[Woodcarver] my parks dept classand students

[Joe Dillett]

Hi Maura,

Thanks for your detailed reply. I'm sure that you've become part of many of those student's lives. You have done well to improve the quality of their lives. That in itself is a work of art. It is interesting when one has the same students over a period of years, to see how relationships develop and watch them progress in their art.  

Joe Dillett
The Carving Shop
645 E. LaSalle St. Suite 3
Somonauk, IL. 60552

(815) 498-9290 phone
(815) 498-9249 fax
http://www.thecarvingshop.net [business web site]
http://www.carvingmagazine.com ['Ask Joe' column]
http://community.webshots.com/user/joe_dillett
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  Subject: Spam:****, Re: [Woodcarver] What have you been working on?-my parks dept classand students


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  In a message dated 8/22/2008 9:55:07 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, jdillett at thecarvingshop.net writes:
    Hi Maura,

    It sounds like you haven't slowed down much this summer. 

    I like the fact that you're teaching a few times a week for the park district. Two years, this has been a long term commitment for you. I would be interested to know a little about how the students are doing. How many students have stayed with you for all that time? How many show up regularly and how many pop in about once a month? What type of things are they learning besides sharpening?

    Joe Dillett
  Hi Joe, I have mixed feelings about the class I run.  I sometimes feel like it stiffles my own creativity but I figure it at least keeps me carving...and it does pay well..anyway a bit about the class. It is a year-round class which only breaks when I go on my yearly carving adventures or on my family vacations. It runs Mon and Friday morns from 9 till noon or later depending on who wants to hang out.  they are trying to get me to add wed morns also...we'll see.  It is funded by a grant which originally was meant to benefit seniors but we have opened it up to anyone over 18 now. This class cost seniors 10$!!!! a year and everyone else $50!!!! a year.  Thank Goodness my salary comes from the parks dept. I am not an employee but technically, a consultant. 75% of the carvers are retired with the rest being 45+. once in a blue moon we will get someone in their 20's or 30's but their work/school schedules prevent them from any sort of regular attendance. The space provided for it is a general purpose arts and craft room which we sometimes share with painters.  The room is approx 25' x 75'  with almost floor to ceiling windows overlooking ny harbor and has normal metal folding chairs and white plastic topped tables. It is heated and air conditioned. We are not allowed to have any big power tools so I do the cutting of wood at home on my bandsaw.  Besides hand tools and accessories, the only equipment we have is a jool tool power sharpener, my homemade power sharpener, a few woodburning units and some dremel rotary tools.  The man who I took over from was an ambitious whittler but don't let that fool you, he took on some decent sized projects with his knives and was quite prolific, until he passed away.  I was granted a decent yearly budget and was able to get in some  murphy knives, power-grip Japanese chisel sets, the jool tool, a supply of carving woods, gloves, non-slip mats, carving sleds, clamps and a whole slew of assorted items.  I could not believe the condition of their knives when I first started and don't understand why they all didn't quit in frustration.  

  I have taken to calling myself their guide rather than instructor, because their talent levels, speed levels and desire to improve on what they are doing  and the types of carving they wish to do and learn is all over the place. So it is almost impossible to formulate any cohesive type of lessons. I give formal lecture classes periodically on the history of woodcarving, care of tools, techniques possible with different tools, finishing, making a pattern, carving safety, sharpening basics and a more in-depth sharpening class. Most listen, some don't. We have had formal carving classes which included twig animal carving, a caricature little woodspirit type thing, carving and woodburning feathers, and a nautical relief carving in mahogany. again most participate, some don't care to. Class projects are hard to do as they are reluctant to carve anything but what they are used to.  I have gotten a few of them to purchase some quality v-tools and gouges but most of them are happy to carve with their knives and/or a few palm chisels. 

  Now about the students, there are roughly 25 carvers affiliated with the class but to get 8-12 attending regularly is good. I can usually count on 8 or 9. On a bad day, 3-6 is the norm. 75% have continued attending for the 2 years I have been there.

      We have a few ambitious carvers such as Cyril, carving roughly 10 years now, who originally came from Austria and does chipcarving, acanthus and relief work, he is 80 but still going quite strong(will likely outlive most of us) and is currently finishing up the 8th and final of a series of mahogany reliefs of the gates from his hometown in Austria.  I plan to take pics of him and all 8 of these carvings and submit it to chip chats in order to surprise him.  I feel it is a great accomplishment and feel his perseverance should be celebrated.  He is one of my better carvers and I learn as much from him as he does me. we both attend a regular Monday evening carving get together in a lutheran church where larger acanthus and reliefs are the norm.
      Then there is artie, 65 who started out on spoons and small whittlings 2 yrs ago, moved on to chip carving and now has found his passion in experimenting with different woods doing relief carvings. Given the time, he will be a very good carver as he is interested in learning all I can teach him.
      There is Bob, 55, carving 2 yrs who is becoming a very talented caricature carver, who is also a very capable carving painter.  He attends the Newr with me each year and is open to learning any new tricks.  He progresses because he carves at home a lot also.
      There is Bertha,70, carving 8 yrs who is quite stubborn and takes any suggestion I make as a personal attack so I let her do what she wants.  For example, she is right now attempting a relief carving of a farmhouse landscape in 1"x9"x15" african mahogony, she not only insists on carving this with a single knife but also insists that she will carve the detail first as she tries to push the whole thing back into the wood.  She has been working on this for approx 3 months and is maybe 1/15th of the way into it.  I don't know if it will ever be finished in her or my lifetime but I leave her alone and try to encourage her best I can. I secretly hopes she proves me wrong and finishes it "her way" but she only carves in class.
      There is Joy, 57, carving 6 yrs who I have never seen actually complete a carving but she keeps right on starting new ones, she claims to be interested in learning but just doesn't seem to stick with anything long enough.  She also has a handful of other hobbies.
      There is bill, 65, carving 4 yrs who comes once a week and whittles western caricatures, he is not open to suggestion and while he finishes what he starts, they remain rather crudely carved and painted.  But he is happy so I am happy for him.
      There is Joe, 75, carving probably 15 yrs who carves interesting little in the round religious figures, works only with a knife but produces charming little carvings.
      Jeanine, 50, carving 1 yr who alternates carving and painting classes, who tries to be a serious student and is a joy to have in the class. She likes to carve decorative country signs and wall hangings and does add a nice feminine touch to what she does.
      Steve at 59, carving 6 years is our local celebrity who was the first stem cell recipient in the states and has come back from end-stage leukemia and has been in full remission for 11 years now, who when not touring the country lobbying for stem cell research and attending congressional hearings carves some very interesting and nicely done bowls and spoons.  He is currently carving the #60 in a relief carving style as it is an age he will be quite happy to celebrate.
      Mike, 60, carving approx 4 yrs is a retired nyc detective who now travels the world, comes when he can, sits alone, doesn't talk to anyone and carves spoons and little dogs, seems not to be interested in any more than that.
      Roberto, 55, carving 1 yr who will eventually be an excellent bird carver, who soaks up all I can teach him has started missing sessions and I fear i will lose him to his increasingly busy life.
      George, 48, carving for over 10 yrs, is an excellent folkart carver and painter but as his aging father is now requiring more of his attention, I think we will lose him for a bit also.
      
  The rest range from stick carvers to classical carvers to people for whom carving is just one of their many hobbies to a few young girls more interested in what I can teach them about woods and woodworking than carving to people that show up for 1 or 2 classes and then never come back.  I spend the majority of the classes working my way around the tables trying to focus in on what each individual is working on and seeing if there is anything I can help them with.  With all the different carvings and personalities, things tend to stay interesting but there are those days when I just sit back and work on my own little projects hoping they can take something away with them.  I am certainly becoming capable of teaching many, many styles and subjects but worry that I will spread myself too thin and never make a name for myself as a classical carver which is what I'm most passionate about.  I will force myself to teach a classical carving class at Newr next summer as there seemed to be some excitement about it when I inquired of some of the carvers.  figured its time to wet my feet in that area.  It is all still an adventure to me and I wonder where it will lead me.



  Maura Carving in NYC
  www.carvinginnyc.com
  http://mycarvingclub.com/mauramacaluso












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