Sioux Empire Fair is Weeks Away

Last December my wife wanted the bathroom remodeled.  I said, "Why not wait until summer time when we don't have to be dragging stuff in and out in the cold weather?"  Last week she said, "Remember what you said about the bathroom?...  It is now summertime!"

So I spent some days, including Independence Day, tearing out the old and putting in the new bathroom.  Needless to say, getting any thing done for the fair is  not happening.

 Rules and Entry Form for the Sioux Empire Woodcarving Exposition can be found at Sioux Empire Fair website. (The date for Saturday judging will be corrected to read Aug. 2nd.)   Printed copies will be available at our  third Saturday meeting, July 19.

The schedule for security volunteers and Artist of the Day is the same as for previous years.  As the featured "Artist of the Day" you do some "show and tell" and get to sell your carvings with no consignment fees.  Volunteers for security watch get a  gate pass and (maybe) a vehicle pass to drive in to Arts Building Parking area.

Wilderness Woodcarving Rendezvous & Picnic

Here is the plan for a fun day at Pointer's Ridge, Saturday, June 21:

10 AM to Noon--Explore the area and find some interesting twigs or dead wood to carve.

Noon to 1 PM--Picnic Lunch.  There will be a pot of chili, some hot dogs to grill, and whatever anyone brings as pot luck.

1 PM to 4 PM--Carve twigs, etc. and possibly explore chain saw carving.

What to bring (besides your imagination): A guest, your spouse, kids, grand kids, etc.; something to eat and drink with chili and hot dogs, your whittling knife and gouges, and (optional) a hatchet and pocket saw.  (Chain saws are welcome with proper safety equipment.)  And of course, bug spray and sun screen.    

Find detailed instructions on how to get there at Pointer's Ridge. org

Sample Human Twig Carving

Sample Bird Twig Carvimg

There's a Bear in That There Wood!

Cherry Wood Relief
by
Derek Boekoff

Had the pictures I took at last Saturday's meeting turned out, you could have seen Dick Peterson offering advice about carving the head of a bear or wolf mounted on a slice of wood, cross-cut, with bark still attached, from a basswood tree branch.  The glued-up and ready-to-carve blanks were provided by Dick along with study pictures of bear and wolf heads.  

Another picture that was too blurry to publish was of Nancy Cummings working on one of her excellent relief carvings.  She has gotten to be quite an expert at accenting her reliefs with the wood burning pen. Hopefully she will be on hand at our next Third Saturday meeting, May 17th, to help us apply the wood burned hair and details to finish our bears and wolves.

The one picture that turned out OK is another example of Derek Boekoff's excellent progress in the art of woodcarving.  Thank you, Derek, for contributing to our "Show and Tell".

In Remberance of Frank Gibbs

Our dear friend and honorary member of the South Dakota Woodcarvers, Inc. passed away February 18, 2014.  Our club and its individual members were among  many of the benefactors of Frank's generosity and willingness to be of service to any one who needed help.  We very much appreciated his judging our competitions and inviting us over to his house to see his collection of fine art.  His memorial service today at the First Reformed Church in Sioux Falls was truly inspirational, and I feel privileged to have been familiar with many of the characterizations and anecdotes  that were told by family and friends.

In particular I am honored to have shared in some small way in the story of his son-in-law asking him for his daughter's hand in marriage.  He leaned back in his chair and said "Well...Quite Frankly...", and that of course was the title of the carving his family commissioned me to do. 

Welcome Springtime!

Whether you attempt the super realistic or a simple folk art style, songbird carving is a lot of fun--especially  after a long hard winter.  We will continue working on bird carving this Saturday.  In the meantime check out some of the videos about bird carving on YouTube.  Unless you're making something to enter in one of those really strict competitions, you probably don't want to bother with making your own bird legs and feet, but here is one that shows how it's done:  Bird Foot Construction

One of my favorite bird carvings is a Cardinal done by Frank Orthmeyer.  Folks who have attended his carving sessions Monday and Saturday mornings probably have one of its
off springs.