
ribbon
> except that it is now competing against carvings that have already been
awarded
> ribbons at other shows? Very likely the judges recognise the carver's
style and
> maybe even that it has been a previous winner.  I suspect the chances are
> lessened for the lone carver and he/she may become discouraged that they
are
> always competing against the "circuit" carvers, the ones who continually
take
> their top carvings to a number of shows each year.  To be fair, I expect
the
> judges do not award ribbons solely on who carved the piece, but I still
have the
> uneasy feeling that there may be some bias in the contest.  Chip Chats
often has
> the same carving pictured in several shows each issue, so I am not picking
on
> any one carver here, but the carvers who enter a number of shows each
season.
>
> Some carvers don't compete at all, ribbons and competition mean little to
them.
> Some of us compete infrequently, and an occasional ribbon is a nice
reminder
> that someone likes our work besides our spouses. And lastly some folks
compete
> but retire a piece after one or two ribbons, while some seem to enter the
piece
> into every competition that they can.
>
> Do any shows prohibit previous winners (of other shows) from entering the
piece
> in competition?  When is "enough is enough" in your mind?
>
> Vic H
>
>
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