CARVING TYPES

There are many different kinds of wood carving applications. For the purpose of this resource we will limit these to the following main types:

Carving in the Round and Caricature Carving: Both these types of carving require carving in 3 dimensions. Carving in the round or realistic carving is carving in 3 dimensions and is limited to some type of scale of a real model. This can include animals, humans, birds, wildlife, etcetera. Caricature carving is 3 dimensional carving but in a more free hand comical sort of way.

Chip Carving: Chip Carving is a precise, detailed type of carving using knives to remove small chips of wood from a flat surface. Often geometric in design these chips are made from triangular cuts and once removed produce an intriguing design on the surface of wood.

Relief Carving: Relief Carving cons·ists of carving a figure or picture on a flat wood surface. Relief carving is broken into 3 types; Lbw Relief, Medium Relief and High Relief. The difference in types is how many layers of depth make up the relief carving. “Low Relief” is when the picture barely stands out from the background (usually 2 or 3 layers) while “High Relief” (usually 4 or more layers) stands out considerably.

Bark Carving: Bark Carving is a mix of Relief Carving and Chip Carving on a piece of Bark. This type of carving is very free form and usually consists of many small cuts and chips to make up the complete carving picture. The two main types of bark carving are whimsical houses and wood spirits.

Power Carving: Power Carving is using power tools like Dremel, or Foredem, and a variety of cutting and smoothing bits to establish the same results gained by hand carving but in a quicker amount of time.

Carving Woods

There are a number of different types of wood suitable for carving. As a beginner the best choice for most types of carving will be basswood. Basswood is a hard wood with a uniform grain; it is easy to carve and holds detail well. You can purchasebasswood from your local Woodcraft store, on line, or through the club. Other types of wood suitable for carving are butternut, tupelo, white pine, cherry, walnut, cottonwood bark, and driftwood.

Compiled by Ed Santarosa and Andy Hiroshima from various sources

GENERAL

• A knife is a tool, not a toy
• Always handle a knife with care
• Know how to properly operate (open and close) the knife
• Always keep the knife blade under control when cutting
• A sharp knife is safer than a dull knife
• Never run with a knife blade exposed
• If you must walk with an exposed blade do it very carefully
• Never throw a knife for any reason
• Always close the blade of a pocket knife before handing it to someone else
• Always hand a fixed blade knife to someone else handle first
• Always close the blade of a pocket knife when you are through using it
• Always place a fixed blade knife in a sheath or the blade in a blade cover when you are through using it
• Do not leave knives laying around when you are not using them
• Do not use a knife unsupervised.  Be sure a responsible person is present in case you cut yourself.
• Always treat a cut properly.  Stop the bleeding.  Apply an antiseptic.  Cover the wound to keep it clean.  Receive proper emergency treatment if the cut is severe.
• Stop using your knife if you are tired
• Do not use your knife if you are taking medications that might affect your motor skills

SPECIFIC

• Never cut towards another person
• Never cut towards your own body
• Always keep the hand holding the carving behind the cutting direction
• Always have both hands touching the carving
• Always hold the carving away from your body
• For difficult cuts place the carving on a firm wooden surface, not your body
• Visualize the travel path of the cutting edge if it were to slip or if the wood were to chip or break and make sure nothing is in the travel path
• If the knife slips out of your hand DO NOT try to catch it
• Do not use a knife to pry things open or to do other things that might break or damage the blade
• Learn to properly sharpen your knife and keep it sharp

SUGGESTIONS

Use a knife with a handle that is comfortable and easy to grasp.  A knife with a large diameter handle is harder to control.

• Use a blade that is not too long.  Knives with long blades are harder to control   A maximum blade length of 1 ½” (or shorter) is suggested for beginners.
• Use soft carving materials for beginners.  Some suggestions (in order of softness) are:

Soap (Ivory) – squeeze before you buy.  If it is soft it is good for carving.  If it is hard it will not carve well)

Balsa wood

Foam blocks – used by flower arrangers, generally green

Basswood

Pine

Practice and repetition will improve skills

Ben Ali Shriner’s 54th Annual Craft Fair that was held on Saturday, December 2 with all proceeds going to the Ben Ali Transportation Fund. CWA had 4 – 10’x10’ booths and 12 tables for the event. Two of the booths were used by Diana Kwan and Alison Cook to sell their carvings and the other 2 booths were staffed by club volunteers to show carvings by various club members and to promote the club in general.

/

Featured CWA carver Diana Kwan: Born in Shanghai, raised in Hong Kong, Diana came to featuring Asian themes in her carvings naturally. In addition to Chinese, Japanese and Korean themes, she has been influenced by Native American, African and European touches through the years. Diana says,” I am open to many ideas”, Her work reflect that perspective,  If you have seen her beautiful carvings (if you haven’t you should) you will know that she combines relief and chip carving.  While that is somewhat unique, her real claim to fame is the inclusion of color in her pieces. That has turned her carvings into works of art that have been featured in high end art shows and have brought her international recognition and many commissions for elaborate pieces in homes and at the State Capitol building. This recognition and fame did not come easily, it was the result of years of hard work and dedication to excellence.

Diana studied Microbiology in the late 60’s at SF State.  She also played field hockey as she had done in high school in Hong Kong, almost going to the Olympics in 1968 (ask her about that one).  She met her husband, Stan in Microbiology class at SFS.. After they were married, she gave up her career to raise 3 kids. 

Her entry into wood carving began in 1975. She says she “felt like carving” and went to a hobby store to buy some cheap tools and a piece of wood.  She still has that first carving. Three years later she saw a CWA show at Florin Mall and signed up for the club. Her first CWA meeting was at a member’s house. That was 43^rd years ago and she has been a member ever since, serving as President (4 times), Secretary, Newsletter Editor and Show Chair and She remembers everyone being very friendly and generous —just like now. She is currently the CWA Show Chair.

Diana focused on relief carving until the mid 1980s when the club brought Wayne Barton, a famous chip carver to Sacramento for a five-day class. Diana realized that chip carving “would benefit in design with my reliefs.” At first, she carved the familiar chip carving style of geometric designs. Then she began to perfect her technique and create more and more elaborate designs. After she became a CWA member in 1978 she started   participating and entering into competition in numerous woodcarving shows all over California, and she made many friends.

Eventually, she incorporated color into her chip carving, defining a whole new style that is still largely hers alone. CCG had discussions whether the new style was chip carving or a separate category. After a lot of discussion, they decided to just include Diana’s pieces in the regular Chip carving category. Diana’s view is, “Chip carving is a style of carving using one knife (in my case) to incise and cut out pieces of wood (usually basswood) to create designs.”

There is an ongoing discussion about whether wood carving is an art form, a craft or just a hobby. Diana’s color addition and creative free form designs answered that question, and she began entering her work in juried art shows.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, she was accepted into galleries—The Artist’s Collaborative Gallery, The Artery, Sutter, Auburn.  Then, she challenged herself to apply for prestigious fine art shows where her work had to be subjected to juried selection.  She was accepted by many high end shows. where her work had to be subjected to juried selection—Sausalito, San Francisco Women’s Show, Sacramento Art Festival, Davis Art Center, Crocker Art Show, Crocker-Kingsley Art Show, Blue Line Shows. I asked her if she thought that the combination of free form chip carving and painting created a unique kind of wood carving more suitable to fine art shows than the majority of carving styles.  She said that there is a bias against wood carving. People think it is a craft. A turning or an abstract wall hanging is considered more art than a relief or caricature carving, Diana opened a lot of eyes toward wood carving with her painted chip carvings, some of which are very large.  She has been an ambassador for wood carving in the world of high-end shows. She has a solo show planned for September 2021 at The Artery in Davis.

As her work became known, she took on many commissioned pieces, in Relief and Chip for private homes, businesses and churches. These include mantels, furniture, communion tables, altars, cabinets, balusters, a desk for the Legislature and furniture for the Senate Hearing Room in the State Capitol. Her decorative pieces hang in many homes in this country. Since her work was in galleries visited by international visitors her carvings are all over the world.

Diana summarized her carving experience this way: “Never in a million years would I have thought to be a woodcarver.  Somehow woodcarving found me. As I have always said I enjoy the camaraderie and appreciate the generosity of the members and people I have met along the way.  I have always appreciated the traditional arts, things made by hand, by craftspeople.  Pretty cool to be in that group.”

Featured CWA carver Joe You.  Like many members of our club, Joe grew up in Sacramento. He attended C.K McClatchy high school where he met his future wife, Chris, in home room.  Since Chris focused on English and Joe on science, they had few classes together outside of home room. Luckily, they went to the same church and eventually both went to UC Davis where they got to know each other better. Joe majored in botany and became a UC Master Gardener. After graduation from UCD he went to dental school at UOP. Halfway through Dental School Joe proposed to Chris and they were married in 1977.  Following Dental School, Joe had clinical placements in Elk Grove and on the Mendocino Coast (Joe’s favorite). Joe and a partner set up a practice in Elk Grove that they kept 42 years. I asked joe what reflections he had on his career.  He said, “I had the greatest patients in the world, great staff and I surrounded myself with great people.” Joe and Chris have three children. Two sons live in Elk Grove and their daughter lives in Sunnyvale, and they have six grandchildren.

Like other CWA members I have featured, Joe’s first club contact was at a CWA annual show at Country Club Plaza in 1993 or 94.  Joe was an artist and he loved wood; carving seem the ideal place to combine these two interests.  He was invited to a member’s house where he got a knife and some wood.  He started with a Santa carving, giving him his start with CWA He enjoyed making signs and carved one for the front of his house. One Saturday CWA member Bob Travis had an open house. He had a collection of caricature carvings being photographed for a magazine. This was Joe’s first exposure to caricature carving, and he was instantly hooked.  Here was a way to combine his interest in art with wood carvings that told a story. Bob was the education chair for CWA, and he arranged for many outstanding nationally recognized carvers to offer workshops in Sacramento. Joe eagerly took all the classes Bob scheduled, learning from some top names in caricature carving. The club also had a Rendezvous over the Labor Day Weekend. Four days of carving with instructors from across the country. Joe’s expertise grew rapidly. Bob Travis was also a founding member of the Caricature Carvers of America, an exclusive group of 25 members who are voted into membership when a vacancy occurs. He nominated Joe and Joe was admitted in 1999.

 Joe found that when he was asked to carve a face as a demonstration, it took him too long. His solution was practice, practice, practice, practice. Literally hundreds of faces later he now enjoys carving them and has developed techniques that he willingly shares with CWA members at our regular meetings.  When Joe was first elected to CCA he didn’t realize what an honor it was, but he soon realized that rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s best caricature carvers was an honor that he compared to Olympic Athletes learning from each other.

Joe has had some interesting experiences relating to his carving. CCA does various fund-raising events to support their organization. One of those was an on-line auction of carvings with each member providing one. Joe’s carving was purchased by a Canadian wood carver. Sometime later, Joe was in Canada and met the man who had bought his carving. Both men found it interesting to meet the person behind the name. Joe did a workshop in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.  The members of the club there had obtained a design for one of Joe’s carvings and several had carved it.  It was a great feeling for Joe to see the club members versions of his design and to have been copied by the local carvers. As Oscar Wilde noted, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery ….”. The carving that was copied is called “Balance” and is shown here.

I asked Joe about the value he sees in CWA. He said, “If it weren’t for the club, I wouldn’t be a woodcarver” then he added, “The purity of carving is just being in it for the joy.  The club is the place to go. Members support each other, and the annual show is always a highlight”. Over his years in the club, there have been lots of people come and go from whom he has learned. He owes a lot to the club. 

His advice to new carvers: “Choose something you are really interested in. Focus on it, and get really good at that. There is greater satisfaction in being really good at something than being mediocre at a lot of things.”

On one trip Joe was at a CCA meeting in a shop in Boise, Idaho. As he looked around at this great shop, he thought about carving at home in his garage where he froze in the winter and sweltered in the summer, so he decided to build a standalone shop in his backyard.  He designed what he wanted and got an architect to draw up plans. He hired an independent contractor who had constructed fairy tale cottages. The resulting shop is a wonderful space where he can work with power tools and his hand tools, do his painting, and create his fantastic caricature stories.  There is also space to display carving’s, some his and some by others. He included a table and chairs for fellow carvers to sit and exchange ideas. Joe generously included his shop in the CWA Shop Hop tour a few years ago.

Joe thought about including a bathroom for convenience.  Chris’s first question was, “Who’s going to clean it?” That was the end of that idea.  She named the shop “the Doghouse” so when people asked where Joe was, she could say, “He’s in the doghouse.” CCA does big projects that involve carvings by members. One street scene was brought to Joe’s shop in three pieces and assembled for a photo shoot. There was lots of black paint on the background and inevitably that led to black spots on the floor.  The spots are still there as a reminder of the project.

While Joe talks about the value he has gotten from the club, the Club has also benefited from his participation in many ways. He has served as President and has contributed to the annual show by running the silent auction and enhancing the exhibits by displaying his caricatures every year. Joe is also a willing and available mentor at club meetings and in his shop. We are fortunate to have a carver of his skill in our club.

President   Leroy Stebner   stebner@sbcglobal.net

Vice President     Andy Hiroshima       ahiroshima05@yahoo.com

Treasurer              Libby Schram             libbyschram@yahoo.com

Secretary              James Veach    jveach369@yahoo.com

Major Seminars   Andy Hiroshima        ahiroshima05@yahoo.com

Mini Seminars       vacant

Newsletter Editor   James Veach    jveach369@yahoo.com

E-Mail & Roster      Terry Hajek                   terrynandrea@comcast.net

Shirley’s Shop &
Library                    Shirley Coffelt

Annual Show        Vacant

Webmaster    Alison Cook      alison.cook99@outlook.com

The club is bringing back the Friendship Canes starting with our 2023 Spring Show which will be held on May 20 and 21, 2023 at the Scottish Rite Temple.  The purpose of the program is to encourage carving by the members and to build friendships between new and long term members and to build relationships between novice carvers and more experienced carvers.

The rules for the program are to carve most anything you want as long as it fits on a 2”x2”x3” block with a 5/8” hole drilled through the middle in the long direction.  The finished block may be unpainted and coated with a mineral oil finish or it could be painted with acrylic paints or other paints of choice and finished with a top protective top coat.  The blocks will be stacked with a 5/8” dowel through the holes and held in place with a special bottom and top piece.  A total of 9 blocks are needed to make one cane.  If 18 finished blocks are received wo canes will be assembled, etc.  The carvers name should be placed on the blocks at a location such that the name will be visible after the cane has been assembled. 

The club is bringing back the Friendship Canes starting with our 2023 Spring Show which will be held on May 20 and 21, 2023 at the Scottish Rite Temple.  The purpose of the program is to encourage carving by the members and to build friendships between new and long term members and to build relationships between novice carvers and more experienced carvers.

The rules for the program are to carve most anything you want as long as it fits on a 2”x2”x3” block with a 5/8” hole drilled through the middle in the long direction.  The finished block may be unpainted and coated with a mineral oil finish or it could be painted with acrylic paints or other paints of choice and finished with a top protective top coat.  The blocks will be stacked with a 5/8” dowel through the holes and held in place with a special bottom and top piece.  A total of 9 blocks are needed to make one cane.  If 18 finished blocks are received wo canes will be assembled, etc.  The carvers name should be placed on the blocks at a location such that the name will be visible after the cane has been assembled. 

The finished blocks must be turned in to Andy by 5:00 PM on Friday, May 19 in order to be incorporated into a cane. A drawing will be made on Sunday afternoon and the cane(s) and the cane(s) awarded to the lucky winner(s) after the drawing.  Only carvers who turn in a block to Andy by the due date will be eligible to participate in the drawing.

Andy Hiroshima and Alison Cook, traveled back to Doane UIniversity in Crete, Nebraska in 2019 and participated in the Doane Experience.  Here is their account of their trip.

Andy:

My Doane Experience began February 1^st at12:00 PM. This is when I received the application for attending the Doane Nebraska Experience.  I had heard that if you don’t get your application in early you may not have your first class of your choice or perhaps your second or third choices either.  This information came from a reliable source, Bob Travis, CCA Founding Member and instructor at Doane.

I have been hearing that this was a carving experience that all wood carvers should try at least once. There are members of our club that have been there as many as 7 times perhaps more, and their experiences at Doane has been a real asset to their carving life.  They told me that carving at Doane was like going back to college in their Freshman year as far as living in the dorm at night. 

While I was there, I met many very nice people who told me when they first went to Doane, they stayed in the dorm and the bathroom was 75 steps from their room.  This was important because when they woke up at night, they would count their steps so they knew they were in the right place.  Of course, they had to count to 75 to get back to the right room.

There were people from 29 states and several from Canada.  4 people were from Calif. Two from Sacramento Alison Cook and myself.  In total there were 136 students at this years’ experience.

I’m guessing that much has change because, although I stayed in the dorm, there were three bedrooms, each had two beds, one common area, very comfortable, one bathroom with two sinks, one toilet and two showers.  It was very comfortable, I elected to have my own room and it was suggested that you submit your application quickly while you have a choice. In my case there was one other person who chose to have his own room.  There were  two people in the dorm room and one bathroom. Perfect.

The food was very good, not great, but tasty and lots of variety for the picky eater.  Let me say, if you leave hungry, it’s your fault.

Carving: I chose to do was a Standing Moose, taught by Linda Curtis, excellent teacher.  There are 10 people in the class, and we had a wonderful time.  We worked hard, laughed hard and carved a lot. There were 14 different classes you could choose, there was something for everyone.

While we were at dinner, we heard many stories from the past. One particular story hit home for both Alison and me.  There were 8 people sitting at our table, and we had a good laugh at the expense of our good friend who was not there to defend himself, but he is infamous.   The story goes, he was carving and while he was talking, he was waving his hand around and accidently cut his ear. Well this was embarrassing enough but the next day, while he was carving, he was explaining what happened the day before he held the knife in his other hand.  Yup, he cut his other ear.  A special award was given to him at the end of the session, it was a set of large earmuffs.   The story lives on in the annals of Doane.

In conclusion, I had a great time, enjoyed the class and students.  I met a lot of very interesting people and made new friends, which carving is all about, yes, carving is a good conversation starter.

Think about attending.  If you have never been there or if it is your 10^th time, it will be an excellent experience.

Alison

Andy has summarized the general information well.  L also requested a single room and made sure my application was post marked February 1 (the same day I got the package). My arrangement was like Andy’s but with more people.  There were 5 rooms in our suite.  They appear to be double rooms during the school year and one of ours did have two women who came together. The rest were singles.  We also had two sinks and two shower stalls, and two toilets shared by six people surprisingly, there were few, if any conflicts around shower times or other bathroom time in the morning.  Three of my suite mates were from Wisconsin, one from Iowa and two of us were from California.  Most of the others were taking chip carving so we didn’t see much of each other except at meals.

I agree with Andy’s appraisal of the food.

Not surprisingly, I choose bark carving, called Bark-a-tecture, taught by Ken Armsberry and Norm Minske.  We had six participants of pretty much the same level of experience and skill. I learned some new techniques and completed a carving over the course of the week.  It was fun learning from both the instructors and the other participants. Of course, I ended up “needing” two new tools that they were happy to sell to me.

All-in-all it was a good experience. The campus is pretty, the people were very nice (and often funny) and the learning experience was good. I really didn’t realize just how much corn there is in Nebraska. I swear they plant the stalks an inch apart.  Amazing view of” America’s Heartland” driving across Nebraska. All in all, it was a luxury to carve for 5 days straight in such pleasant surroundings with such nice people.  However, my hand did complain bitterly the next week.

I second Andy’s suggestion to think about attending. They have been doing this for 43 years and have it down to a smooth operation.  What a great way to spend a week in July—carving in the middle of cornfields (sort of).

/

It doesn’t take long for a new member to hear about Shirley’s Shop.
The shop is the site for CWA minor and major seminars, weekly get togethers for
carving and food and much more. Here we learn more about the woman behind
the shop—Shirley Coffelt. Shirley grew up on Orcas Island about 80 miles north
of Seattle. Her love of wood started young. The island was a bit calm and
boring for kids, but when the tugboats came in towing barges of limestone five
or six guys on the tug would come ashore and pass the time whittling. Shirley
borrowed her dad’s pocketknife, picked up a piece of driftwood and started
carving with the tugboat crew.

The knife was always dull, and the results were disappointing. She didn’t lose her interest in carving, however, and years later when she joined CWA, she discovered bass wood and learned how to sharpen her tools.

Shirley studied photography in college and that led to a long-term job at UC
Davis as a research photographer for projects studying the effects of radiation
on animals. When the funding ran out for that project, Shirley retired and she and a neighbor boy built her shop in Shirley’s backyard.  She shared the cost with her neighbors who were also wood workers- making dulcimer guitars.

The shop was perfect for fostering carving and groups of 10 or more
were often found taking a class

Another feature of Shirley’s Shop is an extensive woodcarving library
purchased by CWA that covers almost every kind of common wood carving. Books can be checked out (if you promise to return them on time!). These books contain techniques, design ideas and topics such as wood selection and sharpening.

The latter topic is one that is a challenge for most beginning, and some experienced, carvers. Shirley says that she struggled with sharpening until she joined CWA and got
expert help from more experienced members. Shirley is committed to continuing
to learn. She said she has taken virtually every course offered through CWA.
Instructors included some of the country’s most well-known carvers who the club
brought to Sacramento to teach classes.

One place where she sold a lot of Christmas ornaments and other small carvings was the Elder Craftsman Store in Old Sacramento. The store was run by retired women, and much of the merchandise was knitted or sewn objects. Shirley’s carvings were unique and very popular.

Shirley says that her carvings were so popular that she carved eight hours a day just to provide enough stock for the center during the Christmas season

She carved on the sidewalk in front of the center and had lots of people stop and chat as she worked.

At the club meetings Shirley would be at one table and all the women aggregated around her. Bob Travis was at another table with the men. This was more than just gender separation.  Many of the women were beginners and Shirley helped them get started. She had mentored some of them at her shop. Most of the men were more experienced carvers, and they worked on more advanced techniques. But, it didn’t take long for the women to catch up, and they became some of the club’s best carvers.

Shirley has led several group projects for the club including this Noah’s Ark regularly shown at our show.

Shirley’s role in CWA is significant and she has played a major part in the
development of carving in Sacramento. We owe her a debt of gratitude for her
generosity in sharing her shop for potluck sessions where her fresh-baked bread
is a highlight. She is truly a CWA treasure.

Any carver or gourd artist who wishes may enter one or more  pieces in the show competition for judging.

There are three wood carving levels:  Novice, Advanced, and Expert, The gourd judging levels are Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and Master.  The entrant chooses the level they feel they best fit into and then choose the category for the piece.  Each piece is examined by show judges and may be awarded a blue, red, or white ribbon, based on the merit of the piece.  All entries are on display during the show regardless of whether an award was given or not.  All entries must remain on display until the end of the show at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.  The following special awards for both wood carving and gourds are also presented, some with cash awards:  1st Best of Show, 2nd Best of Show, 3rd Best of Show, People’s Choice,

Other Activities

Free woodcarving and gourd art classes and demonstrations are given during the show

Free tool sharpening is also available.

There is also a Silent Auction of donated items, many of them hand-carved.

There are also free hourly door prize drawings throughout the weekend.  Our Grand Raffle Prize drawing at the end of the day on Sunday features  wonderful wood hand-carvings and  artistically decorated gourds. Tickets are on sale throughout the show hours and before the show.

Individual carvers have items on display throughout the weekend.  Some items are for sale, and many are only for display. 

We also have excellent and well-known vendors from around the country.  These vendors supply high quality tools, books, and supplies to our woodcarvers. 

Randy Moore of Moore Roughouts and Wood travels from North Dakota to our show every year.