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<DIV>In a message dated 8/22/2008 9:55:07 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
jdillett@thecarvingshop.net writes:</DIV>
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<DIV><FONT size=3>Hi Maura,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>It sounds like you haven't slowed down much this summer.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>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?</FONT></DIV><FONT size=3>
<DIV><BR>Joe Dillett</FONT></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> 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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
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<P align=center><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10">Maura Carving in NYC<BR><A
href="http://www.carvinginnyc.com/">www.carvinginnyc.com</A><U><BR><A
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