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<DIV><FONT size=3>Hi Maura,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3>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. </FONT><FONT size=3>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.
</FONT></DIV><FONT size=3>
<DIV><BR>Joe Dillett<BR>The Carving Shop<BR>645 E. LaSalle St. Suite
3<BR>Somonauk, IL. 60552</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>(815) 498-9290 phone<BR>(815) 498-9249 fax<BR><A
href="http://www.thecarvingshop.net">http://www.thecarvingshop.net</A> [business
web site]<BR><A
href="http://www.carvingmagazine.com">http://www.carvingmagazine.com</A> ['Ask
Joe' column]<BR><A
href="http://community.webshots.com/user/joe_dillett">http://community.webshots.com/user/joe_dillett</A><BR>******************************************************************</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Linehan718@aol.com
href="mailto:Linehan718@aol.com">Linehan718@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=woodcarver@six.pairlist.net
href="mailto:woodcarver@six.pairlist.net">woodcarver@six.pairlist.net</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, August 22, 2008 6:52
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Spam:****, Re: [Woodcarver] What
have you been working on?-my parks dept classand students</DIV>
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<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 8/22/2008 9:55:07 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, <A
href="mailto:jdillett@thecarvingshop.net">jdillett@thecarvingshop.net</A>
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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<DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P align=center><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 PTSIZE="10"
FAMILY="SANSSERIF">Maura Carving in NYC<BR><A
href="http://www.carvinginnyc.com/">www.carvinginnyc.com</A><U><BR><A
href="http://mycarvingclub.com/mauramacaluso">http://mycarvingclub.com/mauramacaluso</A><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR></U></P></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR>
<DIV><FONT style="FONT: 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF; COLOR: black">
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